Growing With Proficiency The Podcast
Welcome to Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast! Are you a World Language teacher who is looking for ideas, strategies, activities, and inspiration to create a World Language class where you and your students enjoy using the language to learn about the world and each other? Do you want to transform your class into an acquisition-driven instruction space where you intentionally provide a ton of comprehensible input? If you are, you're in the right place. Let's start this journey together. Head over to IG, and send me a DM @claudiamelliott to let me know what topics you would like me to cover in an upcoming episode.Join my free Facebook community, Growing With C. Also, check out my blog to start discovering some of these ideas and strategies at growingwithproficiency.com
Episodes
How do we move from teaching about a language to using it to communicate—authentically, meaningfully, and joyfully?
In this special live episode of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast, I sit down with two powerhouses in the world of language acquisition—Dr. Karen Lichtman and Jason Fritze—to answer a BIG question:
👉 What does it actually mean to teach for acquisition?
We explore what the research says, what this looks...
Planning for acquisition isn’t about perfection—it’s about intention. In this powerful episode, I sit down with Dr. Diane Neubauer and Dr. Reed Riggs for one of the most meaningful conversations I’ve ever had about lesson planning in the world language classroom.
We explore what it means to plan with purpose—centering curiosity, communication, and student connection instead of rigid structures or vocabulary lists.
✨ Key...
What happens when students expect grammar charts, parents want vocabulary lists, and administrators walk in asking, “Why are YOU doing all the talking?” If you’ve felt that tension, this episode is for you.
In this final episode of the Back to School Series, I share the exact lesson I use in the first week of school that changed a lot for me—how I shifted from feeling questioned and defensive to confidently leading my ...
The first week of school can feel like a whirlwind—there’s excitement, anticipation, and let’s be honest… pressure. What should you do first? What’s most important? And how can you make sure you’re setting up your students (and yourself!) for a successful, sustainable year?
In this episode, I’m opening up about what I actually prioritize during that first week of school in my Spanish classroom. I’m sharing what I focus...
Planning for a new school year can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to create a class centered on communication and proficiency, not grammar features. In this episode, I walk you through five intentional steps to help you map out your year with clarity and sustainability. You’ll learn how to prioritize compelling input, build a flexible curriculum map, and keep your students’ needs and your well-being ...
¿Tienes todo listo para un nuevo año escolar que no solo funcione, sino que se sienta bien? En este episodio te comparto las 5 claves esenciales para un regreso a clases intencional, humano y sostenible en tu clase de español.
En vez de empezar en modo “supervivencia”, este año te invito a comenzar con claridad, conexión y propósito. Estas estrategias están pensadas para adaptarse a tu contexto real y ayudarte a enseña...
As we step into a new school year, one word guides everything: sustainability.
In this first episode of a 4-part summer series, I’m breaking down the key to a successful and sustainable language class—one that doesn't run on exhaustion. You’ll learn about the 3 essential pillars that create a joyful, communicative, and manageable classroom experience—plus the one critical consideration teachers often overlook. Whe...
This episode is a different kind of conversation—one that goes beneath the surface and straight to the heart. 💛
In this episode of Growing With Proficiency, the Podcast, I’m joined by two great friends and incredible educators, Annabelle Williamson (La Maestra Loca) and Bertha Delgadillo. Together, we open up about a topic that many teachers live with, often silently: teaching with ADHD.
Annabelle and Bertha share thei...
This isn’t your typical episode about strategies or games. Today, we’re talking about something real, something we don’t say out loud enough in our teacher circles: What do you do when your school no longer feels like home?
I’m joined by the amazing Kia D. London, a world language educator and returning guest, who opens up about the pain of leaving a school she once thought she’d retire from. In this raw and vulnerable...
In a season when we just can't do it all, having clarity about what truly impacts our students’ proficiency journey is key. And this episode? It's the one you’ll want to replay over and over again.
This conversation with Dr. Stephen Krashen is one of the most downloaded episodes of the podcast—and for good reason. Dr. Krashen, the architect of the comprehensible input hypothesis, shares the powerful role of r...
In this re-released episode, I'm sharing one of the most powerful practices I started a few years ago—and yes, I still use it today! It's called the S.T.E.P. Forward Protocol, a simple yet transformative 4-step process to help you reflect, reset, and refocus your teaching at any point in the year.
In this episode, I break down each part of the S.T.E.P. process:
- S – Student Survey (Hear how I use surveys to...
There’s nothing like a good game to bring life back into your classroom—especially when everyone (including you) is counting down the days to summer 🌞.
In this conversation, I’m joined by my friend and amazing teacher, Dahiana Castro, to talk about simple, low-prep, and super engaging games you can use right now—yes, even if you feel out of energy and your students are done.
You’ll walk away with:
✅ A fresh take o...
Are you looking for an interactive and engaging activity to boost your students' participation and build a strong classroom community at the end of the school year? In this episode of "Growing With Proficiency, the podcast," we explore a unique twist on the popular Card Talk activity that my students absolutely loved!
In this activity, I’ll share with you how to turn the simple drawings our students do i...
Are you ending the year feeling tired, disconnected, or wondering if all your hard work made a difference?
In this episode, I’m opening up about five things I wish I had known earlier in my teaching career — before burnout crept in. These aren’t just reflective lessons; they’re practical shifts that helped me move from survival mode to a place of clarity, confidence, and connection in the classroom.
Whether you're ...
Do your assessments reflect the full journey your students have taken with you this year?
In this episode, I reflect on how end-of-year assessments can do more. They can be an opportunity to celebrate all the meaningful interactions, cultural insights, and personal growth that have happened in our classrooms.
Inspired by a powerful quote from Dr. Beniko Mason—“Assessments are more for me as a teacher than for my studen...
¿Quieres planear tu próxima unidad sin caer en el “más de lo mismo”?
En este episodio te llevo paso a paso por cómo diseño una unidad comunicativa, usando el idioma como vehículo para explorar el mundo, no como el objetivo en sí.
Te comparto el marco de Creciendo con Competencia que utilizo —un enfoque que va más allá de enseñar estructuras sueltas— para ayudarte a crear experiencias con sentido, con intención y con pr...
In this episode of Growing with Proficiency, we dive into a creative twist on the classic Read and Draw activity that takes student comprehension to the next level! We share an innovative classroom strategy that transforms how students engage with texts, using hieroglyphics-inspired symbols to boost memory, collaboration, and creativity. Learn how this activity, backed by research showing drawing nearly doubles recall...
AI tools are popping up everywhere — but can we use them in a way that still aligns with second language acquisition and communication-centered teaching?
In this episode, I’m walking you through how I use AI — especially ChatGPT — in my Spanish classroom without losing the heart of what we do as CI teachers. I’ll share the 5 tools I actually use (and how I stack them), plus the mindset I bring into every lesson to make...
Welcome back to Growing With Proficiency The Podcast! In today’s episode, we’re diving into Picture Talk—a classic strategy that many of us use occasionally… but what if it became part of your weekly routine?
When reimagined as a sustainable and student-led practice, Picture Talk can provide meaningful input, spark student curiosity, and support communication—all with one powerful image.
In this episode, I’m sharing exa...
In this episode of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast, I’m joined by three brilliant educators—Donna Tatum-Johns, Justin Slocum Bailey, and Erika Peplinski-Burge—for a real, honest, and insightful conversation straight from the heart of CI Mitten.
Together, we answer 6 of the most common questions world language teachers ask, like:
🎯 How can I get my upper-level students to actually speak in class?
🧠 How...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.