The Multiliterate Mind Podcast

Episode Summary

In this episode, we explore the evolving landscape of language education and literacy with Dr. Maylén R.R. Sullivan. Dr. Sullivan shares how her experiences learning English profoundly shaped her approach to teaching languages and supporting multilingual learners. Originally from Cuba, Dr. Maylén R.R. Sullivan serves as the 2026 California Language Teacher of the Year, the SWCOLT teacher of the year, and a District World Language Teacher and ToSA. She combines fifteen years of classroom experience with a PhD in Leadership Studies to shape K-12 language vision and facilitate professional development. Dr. Sullivan’s instruction empowers students to bridge cultural gaps, engage in their communities, and master the skills necessary to earn the Seal of Biliteracy.

Episode Notes

Dr. Sullivan begins by reflecting on her own language acquisition story. After moving from Cuba to the United States as a child, she learned English not through memorization drills but through immersion in stories, television, and authentic language input. That experience eventually became the foundation of her teaching philosophy. Instead of focusing solely on grammar-based instruction, she emphasizes language acquisition through meaningful communication, authentic materials, and real-world interaction with language.

Throughout the conversation, we examine the shift from traditional grammar-focused instruction to proficiency-based learning. Dr. Sullivan explains how she realized early in her teaching career that many students could pass written assessments but were unable to actually communicate in the language. This realization led her to redesign her instruction to prioritize comprehension, authentic communication, and meaningful language use.

A major part of this work involves formative assessment strategies that empower students rather than discourage them. Dr. Sullivan discusses how she developed “proficiency checks,” simplified assessments modeled after the STAMP test, that allow students to demonstrate what they can do with language in speaking and writing. These checkpoints help both teachers and students understand language growth over time and provide clear goals for improvement.

The conversation also highlights the importance of literacy in language development. Dr. Sullivan explains that strong literacy skills in a student’s first language significantly accelerate second-language learning. This insight reinforces the importance of supporting and preserving students’ home languages rather than replacing them. When educators nurture multilingual literacy, they expand access, opportunity, and cultural understanding.

We also explore how modern digital tools and media can support language acquisition. From streaming shows in different languages to using subtitles and multimodal content, today’s learners have more opportunities than ever to engage with authentic language input.

Ultimately, this episode underscores a powerful message about education and human potential. Language learning is not about reaching a final destination. As Dr. Sullivan reminds us, even achievements like the Seal of Biliteracy are not the end of the journey. They are simply the beginning of a lifelong path toward deeper communication, cultural understanding, and global connection.

Avant Assessment – https://www.avantassessment.com
ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines – https://www.actfl.org
Seal of Biliteracy – https://sealofbiliteracy.org

00:00 Podcast intro and setup
03:13 Meet Dr. Maylén R.R. Sullivan
05:07 Learning English after immigrating from Cuba
07:59 Peace Corps and global language experiences
10:32 Moving from grammar drills to language acquisition
16:14 How proficiency-based assessments work
18:46 Creating proficiency checks for students
25:07 The purpose of the Seal of Biliteracy
29:05 Why literacy supports language learning
34:04 Supporting multilingual learners in schools
36:58 Technology and media in language instruction
38:29 Leading professional development for teachers
46:09 Final reflections on learning without limits

Episode Summary

In this episode of The Multiliterate Mind, we sit down with Dr. Agustín Reyes-Torres, professor at the University of Valencia and a leading voice in literacy education, multiliteracies, multimodality, and second language teacher education. We explore how his journey teaching English and Spanish across Spain and the United States shaped his view that language is not only for communication, but also a pathway for learners to grow intellectually, emotionally, and academically. We dig into the idea that meaning is not “in” a text, but is created through the interaction between the reader and the text, drawing on Louise Rosenblatt’s transactional theory and the role of lived experience in interpretation.

Episode Notes

We unpack what “multiliteracies” really means today: literacy as more than reading and writing, and instead a collection of social practices that help learners interpret and create meaning across modes like print, visuals, sound, gesture, space, and digital media. We talk about how teachers can lower barriers for learners by using multimodal texts like picture books, graphic novels, and storytelling practices that combine images, tone, expression, and guided questioning to support comprehension, confidence, and engagement. Dr. Reyes-Torres shares how he prepares preservice teachers to design learning sequences around picture books during teaching internships in diverse contexts, including multilingual urban classrooms and rural classrooms where multiple ages may learn together. We emphasize valuing students’ full linguistic repertoires, including heritage languages and dialect variation, as assets for meaning making.

We also discuss AI as a tool that is already reshaping literacy education. Rather than pretending AI is not present, we explore using it ethically as a thinking partner to co-design learning pathways, personalize stories that reflect student identities, and deepen reflection through transparent prompting and documentation. We close with a powerful takeaway: literacy enables thinking, and thinking enables learning. If we want learners to transform knowledge rather than repeat it, multiliteracies must be at the center of language education.

Lit(T)erart, the research group: http://www.literart-researchgroup.com/

University of Valencia – https://www.uv.es/

Harvard Educational Review – https://hepg.org/her-home/

Middlebury Language Schools – https://www.middlebury.edu/language-schools/

University of Iowa – https://uiowa.edu/

Find Dr. Tores on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/agustín-reyes-torres

Dr. Torres Book 📖 

https://www.routledge.com/Multiliteracies-Multimodality-and-Learning-by-Design-in-Second-Language-Learning-and-Teacher-Education/Reyes-Torres-Brisk-Lacorte/p/book/9781032617008

00:00 Welcome + guest intro
01:31 Teaching journey and why it matters
04:24 Reader-text interaction and meaning making
07:22 Literacy as the foundation
10:48 Making literature accessible in L2 classrooms
12:44 Picture books, visual literacy, and teacher training
15:51 Multimodality beyond text and images
18:31 Multilingual classrooms and honoring repertoires
21:08 AI, ethics, and reflection-based learning
26:12 What multiliteracies means today
30:40 Digital literacy and student realities
41:48 Representation before communication
43:29 Final message for educators

Episode Summary

We explore a powerful new approach to language education called facilitated interdependent language learning, or FILL. We welcome Dr. Ryan Allen and Tom Welch, two educators and innovators who are helping redefine what language learning can look like in an AI-supported world. We ground the conversation in a simple but transformative idea: learners want to learn languages, not just take language courses.

Episode Notes

Ryan shares how he first hears about FILL through teacher conferences and immediately recognizes its potential for expanding language access. In his rural Delaware district, students traditionally only have Spanish, but they consistently ask for more options. When he connects with Tom in 2023, the combination of proficiency-based learning and emerging AI tools clicks into place, shaping both his classroom practice and his doctoral research.

Tom explains that FILL grows out of dissatisfaction with traditional language instruction and the rigid course structures that often fail learners. He describes how the model is built around learning rather than seat time, empowering students to choose any language they want and earn credit based on demonstrated proficiency. We discuss how this solves major administrative challenges, including scheduling conflicts, declining enrollment in upper-level language courses, and teacher shortages. With FILL, the facilitator supports learners at any level without being tied to specific courses like “German 3” or “French 2.”

Ryan walks us through what FILL looks like in practice. Learners select weekly focal topics, set can-do proficiency goals, and use AI tools like ChatGPT to generate personalized activity plans. They choose how to learn, track evidence of progress, and reflect weekly. We highlight that this approach teaches far more than language. It builds goal-setting, prompting skills, self-directed learning, and accountability.

We also address challenges. Ryan notes early growing pains, including over-reliance on Duolingo and the balance between structure and flexibility. Through iteration, the model evolves to include structured weekly routines while preserving learner autonomy.

Finally, we reflect on what gives us hope. We see higher retention beyond graduation requirements, increased motivation, expanded opportunities for heritage learners, and the possibility of truly learner-centered multilingual education. FILL shows us that AI does not replace educators. Instead, it amplifies what skilled facilitators can make possible when learning is built around the learner.

00:00 Welcome + introducing FILL
00:40 Meet Dr. Ryan Allen and Tom Welch
02:10 Ryan’s path to FILL and language access
04:45 Tom’s educator journey and dissatisfaction with traditional courses
07:40 What FILL is and why it matters
08:30 Administrative problems FILL solves (singletons, scheduling)
12:10 Teacher shortages and shrinking language programs
13:10 How FILL works day-to-day
15:30 Weekly goal sheets + can-do statements
20:40 Minecraft example and learner-driven topics
23:30 AI tools and prompting for learning plans
31:10 Asset-based assessment and mistake-making
34:00 Challenges: Duolingo dependence and balance of structure
37:20 Building routines: writing workshops + unplugged Thursdays
41:40 Results: earning graduation credit in one semester
43:40 ASL learner transformation story
46:50 Hope for the future of language learning
49:00 Plurilingual possibilities and structural change
50:30 Closing + neural network invitation

We welcome David Bong, CEO and co-founder of Avant Assessment, and we celebrate Avant’s 25th anniversary with a toast. We begin with David’s personal language journey. He shares that language did not feel relevant in high school, but college changes everything when he becomes fascinated with Japan during the Vietnam War era. Living in Japan for roughly a decade and spending time in Hong Kong, he experiences the moment language “clicks” on a Tokyo commute, when a simple conversation opens an entirely new world.

We connect that lived experience to why Avant exists. David explains how language and cultural misunderstandings in Japan can escalate into real workplace problems, including conflict, mistrust, and serious organizational fallout. Those patterns, combined with Sheila’s experience negotiating across cultures, push them to “change the way language is learned and taught.” In Eugene, Oregon, they partner with Dr. Carl Falsgraf, whose online proficiency assessment brings standards to life at scale. Together, we launch Avant on January 8, 2001, centered on the idea that proficiency is about what learners can actually do with language across reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

From there, we move into the present moment: AI is reshaping communication, learning, and assessment. We challenge the assumption that translation tools will eliminate the need for human language learning, and we spotlight what AI still struggles to capture, especially culture, register, hierarchy, and what sits “inside” the words. We explore how writing changes when people routinely draft with AI, and we distinguish between assessing someone’s independent writing ability and assessing their ability to collaborate with AI while preserving voice and intent. We introduce the idea that teaching writing without AI remains essential, not as rejection, but as a foundation that makes AI use more effective and more authentic.

Finally, we look ahead. We discuss how AI can merge assessment and learning through continuous, low-stress, data-rich practice, giving teachers better insight and more targeted support. We close with a simple call: language learning matters because it builds communication, cultural perspective, empathy, humility, and the human skills we keep saying we want.

00:00 Welcome to The Multiliterate Mind
00:31 Meet David Bong + Avant’s 25th anniversary toast
01:47 Why language did not connect in high school
02:17 Fascination with Japan and moving to Asia
02:59 The “first real conversation” moment in Japanese
03:54 How language misunderstanding drives real workplace risk
05:14 Why David and Sheila want to change language education
06:30 Building STAMP and launching Avant (Jan 8, 2001)
08:49 Proficiency: what we can actually do with language
10:32 AI, translation, and what culture adds beyond words
11:49 Writing in the AI era and what assessment should measure
16:24 Keeping voice and reducing “AI dialect”
21:04 What stays fundamental without AI
22:18 Merging assessment and learning with AI feedback
31:29 Making the case for language as a core subject
39:17 One takeaway: travel where you do not speak the language
39:37 Closing and call to action

The Multiliterate Mind will explore how multilingualism, multiliteracy, and proficiency intersect in a rapidly changing, AI-infused world. Through conversations with educators, researchers, and leaders across languages and continents, the podcast will reimagine what it means to teach, learn, and communicate in the 21st century.

At the heart of the podcast lies Proficiency First Multiliteracies (PFM) — the theoretical framework guiding its vision. PFM looks at multilingualism and multiliteracy through a proficiency lens, positioning language ability as the foundation of meaning-making across languages, cultures, and modes.

In this view:

• Proficiency is not just a metric; it’s the process through which humans construct and share understanding.
• Multiliteracies recognize that communication now spans written, oral, visual, and digital forms.
• Proficiency First unites these ideas into a single, human-centered framework for learning in an AI-driven world.