Languages Pedagogy Podcast

About Languages Pedagogy Podcast

Welcome to the Languages & Pedagogy Podcast, your go-to resource for language educators and enthusiasts. Join us as we explore innovative teaching methods, share valuable tips for mastering new languages, and discuss the latest trends in language education. Whether you're an experienced teacher looking to enhance your classroom techniques or a language learner eager to deepen your understanding, our podcast offers insightful conversations with experts, practical advice, and inspiring stories from educators around the world.

Publisher

Mike Llerena

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

17 Sept 2024

Latest episode

8 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

227 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   8 Oct 2026

   Ep252. ft. Patrice Thompson - Language Is Identity: Why Inclusion Must Become a Whole-School Responsibility (Part 2)

   What happens when a child learns that success requires hiding part of who they are? Part 2 goes deeper. Mike and Patrice Thompson move beyond classroom strategies to examine the psychological, cultural, and institutional consequences of language exclusion—and why genuine multilingual education requires much more than one passionate teacher. Students who feel pressured to suppress their home languages may also begin distancing themselves from culture, family, and identity. Patrice shares powerful examples from international education, including adults who later discovered they knew more about another country’s culture than their own. But this conversation is not only about what schools get wrong. It is about what they can change. Patrice explains why language inclusion must move beyond EAL, ESL or multilingual-learning departments and become a whole-school responsibility involving classroom teachers, leadership, families, and the wider community. They discuss leadership, teacher collaboration, family communication, language hierarchies, risk-taking, culturally responsive education, and the importance of allowing families to communicate with schools in languages they genuinely understand. And one statement captures the challenge: When language inclusion isn’t prioritised, it becomes optional. When it becomes optional, it becomes invisible. This is a conversation for educators who believe international education should be genuinely international—not merely English-medium education with international students. Want to continue learning from Patrice beyond this conversation? Patrice Thompson, M.Ed., MBA is an international educator, multilingual learning specialist, published author, and founder of Conex-Us Consulting, helping educators and schools move from simply celebrating multilingualism to intentionally designing learning that embraces students’ full linguistic identities. 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricejthompson/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricejthompson/) 🌐 Conex-Us Consulting: https://conex-usconsulting.com/ (https://conex-usconsulting.com/) 🎓 The Translanguaging Mindset: https://learn.conex-usconsulting.com/translanguaging-course/ (https://learn.conex-usconsulting.com/translanguaging-course/) 🎥 The Translanguaging Teacher — YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the.translanguaging.teacher (https://www.youtube.com/@the.translanguaging.teacher) 📚 Publications & Appearances: https://conex-usconsulting.com/publications-appearances/ (https://conex-usconsulting.com/publications-appearances/) 🧰 Translanguaging Guide: https://conex-usconsulting.com/translanguaging-guide/ (https://conex-usconsulting.com/translanguaging-guide/) Follow Patrice’s work, explore her resources, and take the conversation from the podcast into your own classroom and school. 🌐 Continue learning with the Languages Pedagogy Podcast at www.broadclubeducation.com (http://www.mikenglishonline.com/) #translanguaging #languageidentity #multilingualeducation #languageinclusion #schoolleadership #studentbelonging #inclusiveeducation #multilinguallearners

2. 

   6 Oct 2026

   Ep251. ft. Patrice Thompson - Beyond English: Why Multilingual Students Need More Than an English-Only Classroom (Part 1)

   What if the language policy designed to help students learn is actually asking them to leave part of themselves at the classroom door? In Part 1 of this powerful conversation, Mike sits down with Patrice Thompson, founder of Connects Us Consulting and creator of The Translanguaging Teacher, to challenge one of education’s most persistent assumptions: that more English automatically means better learning. Patrice breaks down what translanguaging really means—and why it goes far beyond translation or simply helping English language learners. Together, they explore how students’ home languages can support deeper comprehension, academic vocabulary, confidence, identity, engagement, and belonging. Patrice also shares the story of a Chinese student who once rejected her own linguistic identity after experiencing bullying—and later became confident enough to publicly celebrate her language and culture. The conversation moves from theory directly into classroom practice: multilingual note-taking, language partners, multilingual processing, AI-supported materials, academic English, and practical strategies teachers can implement without creating an entirely new curriculum. They also confront a critical question for international schools: Can a school truly call itself international while operating through an invisible monolingual mindset? For teachers, school leaders, EAL/ESL professionals, multilingual educators, and anyone serious about language-inclusive education, this episode challenges you to rethink what belonging actually looks like. Want to continue learning from Patrice beyond this conversation? Patrice Thompson, M.Ed., MBA is an international educator, multilingual learning specialist, published author, and founder of Conex-Us Consulting, helping educators and schools move from simply celebrating multilingualism to intentionally designing learning that embraces students’ full linguistic identities. 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricejthompson/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricejthompson/) 🌐 Conex-Us Consulting: https://conex-usconsulting.com/ (https://conex-usconsulting.com/) 🎓 The Translanguaging Mindset: https://learn.conex-usconsulting.com/translanguaging-course/ (https://learn.conex-usconsulting.com/translanguaging-course/) 🎥 The Translanguaging Teacher — YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the.translanguaging.teacher (https://www.youtube.com/@the.translanguaging.teacher) 📚 Publications & Appearances: https://conex-usconsulting.com/publications-appearances/ (https://conex-usconsulting.com/publications-appearances/) 🧰 Translanguaging Guide: https://conex-usconsulting.com/translanguaging-guide/ (https://conex-usconsulting.com/translanguaging-guide/) Follow Patrice’s work, explore her resources, and take the conversation from the podcast into your own classroom and school. 🌐 Explore more from the Languages Pedagogy Podcast and professional education resources at www.broadclubeducation.com (http://www.mikenglishonline.com/) #translanguaging #multilingualeducation #languageinclusion #languagelearning #inclusiveeducation #multilinguallearners #teacherdevelopment #studentbelonging

3. 

   1 Oct 2026

   Ep250. ft. Megan Nicholls - The Messy Truth About Being Multilingual: Code-Switching, Confidence & Language Loss (Part 2)

   Being multilingual sounds impressive. Maintaining multiple languages? That’s where things get messy. You can know a word in three languages and suddenly forget it in your strongest one. Your Spanish improves while your French gets rusty. You code-switch without thinking. And the language you once spoke confidently can suddenly feel frustratingly distant. Welcome to the reality of multilingualism. In Episode 250 of the Languages Pedagogy Podcast, Mike continues his conversation with multilingual educator and language coach Megan Nicholls, moving beyond the fluency myth into what actually happens when several languages coexist inside one life. They unpack code-switching, language maintenance, language attrition, confidence, intentional learning, vocabulary strategies, business English, realistic language goals—and why maintaining every language at exactly the same level may be an unrealistic expectation. Megan also explains why she asks students who say “I want to become fluent” one critical question: Why? Because behind “fluency” there is usually a much more meaningful goal: getting promoted, communicating with colleagues, travelling confidently, connecting with people, building relationships, or creating a different future. This episode is for serious language learners—and teachers—who want a more realistic approach to multilingualism. 🎙️ Want to continue the conversation with Megan Nicholls? If our conversation about multilingualism, confidence, fluency, and the messy reality of learning languages resonated with you, don’t let the conversation end with the episode. Connect with Megan Nicholls, founder of Mega Language Coach, and discover more of her work helping professionals communicate in English with greater confidence, clarity, and authenticity. 🌐 Website: megalanguagecoach.com 💼 LinkedIn: Megan Nicholls – Mega Language Coach 📸 Instagram: @megalanguagecoach ▶️ YouTube: @megalanguagecoach Follow Megan, explore her work, and keep challenging the idea that multilingualism requires perfection. Your languages don’t have to be perfect to be powerful. 🌐 Continue your learning journey: www.broadclubeducation.com (http://www.mikenglishonline.com/) #multilingualism #languagelearning #codeswitching #polyglot #languageconfidence #languageeducation #businessenglish #languagelearners

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

8,914

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Spotify

5.0 / 5

227 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 79 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

93

Social presence

0

YouTube

82

Engagement

81

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Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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