ConnectED Conversations

Ep 28: Patty’s ELL & Grammar Teaching Tips

How can international teachers better support multilingual learners without lowering expectations or leaving language development to one department? In this episode, we speak with Patty McGee, a literacy consultant, speaker, educator, and author whose work helps teachers bring clarity, joy, and purpose into literacy instruction. Together, we explore how English often becomes the access language in international schools, why conversational fluency can hide deeper academic language needs, and how teachers can make grammar, writing, and content learning more accessible for multilingual learners. This conversation is especially useful for international educators, EAL teachers, classroom teachers, and school leaders looking for practical international teacher resources, stronger multilingual learner support, and clearer systems for language development across international curriculum comparison contexts. Inside the episode: * Why grammar instruction does not have to feel dry, isolated, or worksheet-driven * How grammar manipulatives can help students build sentences, test ideas, and practice academic language * Why explicit instruction needs clarity, modeling, and usable steps * How teachers can separate language proficiency from content understanding * Why assessment for learning matters for multilingual learners * What happens when language support is treated as one department’s responsibility instead of a whole-school commitment * How WIDA Can-Do Descriptors can help teachers understand what multilingual learners can do, almost do, and not yet do Whether you are teaching overseas, leading EAL development, comparing international school systems, or looking for practical strategies to support multilingual learners, this conversation offers grounded insight for the global educator network. Links & Resources 📌WIDA English Language Development Standards: https://wida.wisc.edu/resources/wida-english-language-development-standards-framework-2020-edition 📌Patty McGee’s website: pattymcgee.org 📌Not Your Granny’s Grammar by Patty McGee: https://www.amazon.com/Not-Your-Grannys-Grammar-Instruction/dp/1071941674/ 📌Writer’s Workshop Made Simple by Patty McGee: https://www.amazon.com/Writers-Workshop-Made-Simple-Essentials/dp/1987332016 📌Feedback That Moves Writers Forward by Patty McGee: https://www.amazon.com/Feedback-That-Moves-Writers-Forward/dp/1506349927 📞Book a consultation with us! We’re here to personalize support for whatever choices you are facing. 😊https://connectedglobal.org/book-a-consultation/ 🍬 Find lots of other global education goodies at: https://connectedglobal.org 💬 Have a question or story of your own? Drop it in the comments! We’d love to feature listener topics in future episodes. 💓 Don’t forget to like & subscribe if you're navigating life, learning, and leadership abroad.

Ep 27: How Can Teachers Support Multilingual Learners?

How can teachers support multilingual learners without redesigning every lesson from scratch? In this Teacher Toolbox episode, we close our ELL mini series by moving from awareness to action, sharing practical strategies teachers can use to plan for language, reduce linguistic overload, and create clearer access to learning in multilingual classrooms. We explore what this looks like across push in and pull out support models, safer participation structures, fairer checks for understanding, and stronger first steps for new arrivals, while naturally connecting to international teacher resources, global teacher support network, end of year transitions international schools, and supporting your child in a new school. Throughout the episode, we stay grounded in the lived realities of international schools and the small, consistent choices that help multilingual learners feel more confident, capable, and included. Inside the episode: * How to plan for content, language, and output before the lesson begins * What teachers can do inside push in and pull out support models * Five simple ways to reduce English load during live teaching * How to create safer, clearer participation for multilingual learners * Ways to check understanding without over measuring English production * How to respond when behaviour may be carrying language overload * What to prioritise in the first six weeks for new multilingual arrivals Whether you are teaching, leading, or parenting in an international school community, we hope this episode leaves you with practical next steps you can use right away. Links & Resources 📌⭐Multilingual Learner Support Toolkit - COMING SOON! 📞Book a consultation with us! We’re here to personalize support for whatever choices you are facing. 😊https://connectedglobal.org/book-a-consultation/ 🍬 Find lots of other global education goodies at: https://connectedglobal.org 💬 Have a question or story of your own? Drop it in the comments! We’d love to feature listener topics in future episodes. 💓 Don’t forget to like & subscribe if you're navigating life, learning, and leadership abroad.

Ep 26: How Does Language Affect Student Identity?

What happens when a student’s language needs are misread as a behaviour problem?  In this episode, we look at how identity, belonging, and behaviour are shaped by language in international schools, especially in contexts connected to international curriculum comparison, supporting your child in a new school, and international schools and expat families. We reflect on the difference between social fluency and academic language, the emotional load multilingual learners carry, and the ways withdrawal, frustration, or over compliance can mask linguistic overload rather than defiance. Along the way, we connect this conversation to wider needs around international teacher resources, global teacher support network, and more thoughtful support for students learning through an additional language. Inside the episode: * Why language development is deeply tied to identity and confidence * How the gap between thought and expression can affect student participation * The role of translanguaging, processing time, and the silent period in multilingual development * Why withdrawal, disruption, frustration, and over compliance can all be linked to language load * How behaviour systems can misread linguistic overload as non compliance * The difference between social fluency and academic belonging in school * Why multilingual learners can appear socially included while still feeling academically invisible Whether you are teaching, leading, or parenting in a multilingual school community, we hope this episode helps you see student behaviour with more clarity, empathy, and context. Links & Resources 📌WIDA English Language Development Standards: https://wida.wisc.edu/resources/wida-english-language-development-standards-framework-2020-edition 📞Book a consultation with us! We’re here to personalize support for whatever choices you are facing. 😊 https://connectedglobal.org/book-a-consultation/ [https://connectedglobal.org/book-a-consultation/] 💬 Have a question or story of your own? Drop it in the comments! We’d love to feature listener topics in future episodes. 💓 Don’t forget to like & subscribe if you're navigating life, learning, and leadership abroad. 🍬 Find lots of other global education goodies at: https://connectedglobal.org [https://connectedglobal.org]

Ep 25: What Does “ELL Support” Actually Mean?

What does ELL support actually mean once a multilingual learner is sitting in the classroom? In this International Files episode, we examine why the phrase “we have ELL support” can sound reassuring while still leaving teachers unsure about planning, assessment, and expectations in international schools. We walk through the most common ELL support models used in international schools, reflect on why home country frameworks do not always translate well, and look at how parent expectations can shape what support feels possible in practice. Throughout the conversation, we connect these realities to broader needs around international teacher resources, global teacher support network, and how to choose an international school for your child.  Inside the episode: * Why “we have ELL support” can mean very different things across schools * The difference between perceived support and functional support * Common ELL support models in international schools, including pull out, push in, additional language periods, and classroom led support * Why UK and US based ELL models do not always transfer cleanly into international school settings * How unclear benchmarks, tracking, and staffing create system strain * The role parent pressure can play in shaping language support decisions * Why inclusive ELL practice depends on clarity, coordination, and shared expectations Whether you are teaching, leading, or navigating school decisions as a family, we hope this episode gives you language for the challenges you are seeing and a clearer lens for what strong support should actually look like. Links & Resources 📌Systems Health Check for Your School's ELL Provisions: COMING SOON 🍬 Find lots of other global education goodies at:⁠⁠ https://connectedglobal.org [https://connectedglobal.org] 📞Book a consultation with us! We’re here to personalize support for whatever choices you are facing. 😊 https://connectedglobal.org/book-a-consultation/ [https://connectedglobal.org/book-a-consultation/] 💬 Have a question or story of your own? Drop it in the comments! We’d love to feature listener topics in future episodes. 💓 Don’t forget to like & subscribe if you're navigating life, learning, and leadership abroad.

Ep 24: Why Do International Schools Struggle With EAL Support?

What happens when international schools say multilingualism is normal, but their systems are not built to support it?  In this episode, we open our EAL mini series by looking closely at why so many teachers and leaders feel stretched when trying to meet language needs across the curriculum, and why this challenge matters for anyone navigating international education, moving abroad as a teacher, or teaching overseas with family. We reflect on the gap between conversational fluency and academic language, the hidden assumptions that shape classroom decisions, and the school structures that often leave support unclear or inconsistent. Along the way, we connect this conversation to broader questions around international school contracts explained, international teacher resources, global teacher support network, and international curriculum comparison.  Inside the episode: * Why EAL support in international schools is structurally different from home country systems * How language functions as access, identity, and power across the school day * Five recurring realities teachers report in multilingual international classrooms * The difference between social fluency and academic language, including BICS and CALP * Four common myths that can lead educators to misread student understanding * Three major barriers to EAL success, including rolling admissions, staff turnover, and limited staff training * Why whole school clarity matters more than relying on individual teacher heroics This episode is for international educators and parents who want a more honest, practical understanding of what multilingual support really requires in schools abroad. Links & Resources 📌FREE ConnectED infographic: Why School Struggles with EAL Support: https://connectedglobal.org/product/why-international-schools-struggle-with-eal-support 📌CLIL handbook for teachers: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/images/22191-tkt-clil-handbook.pdf [https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/images/22191-tkt-clil-handbook.pdf] 📌BICS & CALP information and differences: https://www.colorincolorado.org/faq/what-are-bics-and-calp [https://www.colorincolorado.org/faq/what-are-bics-and-calp]  🍬 Find lots of other global education goodies at:⁠⁠ https://connectedglobal.org [https://connectedglobal.org] 📞Book a consultation with us! We’re here to personalize support for whatever choices you are facing. 😊 https://connectedglobal.org/book-a-consultation/ [https://connectedglobal.org/book-a-consultation/] 💬 Have a question or story of your own? Drop it in the comments! We’d love to feature listener topics in future episodes. 💓 Don’t forget to like & subscribe if you're navigating life, learning, and leadership abroad.