At the age of 20, I was like, wow, the models of bilingual education in the US and in Colombia failed me. They’re leaving kids behind. So I have a lot of drive to make that right, by being out there with teachers, surrounded by the people making changes. Gianny Morales The stories we tellContinue reading "S5E3 Gianny Morales: Making a Home in Two Worlds"

It’s not about learning vocabulary, learning how to say something in another language. Deep down, we’re talking about making us better, smarter, more compassionate, more open minded, more empathetic people who care about self and also one another. That’s my goal and my passion. Dr. Shuhan Wang In another place in our conversation, she says,Continue reading "S5E2 Shuhan Wang: A New Framework for Language Education"

Season 5 kicks off with Norah Lulich Jones hosting Victor Santos, author of What Makes Us Human. Explore how Santos uses riddle in both words and images to engage and delight children (and adults) with the power of human language.

We learned a lot after the pandemic: how important it is to be face-to-face and humans need each other. Folks tell me AI is going to replace us. I beg to differ. We as human beings are powerful and can use this intelligence to help us. Noemí Rodríguez I love this conversation with language educationContinue reading "E126 Humans, Language,Technology: a conversation with Noemí Rodríguez"

Proficiency comes down very simply to what someone can do with the language. It’s not what you know about the language, it’s what you can do with the language. As a learner I need to take it within me on a playground, in in the community, doing video games with kids around the world… PaulContinue reading "E125 Taking Proficiency Seriously, with Paul Sandrock"

Language is everywhere. We have to make it right for our own community and make it meaningful for our own community, but always keep that larger picture out there. Opening eyes to the world is the best thing that we can give our students. Brandon Locke Qeyaakaq. “Language Warrior.” The photo shows Brandon, initially unawareContinue reading "E124 Language Warriors – A Conversation with Brandon Locke"

LAMA means “Why?” Clarity on why we are having a conversation to educate and develop leaders allows us to look at language intentionally, to ask questions about meaning, and to explore with our participants, who, in turn, will also be our teachers. Tal Gale Human language gives us the gift of Why. Without language, organismsContinue reading "E123 LAMA Leadership: A Conversation with Tal Gale"

I would say you can do a lot with languages–things you wouldn’t expect–and that is what I have tried to do in my life. It’s not simply reading, writing, speaking and listening. You find a niche that works for you. You find the thing you like, where you think you have a future, and youContinue reading "Episode 122 Your Language Niche: A Conversation with Gregory Nedved"

Language is very important to bring people together. Communication can bring peace. If we can communicate together in a caring and loving way, there will be peace in the world. Lorie Roule’s mother, from an interview We tend to be, as a country, short-sighted about language. A problem goes away and the attention goes away,Continue reading "Episode 121 Lorie Roule: Advocating for Sustainable Language Programs"

We work anywhere where we see issues or anywhere where we think that we can make a connection and work with people who are really capable. They’re extremely inspiring people. It’s the idea of connecting students with artists. Christopher Howell In a world where cultural divisions often seem insurmountable, a remarkable initiative known as theContinue reading "Episode 120 The Pulsera Project : Chris Howell"

If you become multilingual and explore the world and develop interculturality, you aren’t losing your original identity, you’re only making it stronger. Christopher Gwin Language is the pathway not to losing yourself, but to finding yourself and being grateful for your life experiences. Language learning makes you less competitive, because you have seen other practicesContinue reading "Episode 119 Language and Leadership Pathways: Christopher Gwin"

Languages and scripts do not just die out. Invariably, the loss of a language or a script is the result of policy. It’s the result of invasion, it’s possibly genocide, possibly economic invasion where one culture finds that it cannot survive without taking on the guise of a more powerful culture nearby. Tim Brookes WhileContinue reading "Episode 118 Tim Brookes: Endangered Alphabets Project"

The association that people have had in the past with language education is not what it has evolved to become today. People are highly strategic with the way that they are using language in the classroom. Language is used for an authentic purpose, it’s used for critical thinking skills, it’s used for strategic problem-solving, soContinue reading "Episode 117 The GLOBE Academy: Sandra Daniel"

In Episode 116 It’s About Language host Norah Jones does a bit of storytelling of her language and cultural meetings, missteps, mistakes…and reflects on the powerful growth such experiences bring. She invites listeners to reflect on the roles of their own life stories in defining themselves and their impact in challenging times.

We don’t want DLI programs to just simply exist. We want them to thrive, and, as I found in my research, a leader’s choices, their decisions, and their practices can really elevate everyone’s practice and build a community of respect and understanding and support for this program. We want Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs toContinue reading "Episode 115 Joy and Opportunity for All: Nancy Hong"

Wordplay is an opportunity for fun and engagement, an opening to appreciate some important things about language. As we all well know, spoken language is not only a way of conveying information, but also a way of connecting with others and expressing ourselves. And one of the ways that spoken language can be more creativeContinue reading "Episode 114 Word Play and Pun’d-It, with Josh Daly"

Bring a language forward. We want that language to be something that we recognize. Human language is uniquely suited to creating possibilities. Those possibilities create opportunties for individuals to discover their deepest identities, to express their most important thoughts, to make their most important connections with other people, and to find their place and purposeContinue reading "Episode 113 Always Say Yes to a Language: Michele Aoki & Veronica Trapani"

“We learn about fundamentals. Then as we recognize that society changes, we start questioning as we face new challenges. We need to start having other conversations.” Ponder for a moment the word “craft.” A world of mass-manufactured goods, one-use items, disposables, low-low-low prices, divided attention, and Instagram glamour… Where does craft fit in? The wordContinue reading "Episode 112 Honing Our Craft: Florencia Henshaw & Kim Potowski"

“It’s a long journey. It’s a long trip. And it’s getting there and getting back. …We bought something because the new context called for it. And that’s okay. You need to be adaptable, you need to be flexible. That was a super easy decision to make, because we knew what our plan was. So whenContinue reading "Episode 111 Language and the Art of Motorcycles: Michelle Olah"

“We are a family, not biological family, but a family united by language.” Do we need data to love our family? We can read much research about how a family unit – no matter how it may be constituted – is of critical importance to human well-being. But if we do not experience it, itContinue reading "Episode 110 United by Language Family : Terri Marlow"