This past summer IEW held an online writing conference. This event, From Imitation to Innovation, drew thousands of attendees, who hailed from all over the globe. Before we kicked off the event, we asked people to submit questions, which they did in abundance. In fact we received over eight hundred questions! It was striking to reflect on how many people asked about teaching IEW to an English as a second language learner or on how many questions came from teachers whose first language wasn’t English, who were concerned about teaching writing to their students. Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker decided to spend some time addressing those questions, which they begin doing in the first of two podcasts, Episode 238.
So, can we teach English to anyone? Andrew, in the spirit of one of his mentors, Dr. Suzuki, asserts, “Yes! Every child can learn.” He then shares two powerful suggestions that he himself put into practice when he was living in Japan and was desiring to learn the language. To hear what they are, listen to the episode, and be sure to also check back next week when the conversation continues, this time focusing on how teachers whose primary language is not English can effectively teach English to their students.
