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Have you ever noticed that some students struggle to see their progress in an acquisition-driven classroom?

When your lessons focus on comprehensible input and communication, progress can feel invisible to students used to “right or wrong” answers. That’s why Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) can be such a game-changer.

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Claudia Fernández, one of the leading voices on TBLT, about how this approach helps students engage in authentic language use to achieve a real communicative goal.

You’ll hear strategies for bringing TBLT into your classroom while keeping language acquisition and connection at the heart of instruction.

Key Takeaways

• A task isn’t just an activity. It has a clear communicative outcome that mirrors real-life language use.
• Authenticity builds motivation. Students feel successful because they accomplish something meaningful.
• TBLT aligns with CI. It naturally supports acquisition through input, interaction, and purpose.
• You can adapt it anywhere. From textbook classes to upper levels, TBLT fits any context.

Why It Matters

Task-Based Language Teaching bridges the gap between knowing about language and using language.
It helps students experience the power of communication — not just as practice, but as a purpose.

Recommended Resources for Teachers:

Bill VanPatten – The Nature of Language and While We’re on the Topic

Martin East – Foundational Principles of Task-Based Language Teaching (Free online)

Daniel O. Jackson – Task-Based Language Teaching: A Concise Introduction

Florencia Henshaw & Maris Hawkins – Common Ground

TBLT Task Bank – Community-shared tasks by level and theme

Growing With Proficiency The Podcast Playlist about Acquisition, Language and Communication.

More resources:

• Join the waitlist for Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy → growingwithproficiency.com/academy
• Follow me on Instagram @claudiamelliott
• ​​📑 Discover culturally rich, month-specific resources for Spanish classes in my TPT Store: Growing With Proficiency.

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Does comprehensible input still matter at the intermediate level? Absolutely. In this conversation with Gary DiBianca, he shares how he “levels up” intermediate classes by centering CI, intentionally modeling structures students can recycle (time frames, connectors, question stems), and layering authentic resources that stretch comprehension without overwhelming learners.

You’ll hear:

• What changes—and what doesn’t—at intermediate: same CI foundation, deeper themes, tighter recycling, and clear routines.
• Goals that motivate growth: build confidence, boost spontaneous output, and move toward Intermediate High targets while honoring each student’s starting point.
• Planning that works: start with an anchor text/story written for learners, then layer authentic materials (infographics, short news videos, songs, podcast clips) and guided discussion.
• Intentional structures > grammar dumps: model multiple time frames (present, past, future, would), connectors/transition words, and question formation inside meaningful input; zoom in on form only when it serves comprehension.
• Keep it fun: why story-asking and playful tasks still matter at upper levels.
• From input to output: scaffolded discussion days, visible vocabulary, sentence starters, and rubrics that cue learners to agree/disagree, ask follow-ups, give examples, and actually move the conversation.

Try tomorrow: run a Cultural Picture Talk for Intermediates. Model the language you want to hear later—then watch output grow.

Resources mentioned:

Gary DiBianca Resources

Socratic Seminar: Gary DiBianca

More resources:

• Join the waitlist for Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy → growingwithproficiency.com/academy
• Follow me on Instagram @claudiamelliott
• ​​📑 Discover culturally rich, month-specific resources for Spanish classes in my TPT Store: Growing With Proficiency.

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En este episodio en español de Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast, converso con la Dra. Marta Silva sobre un tema esencial para profes de español: cómo enseñar a estudiantes de herencia. Exploramos la diferencia entre clases de herencia y de segunda lengua, y por qué es clave replantear nuestros objetivos, pilares y rutinas para apoyar a estos estudiantes de manera auténtica.

En este episodio descubrirás:

• Los 4 pilares de las clases de herencia: sostenimiento de lengua y cultura, comunidad, identidad socioemocional y excelencia académica.
• Una rutina semanal clara (lunes de noticias y progreso, martes de lectura, miércoles/jueves de escritura y video-respuestas, viernes de plática comunitaria).
• Estrategias prácticas para clases mixtas donde hay estudiantes de herencia y de L2 juntos.
• Cómo evitar errores comunes como “corregir” la herencia lingüística en lugar de valorizarla.
• La inspiración del programa Latina Leadership, un modelo de comunidad, orgullo e impacto académico.

Si enseñas español y tienes (o tendrás) estudiantes de herencia en tus clases, este episodio es tu guía para empezar con claridad, propósito y corazón.

Escúchalo ahora y compártelo con un colega que también necesite estas ideas.

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Why am I re-releasing this episode? Because after a few weeks back in the classroom, I felt it again — that weight of doing everything myself: picking up pencils, erasing the board, answering endless “what did I miss?” emails. And I remembered… this episode holds the solution.

In this powerful conversation with Annabelle Williamson (La Maestra Loca) and John Seifert, we dive deep into classroom jobs — not just what they are, but why they matter. Annabelle and John share:

• Their favorite jobs and how they transformed their classes.
• How to implement jobs step by step (even mid-year).
• Troubleshooting tips to keep the system running.

Whether you’re the “least type-A teacher ever” (like Annabelle) or highly structured (like John), you’ll find a way to make class jobs work for you.

If you’re feeling tired, stretched thin, or just looking for a way to re-energize your class culture, this episode is exactly what you need right now. Listen now.

Class Jobs Course: Use code: CLAUDIA for 10% OFF!

John’s Blog

Annabelle’s Blog

More resources:

• Join the waitlist for Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy → growingwithproficiency.com/academy
• Follow me on Instagram @claudiamelliott
• ​​📑 Discover culturally rich, month-specific resources for Spanish classes in my TPT Store: Growing With Proficiency.

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Silence in the language classroom doesn’t mean students aren’t saying anything. Silence is information.

In this episode of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast, we explore why silence can be a valuable source of information and how teachers can use it to foster curiosity, lower risk, and create more meaningful engagement.

You’ll learn:

• The 3 main reasons students don’t respond to questions
• How to make your questions comprehensible and accessible
• Low-prep strategies that lower response risk and boost participation
• Ways to connect unit content to your students’ lives without rewriting your curriculum

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Episode 161 with Becca Silver: Moving Past the “Shoulds”
• Episode 157 with Dr. Karen Lichtman & Jason Fritze: Three Key Skills for Teaching Acquisition
• Episode 54 with Paulino Brenner: Asking Better Questions in the Language Classroom
• Episode 88 with Dr. Bill VanPatten: What about Output?

If you’re ready to reframe silence from something frustrating to something informative, this episode will give you practical tools and a new perspective to bring into your classroom tomorrow.

More resources:

• Join the waitlist for Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy → growingwithproficiency.com/academy
• Follow me on Instagram @claudiamelliott
• ​​📑 Discover culturally rich, month-specific resources for Spanish classes in my TPT Store: Growing With Proficiency.

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Are errors or strong accents really blocking communication—or is it about how we listen? 🎧

In this episode, I share why comments about my accent made me reflect on how we approach communication in our classrooms and in our teacher communities. Together, we’ll explore:

• Why the hidden goal of “sounding native” can get in the way of real communication.
• What research says about listening, comprehensibility, and sympathetic listeners.
• How we can become better listeners by valuing diverse voices and stopping the cycle of criticism.

Because communication is a two-way street—and our job as educators is to help students (and ourselves) walk it with confidence.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• Dr. Vijay Ramjattan – on antiracism and the reminder that listening is not neutral.
• ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines – defining accuracy as the use of linguistic features to convey meaning.
• Dr. Diane Neubauer & Dr. Reed Riggs – conversations reminding us that most communication is listening and reading, not speaking.

More resources:

• Join the waitlist for Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy → growingwithproficiency.com/academy
• Follow me on Instagram @claudiamelliott
• ​​📑 Discover culturally rich, month-specific resources for Spanish classes in myTPT Store: Growing With Proficiency.

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Have you ever felt like getting your students to really use the target language with each other is the hardest thing? You want them to share ideas, agree or disagree, and ask questions. But when the moment comes, silence takes over—or worse, they switch to English.

In this episode, I sit down with my friend and incredible Spanish teacher, Chelsea Lawrence, to talk about a game-changing strategy: Silent Discussions.

✨ What you’ll learn in this episode:

• What Silent Discussions are and how to set them up step by step.
• Why this strategy works so well to lower stress and build success in interpersonal communication.
• Real classroom examples—from connecting the Panama Canal to a local tunnel, to jigsaw activities with biographies and even telescopes.
• Practical scaffolds to support your students: graphic organizers, sentence starters, question stems, and even a “How do you say…?” board.
• What to do after the Silent Discussion to extend the learning with gallery walks, reflections, or presentational tasks.

👉 If you’re a Spanish teacher and are looking for resources to create great jigsaw activities plus Silent Discussions, check out the Biographies to Celebrate Hispanic Women or explore the Panoramas Culturales, where you can assign one article to each group.

Listen now and discover how one big sheet of paper can transform into a powerful tool for authentic student interaction in your classroom.

📌 Resources

• Join the waitlist for Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy → growingwithproficiency.com/academy
• Follow me on Instagram @claudiamelliott
• ​​📑 Discover culturally rich, month-specific resources for Spanish classes in myTPT Store: Growing With Proficiency.

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As teachers, we’ve all been there—you’ve planned the lesson, you’ve given directions, and then… your students just don’t meet the expectations. Blank stares, missing homework, silence after a question. 😩

But here’s the thing: maybe unmet expectations aren’t really the problem. In this episode, I sit down with Becca Silver, founder of The Whole Educator, to explore how shifting our mindset can transform frustration into curiosity—and how that shift can change the way we connect with our students.

This conversation will challenge the way you see those tough classroom moments and give you strategies you can start using tomorrow.

✨ Takeaways

• Why unmet expectations feel so heavy for teachers—and what’s actually underneath them.
• The difference between a “shoulds mindset” and a curiosity mindset in the classroom.
• Simple sentence starters to reframe your response when students don’t do the reading, homework, or show up prepared.
• How a mindset shift can help you maintain joy and keep communication flowing, even on hard days.

📚 Resources & Links

Find all the resources and entire blog post here.

🎧 Related Episodes:

Episode 88 with Dr. Bill VanPatten: Why Input Still Matters

Episode 84 with Dr. Stephen Krashen: The Power of Reading

📌 Resources + Links Mentioned in This Episode:

• Join the waitlist for Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy → growingwithproficiency.com/academy
• Follow me on Instagram @claudiamelliott
• ​​📑 Discover culturally rich, month-specific resources for Spanish classes in myTPT Store: Growing With Proficiency.
• September Calendar Talk