174. Making Language Accessible: Using GLAD to Support ELLs with Bridget Dale

Apr 10, 2025

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Are you struggling to support your English Language Learners without sacrificing academic rigor or adding more to your already full plate?

In this powerful episode of the Equipping ELLs Podcast, host Beth Vaucher welcomes Bridget Dale, a Tier 4 OCDE Project GLAD trainer, educational consultant, and founder of Elevated Language Development, LLC. Bridget brings over 20 years of expertise in English language acquisition and inclusive education to the table, offering actionable insights for educators looking to support English Language Learners (ELLs) in meaningful, effective ways.

This conversation dives deep into the transformative potential of Project GLAD® (Guided Language Acquisition Design), a research-based instructional model packed with over 60 strategies designed to make academic content and language accessible to all learners. Bridget and Beth explore how GLAD isn’t “something new to add,” but rather a framework that enhances how teachers deliver required content, all while elevating outcomes for multilingual learners.

Listeners will learn how GLAD strategies help balance content mastery with language development, allowing students to engage in rigorous instruction without watering down academic standards. From observation charts to interactive journals and creating language-rich classroom environments, this episode offers a roadmap to making your classroom more inclusive, collaborative, and empowering for all students.

Bridget shares examples of how GLAD promotes equity and positive behavior through co-created resources, cooperative learning, and intentional scaffolding. She also explains how these strategies help build learner confidence, foster peer-to-peer engagement, and shift the teacher’s role from direct instructor to facilitator of discovery and voice.

Whether you’re just hearing about GLAD for the first time or looking to deepen your practice, this episode is filled with real classroom strategies, practical advice, and encouraging takeaways you can start using immediately—yes, even in April!

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