How language, identity, and patience shape our healing and humanity. In this deeply personal episode, Sharon Williford returns to the podcast nearly five years after her first appearance. Then, she was freshly navigating life after a massive stroke that left her with severe aphasia—a loss of language that profoundly impacted how she communicated and howContinueContinue reading “S5E11 I Just Want to be Heard- A Conversation with Sharon Deering Williford”
Tag Archives: proficiency
S5E10 Language is About People – A Conversation with Paul Frank
“People don’t want to abandon who they are in order to have a better future. Language gives them options—and dignity—to be both rooted and reaching.” – Paul Frank In this powerful episode, Norah Jones is joined by Paul Frank, Associate Director for Language Solutions at SIL International. With more than four decades of experience inContinueContinue reading “S5E10 Language is About People – A Conversation with Paul Frank”
S5E9: The Soul of the Mangyan Ambahan
Discover the cultural richness of the Mangyan people and the poetic beauty of Ambahan, an ancient tradition of sung poetry that shapes identity and community. This episode features voices from the Mangyan Heritage Center sharing stories of preservation, passion, and belonging.
S5E8: Casa Areyto Taino Language & Culture Live
“To create a world where every Taíno descendant knows who they are and where they come from.” – Priscilla ColónFounder, Casa Areyto In this episode, we welcome Priscilla Colón, a writer, artist, and educator with over 20 years of experience in language programs. She has trained and empowered diverse learners, from government personnel to publicContinueContinue reading “S5E8: Casa Areyto Taino Language & Culture Live”
S5E7: Playful, Unexpected – Planet Word Museum with Anne Friedman
“Let’s use our words to create community, to build bridges, to find the things we have in common—what we all laugh at, what we all celebrate. And let’s not use our words to divide.” – Ann Friedman, Founder & CEO of Planet Word I’ve always believed that words hold immense power, shaping our connections, fuelingContinueContinue reading “S5E7: Playful, Unexpected – Planet Word Museum with Anne Friedman”
S5E6 Julia, 17, Shares the Joy of Languages
There are hundreds and hundreds of languages and hundreds of different ways of saying something. Something simple can just be explained and communicated in so many different ways. Sure, you can use a translator, but you never get to experience that joy for yourself. That’s changed my perspective and my worldview. Julia Hosage Hello! MyContinueContinue reading “S5E6 Julia, 17, Shares the Joy of Languages”
S5E5 Ana Lucia Lico: Embrace Your Gifts
You have to fight to remain living the language and culture that are meaningful to you or to your students. Fight against not enough resources, fight against lack of support, and if you feel alone, parent or an educator, look for other schools, look for communities, look for organizations. You will find people like usContinueContinue reading “S5E5 Ana Lucia Lico: Embrace Your Gifts”
S5E4 Megan Dierks, Steve Sacco: Open All the World with Vision and a Grant
Discover how Megan Diercks and Steven Sacco will use storytelling to empower global citizens and enrich language curricula! Tune in to learn about their immersive initiative in Côte d’Ivoire and its broader implications.
🌍🎓 #LanguageEducation #Fulbright-Hays
S5E3 Gianny Morales: Making a Home in Two Worlds
At the age of 20, I was like, wow, the models of bilingual education in the US and in Colombia failed me. They’re leaving kids behind. So I have a lot of drive to make that right, by being out there with teachers, surrounded by the people making changes. Gianny Morales The stories we tellContinueContinue reading “S5E3 Gianny Morales: Making a Home in Two Worlds”
S5E2 Shuhan Wang: A New Framework for Language Education
It’s not about learning vocabulary, learning how to say something in another language. Deep down, we’re talking about making us better, smarter, more compassionate, more open minded, more empathetic people who care about self and also one another. That’s my goal and my passion. Dr. Shuhan Wang In another place in our conversation, she says,ContinueContinue reading “S5E2 Shuhan Wang: A New Framework for Language Education”
S5E1 What Makes Us Human, a Conversation with Victor D.O. Santos, Ph.D.
Season 5 kicks off with Norah Lulich Jones hosting Victor Santos, author of What Makes Us Human. Explore how Santos uses riddle in both words and images to engage and delight children (and adults) with the power of human language.
E126 Humans, Language,Technology: a conversation with Noemí Rodríguez
We learned a lot after the pandemic: how important it is to be face-to-face and humans need each other. Folks tell me AI is going to replace us. I beg to differ. We as human beings are powerful and can use this intelligence to help us. Noemí Rodríguez I love this conversation with language educationContinueContinue reading “E126 Humans, Language,Technology: a conversation with Noemí Rodríguez”
E125 Taking Proficiency Seriously, with Paul Sandrock
Proficiency comes down very simply to what someone can do with the language. It’s not what you know about the language, it’s what you can do with the language. As a learner I need to take it within me on a playground, in in the community, doing video games with kids around the world… PaulContinueContinue reading “E125 Taking Proficiency Seriously, with Paul Sandrock”
Episode 115 Joy and Opportunity for All: Nancy Hong
We don’t want DLI programs to just simply exist. We want them to thrive, and, as I found in my research, a leader’s choices, their decisions, and their practices can really elevate everyone’s practice and build a community of respect and understanding and support for this program. We want Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs toContinueContinue reading “Episode 115 Joy and Opportunity for All: Nancy Hong”
Episode 114 Word Play and Pun’d-It, with Josh Daly
Wordplay is an opportunity for fun and engagement, an opening to appreciate some important things about language. As we all well know, spoken language is not only a way of conveying information, but also a way of connecting with others and expressing ourselves. And one of the ways that spoken language can be more creativeContinueContinue reading “Episode 114 Word Play and Pun’d-It, with Josh Daly”
Episode 113 Always Say Yes to a Language: Michele Aoki & Veronica Trapani
Bring a language forward. We want that language to be something that we recognize. Human language is uniquely suited to creating possibilities. Those possibilities create opportunties for individuals to discover their deepest identities, to express their most important thoughts, to make their most important connections with other people, and to find their place and purposeContinueContinue reading “Episode 113 Always Say Yes to a Language: Michele Aoki & Veronica Trapani”
Episode 112 Honing Our Craft: Florencia Henshaw & Kim Potowski
“We learn about fundamentals. Then as we recognize that society changes, we start questioning as we face new challenges. We need to start having other conversations.” Ponder for a moment the word “craft.” A world of mass-manufactured goods, one-use items, disposables, low-low-low prices, divided attention, and Instagram glamour… Where does craft fit in? The wordContinueContinue reading “Episode 112 Honing Our Craft: Florencia Henshaw & Kim Potowski”
Episode 111 Language and the Art of Motorcycles: Michelle Olah
“It’s a long journey. It’s a long trip. And it’s getting there and getting back. …We bought something because the new context called for it. And that’s okay. You need to be adaptable, you need to be flexible. That was a super easy decision to make, because we knew what our plan was. So whenContinueContinue reading “Episode 111 Language and the Art of Motorcycles: Michelle Olah”
Episode 110 United by Language Family : Terri Marlow
“We are a family, not biological family, but a family united by language.” Do we need data to love our family? We can read much research about how a family unit – no matter how it may be constituted – is of critical importance to human well-being. But if we do not experience it, itContinueContinue reading “Episode 110 United by Language Family : Terri Marlow”
Episode 109 Bringing Perspectives Together : Enrique Moras
“Complexity makes life more interesting. Stories need to evoke these complexities, to generate questions. We need questions more than answers.” What journey are YOU on? What questions are you creating, the language of which can create more openings to understanding, connections, and possibilities than “answers” ever can? What talent in yourself are you cultivating? HowContinueContinue reading “Episode 109 Bringing Perspectives Together : Enrique Moras”
Episode 108: Light a Fire
What’s your spark? How do you speak about your identity, your purpose, your gifts? Use your language to breathe life into your unique ember, and join with others to light a fire to warm the world. Humanity and hope: it’s about language.
Episode 107 For You and With You: Megan Diercks
It’s About Language | Episode 107 | For You and With You: Megan Dierks
Norah Jones speaks with Megan Diercks of the AATF about the power of language to transform lives young and old, and to develop confidence, leadership, and connections in our work and world. We are stronger when we are working together. The AATF networks with other organizations to strengthen the visibility of French in the world, bringing people together to reinforce the importance of French and the importance of learning and using French in our lives and in the world.
Episode 106 Language, Self-Reflection, Growth: Thomas Sauer
Join us for Episode 106 of Its About Language, where Thomas Sauer of PEARLL shares insights with host Norah Jones on the importance of self-reflection for personal growth and enhanced well-being.
Sauer’s work at the National Foreign Language Center focuses on reflection in professional development, but his conversation with Jones demonstrates how to apply this practice in the lives of all human beings, adults and children alike.
More insights on the topics of professional growth, Teacher Effectiveness for Language Learning (TELL), Thomas Sauer’s work, and using Norah Jones’s work with natural language behaviors to support reflection and growth can all be found at Jones’s website, http://www.fluency.consulting .
Episode 105 Making Connections, Making a Difference: Kathy Shelton & ACTFL
Join us on a transformative journey of language connection and empowerment, regardless of your role or work in life. This episode serves as an inspiring call to make meaningful connections and discover opportunities for positive impact. By seeking and sharing stories like these, you build a ladder to lift you out of despair, illuminating your path to your unique role to play in the world.
Episode 104 – Leaping Past Language Barriers – Jessica Haxhi
This episode brings Norah & Jessica Haxhi (New Haven, CT) together to discuss how language is more than words. It’s a tool that can be used to leap over barriers: AI, COVID separation, environmental & social and other pressing contemporary needs.