Multilingual Learners in International Schools | Interviews with Educators

Описание: ▪️Watch this first!    • What a Garden Teaches Students | Interview...  

How do multilingual learners access and participate in international schools? Why might an English language learner express a sense of disconnect from their school community? What impact do language policies and teacher beliefs about language learning have on the classroom learning experience?

In this conversation, Megan Vosk shares insights from her work in English language acquisition, and we explore how time, participation formats, and language policies impact student confidence and engagement. We discuss translanguaging and what it looks like to include students’ full linguistic identities in daily learning.

Topics we cover:
✅ Multilingual learners' participation in whole-class settings
✅ Beliefs about student engagement and academic interest
✅ Translanguaging and building belonging
✅ Language policies and their subtext
✅ How language relates to identity, culture, and celebration

This is the second of four conversations with Megan Vosk, part of my "Interviews with Educators" series. Watch to explore what’s already working in schools and hear from educators who share how they help students thrive, personally and academically.

As you watch or listen:
Think about the students in your context. When a student is quiet or disengaged, what assumptions arise? What are your school's language policies, and how might those be impacting learner participation?

👋 About my guest:
Megan Vosk is an international educator who works as an English language acquisition teacher with over 10 years of experience supporting multilingual learners in the United States, UAE, South Korea, India, and Laos. Her work centers on student belonging, multilingual learning, and community engagement. Megan currently teaches in the Middle Years Programme and serves as a school leader in coordination roles connected to service learning and language acquisition. She is passionate about how classroom teachers can actively shape school culture through experiential and student-centered learning.

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📌 Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:16 Multilingual learners in classrooms
02:13 Classroom pace and participation
04:48 Teacher beliefs and language bias
06:24 Translanguaging in classrooms
09:23 Language policy and practice
11:13 Communicating and building culture
13:16 Language, identity, and belonging
16:26 Pressure and progress in language learning
19:19 Privilege, power, and equity
21:38 Belonging in schools
23:52 Resource recommendations

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Thank you for watching! Please share with educators you know!

Created and hosted by Christina Kottmann
Featured guest Megan Vosk
Interviews with Educators video podcast series

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🔗 Resources:
-Teaching MLs (Multilingual Learners) Podcast by Tan Huynh https://www.podbean.com/pw/pbblog-fue... and https://tankhuynh.com/podcast/
-Request access to the "Language Policy template for schools" by contacting the Multilingual Learning Research Center Community Council https://mlrc.wisc.edu/school-network/...
-Multilingual Learning Research Center (MLRC) research and publications https://mlrc.wisc.edu/research/action... and https://mlrc.wisc.edu/mlrc-publications/ and
-TIEOnline article "Transitioning From Monolingual to Multilingual Approaches" by Megan Vosk and Shafali, July 2025 https://www.tieonline.com/article/773...
-Connect with Megan:   / meganvosk  

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📌 I create videos for educators who still believe school can change and be a place where they thrive. These videos are for those who are trying to change education by amplifying the great ideas that are already making a difference. We're in this together.

☕ Read my thoughts about the education system and teacher wellbeing on Substack:
https://christinakottmann.substack.com

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  / christina-kottmann  

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#podcast #education #multilinguallearners #internationalschools #interviewswitheducators #futureofeducation #wellbeing #learning #language #belonging #teachers #schools #studentvoice #languagelearning #educators #languageacquisition #languageskills

This interview is part of my "Interviews with Educators" series, where I spotlight what’s already working in schools around the world and hear from educators who are leading the way forward into the future of education.