Language Educators Exchange
The Language Educators' Exchange is a podcast for language enthusiasts and learners of all levels, hosted by Drs. Sarah Albrecht and Aniqa Shah. Every month, we dive into the fascinating world of language teaching and learning, offering expert insights and practical tips from language educators and researchers. Our episodes are packed with the latest techniques in language teaching and ideas for turning research into practice. We invite you to tune in on the 15th of every month to join us for engaging discussions that will enhance your teaching journey and inspire your passion for language education! For the upcoming year, we would love to hear from in-service teachers regarding research-based strategies they use in their language classrooms. Please reach out to us on our Language Educators' Exchange Podcast page on FaceBook if you are interested!
Language Educators Exchange
Strategy 13: Building Reading Skills with Immersive Readers
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In this episode, Dr. Aniqa Shah discusses how to use Microsoft's Immersive Reader to support reading, pronunciation, and digital literacy with adult English learners. She walks through a practical five-step strategy teachers can adapt for any level. Resources: Immersive Reader guide, Reading Coach, and more.
Resources:
Handout — This handout goes over the steps discussed in the episode
Use Immersive Reader in Word — Start here: a step-by-step guide to turning on Immersive Reader and using each feature in your own documents. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/word/use-immersive-reader-in-word
Reading Coach (free standalone app) — Have your students practice reading aloud and get instant feedback on the words they find tricky. Works right in a browser, including on Chromebooks. https://coach.microsoft.com
An Educator's Guide to Reading Coach — A practical walkthrough for setting up Reading Coach with your class and making sense of the progress it reports. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/blog/2025/01/an-educators-guide-to-reading-coach/
Immersive Reader Overview — New to the tool? This gives you the big picture: what it does, which apps it lives in, and the research behind why it helps language learners. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/educator-center/product-guides/immersive-reader
Read with Immersive Reader — A short, plain-language intro if you'd like to try it yourself before bringing it to your students. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/learning-center/read-with-immersive-reader
