In this episode, we meet primary teacher Amanda Benites in her classroom in São Paulo, Brazil. Amanda shares her inspiring journey from shy language learner to confident educator, and how she helps students build self-awareness, confidence, and essential life skills. She also offers practical strategies using mindfulness, technology, and positive reinforcement in bilingual classrooms. Host: Rebecca Rios Find all Grow episodes here: http://bit.ly/4lxGHvv Get in touch: Do you have a question about English language teaching? Record an audio message, or send us an email with your question to growpodcast@cambridge.org and you could feature in a future episode of Grow! 00:55 Meet Amanda and Rebecca 01:09 Amanda’s journey to becoming a teacher 02:14 Using translation as a learning tool 03:30 Embracing mistakes in the classroom 05:04 The rewards of teaching Primary learners 07:21 Amanda’s first day as a teacher 09:01 Integrating technology into English lessons 13:49: Overcoming challenges with mindfulness and attention-grabbing techniques 16:37 What teachers can learn from their students 19:30 Michelle Worgan’s Top Tip: Encouraging English during group work 21:14 That feeling when… 24:20 Bilingualism: Communicating in English and Portuguese 26:28 Quick fire questions 27:48 Amanda’s advice for other teachers
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