E251
Ep251. ft. Patrice Thompson - Beyond English: Why Multilingual Students Need More Than an English-Only Classroom (Part 1)
From Languages Pedagogy Podcast · Hosted by Mike Llerena
Episode summary
In this episode of Languages Pedagogy Podcast: 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…
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Original publisher description
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/ 🌐 Conex-Us Consulting: https://conex-usconsulting.com/ 🎓 The Translanguaging Mindset: https://learn.conex-usconsulting.com/translanguaging-course/ 🎥 The Translanguaging Teacher — YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the.translanguaging.teacher 📚 Publications & Appearances: https://conex-usconsulting.com/publications-appearances/ 🧰 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 #translanguaging #multilingualeducation #languageinclusion #languagelearning #inclusiveeducation #multilinguallearners #teacherdevelopment #studentbelonging