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-drivenHow grammar manipulatives can help students build sentences, test ideas, and practice academic languageWhy explicit instruction needs clarity, modeling, and usable stepsHow teachers can separate language proficiency from content understandingWhy assessment for learning matters for multilingual learnersWhat happens when language support is treated as one department’s responsibility instead of a whole-school commitmentHow WIDA Can-Do Descriptors can help teachers understand what multilingual learners can do, almost do, and not yet doWhether 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.