5 for 5 - E66 Relaunch - “Being a native speaker isn’t a qualification" (with Meri Maroutian)
As we celebrate five years of The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast, we’re revisiting some of the conversations that have most shaped our thinking—and, we hope, yours. These episodes reflect the heart of our work: thoughtful dialogue, reflective practice, professional growth, and courageous conversations about what it truly means to teach English in a complex, evolving world.
Whether you’re listening for the first time or returning with new classroom experiences behind you, we invite you to engage with this episode through fresh eyes. Notice what resonates differently. Consider how your thinking has evolved. Reflection is not a destination—it’s an ongoing practice. Thank you for being part of this community for the past five years. Here’s to the next chapter of thinking aloud together.
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In this episode, we dive into the pervasive issue of native speakerism in English Language Teaching with educator and advocate Meri Maroutian.
Meri shares her journey into the profession, the biases she’s faced, and the reflective, practical tools she now offers to help others tackle this issue—like her three-part masterclass designed to dismantle accent bias and outdated teaching models.
We also hear from listeners about how native speakerism has impacted them, and reflect on how all of us—whether classroom teachers, trainers, or administrators—can work toward a more equitable profession.
💡 Reflect with us:
How do your materials, practices, or hiring processes reinforce or challenge native speaker bias? What steps can you take to prioritize qualifications and intelligibility over perceived nativeness?
🎧 Related Resources:
* Episode 13 - The Delicate Dance of English [https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/1b7tEvdW2Rb]
* Episode 14 - Representation: More than just a stock photo [https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/4LdDhudW2Rb]
* Episode 17 – The Benefits of Formal TESOL Training [https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/lz0J5odW2Rb]
* Episode 18 – Book Review: Race, Empire, and English Language Teaching [https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/c6Q5OndW2Rb]
* E46 - Challenging inequities toward multilingual teachers (with Alex Tang & Carine Saucillo) [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5rFzySdmojFpMvVHPv8mGS?si=wibSKnuZTW6yZEcmF25A0g]
* Meri Maroutian’s Masterclass on Systemic Bias [https://thenonnativespeaker.com/register/defeating-systemic-bias-in-elt/]
Connect with Meri:
* Instagram @the_non_native_speaker [https://www.instagram.com/the_non_native_speaker/]
* Thenonnativespeaker.com [http://thenonnativespeaker.com]
Chapters
00:00 Podcast Turns Five
00:20 Relaunch Episode Spotlight
02:04 Sponsor Break
02:24 Native Speaker Bias Setup
04:00 Meet Meri Maroutian
06:25 Music Icebreakers
08:25 Defining Native Speakerism
11:23 Hiring Bias And Gatekeeping
13:47 Credentials And Pay Gaps
18:03 Awareness To Action
20:37 Where Bias Shows Up
21:22 CV Games And Integrity
24:39 Accent Bias Goes Viral
25:41 English as Lingua Franca
27:34 Listener Stories of Bias
30:20 Challenging Systemic ELT Bias
31:05 Masterclass Part One Accents
35:40 Masterclass Part Two Methods
36:27 Masterclass Part Three Pronunciation
37:52 Rethinking Pronunciation Priorities
42:38 Qualifications Over Nativeness
45:05 Stakeholder Reflection Wrap Up
#NativeSpeakerism #ELTEquity #MultilingualTeachers #GlobalEnglishes #PronunciationMatters #LanguageEducation #ReflectiveTeaching #TeacherThinkAloud
