Five Years of Thinking Aloud: Five Episodes Worth Revisiting
April 2, 2026
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Great teaching grows through reflection and conversation. That's the heartbeat of The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast — and as it celebrates five years, the podcast is spotlighting five episodes that continue to resonate with English language educators everywhere.
Ellii is proud to sponsor The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast — a leading voice in ELT professional development today.
1. Episode 14 – Representation: More Than Just a Stock Photo
In this episode, Anna and Shé explore how materials, narratives, and classroom examples shape students' sense of belonging. Whose voices are centered? Whose identities are erased? This conversation challenges teachers to move from surface-level diversity to meaningful inclusion, and remains one of our most-shared free ELT resources for opening up conversations about equity in the classroom.
2. Episode 34 – Trauma-Sensitive Teaching (with Sherry MacKay)
In this episode, guest Sherry MacKay discusses how trauma may show up in the classroom and what it means to respond with compassion rather than control. The takeaway is simple but powerful: behavior is communication, and safety is foundational to learning.
3. Episode 44 – Global Citizenship: Opening the View to the Possible (with Brantley Turner)
In this episode, guest Brantley Turner explores the role of English language teaching classrooms in fostering global citizenship. From intercultural communication to critical awareness and empathy, she reflects on how teachers can move beyond transactional language instruction and create spaces where students grapple with global issues, multiple perspectives, and their own responsibilities as members of an interconnected world.
4. Episode 56 – Building a Sustainable PD Practice (with Yulia Kharchenko)
How do you sustain your professional development as an educator? In this episode, guest Yulia Kharchenko shares a framework she and her colleagues have developed to ensure future teachers are prepared for future challenges in the teaching profession.
5. Episode 66 – "Being a Native Speaker Isn't a Qualification" (with Meri Maroutian)
Native speakerism continues to shape hiring practices, pay structures, and perceptions of competence in ELT. In this episode, Anna and Shé dive into the pervasive issue of native speakerism in English Language Teaching with educator and advocate Meri Maroutian, unpacking accent bias and challenging the assumption that nativeness equals qualification. The focus shifts toward credentials, intelligibility, and professional expertise as the true markers of effective teaching.
Five years in, The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast continues to be a space where English language educators can work to think more deeply, teach more equitably, and grow more sustainably. Tune in and keep the conversation going.
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