instructional planning includes not only planning what students will learn but how they will learn it. Planning should include both short-term goals and long-term goals, and for students with exceptionalities, should address the goals on their

Understanding Backward Design

Mar 5th, 2022 7m 30s

Backward design, also called backward planning or backward mapping, is a process that educators use to design learning experiences and instructional techniques to achieve specific learning goals. Backward design begins with the objectives of a

Curriculum for ESL Instruction

Feb 20th, 2022 19m 15s

In this episode, I explore key concepts for Curriculum Desing. Reference include:Tanner, D., & Tanner, L. N. (1980). Curriculum development: Theory into practice (p. 30). New York: Macmillan.Richards, J. C. (2001). Curriculum development in

English in Puerto Rico

Sep 10th, 2020 19m 35s

This episode addresses some issues about the controversial topic of English teaching in Puerto Rico. Understanding language policies established in Puerto Rico since the island became a U.S. colony (1898) helps us figure out why after more than

How Social Interaction Impacts Literacy

Aug 30th, 2020 22m 39s

As teachers, we must think about literacy and its consequences – beyond both “neoliberal claims about literacy as a pathway to individual growth, self-esteem and so forth and past neomarxian claims about literacy as a pathway to social emancipa

Language Planning

Aug 16th, 2020 38m 6s

In this week's episode, I explore how language planning can invisibilize or empower minority language communities. Language planning encompasses policies that attempt to bring about changes in the structure and functions of languages and/or lan

Key Concepts in Second Language Acquisition

Aug 8th, 2020 20m 3s

In this podcast, we will seek to understand key concepts in second language acquisition theory and make connections to our teaching practices. We will also develop an understanding of why there is not a one-size-fits-all model for acquiring a