Bryce Hedstrom empowers world language teachers with the right training, materials, and support to become confident, successful educators who motivate their students to learn.
As an acclaimed author and educator, Bryce Hedstrom has written numerous books designed to help teachers engage with their students and teach language more effectively. In addition to his own works, Bryce also promotes the sale of books by independent authors whose writings align with his principles of teaching and learning.
Bryce provides training and support for teachers and administrators through one-on-one coaching, classroom materials, and educational resources. From guest teaching and classroom observations to developing strategies and designing curriculum, Bryce uses hands-on methods and engaging instruction to help educators to become more effective teachers.
Bryce is a well-known speaker and regularly presents at regional and national conferences. He loves sharing his knowledge and holds workshops designed to inspire and inform teachers of all levels. Bryce speaks on topics such as comprehensible input-based teaching, classroom management, student engagement, and reading.
February Special
Coaching Sale
Distributed coaching sessions are far superior to one time events. You are able to build your knowledge in steps. You can also practice skills between sessions, allowing you to develop questions that we can address.
- 1 hour:
$95$85 - 3 hours:
$240$225 - 6 hours:
$450$399 - 12 hours:
$780$699
Book of the Month
“This is a book I have read and would recommend to you.”
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage
By Alfred Lansing
This may seem an odd choice as a book recommendation for teachers, but it has helped me immensely. I have returned to it time and again when faced with seemingly insurmountable situations. We all need endurance when things get rough and Ernest Shackleton had more than anyone’s fair share of rough times.
Shackelton’s ship, the Endurance, was stuck on the ice in the Antarctic Sea for nearly two years. There was no hope of rescue, nothing but ice as far as anyone could see and no way to communicate with the outside world, but with leadership and endurance he managed to save every single one of his crew.
I want to be like that. I want to save each student. I want to persevere and not give up. Here are some attitudes and perspectives that helped Shackelton to do that.
A CONTAGIOUS POSITIVE ATTITUDE
“But had someone unexpectedly come upon this bizarre scene, undoubtedly the most striking thing would have been the attitude of the men… relaxed, even faintly jovial—almost as if they were on an outing of some sort.”
The attitude of the teacher will spread to the students.
KNOWING ONE ANOTHER
“The men had built up a backlog of shared experience that offset the vast differences between them… they had come to know one another very well indeed. And with few exceptions they had come to like one another, too.”
Ongoing Special Person interviews can accomplish this. It’s hard to hate someone you know well.
THE USE OF SYMBOLISM
“He [Shackelton] exhorted them to be ruthless in ridding themselves of every unnecessary ounce, regardless of its value. After he had spoken, he reached under his parka and took out a gold cigarette case and several gold sovereigns and threw them in the snow at his feet.”
Symbols matter. Symbols stick in the hearts of students more than words and rules or even brilliant teaching. When you greet each student as they walk into class every day by looking them in the eye and speaking directly to them, it makes an impression. It symbolizes that they are important to you, that you notice them. When you thank the students for learning and expect them to thank you for teaching them at the end of each class, it sends a strong message that you all care about the roles that you each have to fulfill in the classroom.
HEADING OFF POTENTIAL SQUABBLES
“Although neither of these men was by any means a troublemaker, Shackleton seemed concerned that they might cause friction if they were in close contact with the others too long.”
This has to do with knowing your students again. Shackleton know his crew and could anticipate personnel problems. We need to be able to recognize who will and will not get along. We do not need unnecessary friction and judicious regrouping can help. Here are some blogs describing how Special Person interviews work. They will help you to get to know your students better and avoid trouble.
What Teachers Are Saying About Bryce
“I recommend Bryce to any educator looking to strengthen their classroom management skills or establish effective routines. His experience, wisdom, and approach to coaching were beneficial for me to implement, providing the support I desperately needed at the beginning of this school year. I feel more confident in my classroom management, allowing me to focus on teaching instead of managing disruptions.”
“I still use a ton of the tricks I learned when we had you come out. I think that was one of the best PD opportunities I have ever had in 21 years of K12 Education, so thanks again!”
“Bryce and I met at a conference in Chicago many years ago. In fact, I remember going in search of a karaoke bar with you and a small group of teachers. I just want to thank you for inspiring me to try CI. It has completely changed my outlook on helping students learn French. I still remember your caring stories about your own interactions and thinking ‘I want to be like him.’ And now, after all these years, I see how this approach enables us to be real teachers.”
“As a new teacher, I look for all the information I can to help me teach better—podcast, books, Facebook groups, etc.—but the 3 sessions I had with Bryce have been the single most helpful thing to me and my teaching. Also, I was able to instantly apply the knowledge he gave me in my classes and the difference has been astounding.”
“I don’t always use other teachers’ resources, but when I do it’s probably from Bryce Hedstrom. That’s a Dos Equis joke of course, but it’s also the truth. Bryce’s insights and materials have played a foundational role in the way I teach. I know that a lot of sweat and thought goes into his work, always resulting in high-quality stuff. Speaking of stuff, one of Bryce’s books that I have within arm’s reach is called Stuff for Spanish Class. I’m so glad that book exists. I’m even more glad that Bryce exists, because he is one heckuva person.”
“I have had the pleasure of attending several of Bryce Hedstrom’s presentations. Whenever I hear him speak I get something new to help me in the classroom. Bryce is a master at delivering helpful, reality-based strategies that can be applied immediately. His insight into community building, personalization and classroom management make his presentations a must for every World Language teacher!”
“Thank you for promoting so many wonderful Indy CI authors in addition to your own excellent resources. Currently we are working to expand a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative here in our district. Your site has such an amazing collection of diverse voices and characters. Wow! Just what we need.”
“Of all the presenters, Bryce Hedstrom has had the most profound effect on my teaching and my students. I have been able to create true community and connect in a real way with my students by doing passwords, student jobs and special person interviews. Bryce is the master of relationship building and the psychology of motivating students. I have also used his amazing free resources for free voluntary reading and shared them countless times with other teachers who were looking to implement FVR with their students.”
“Bryce has guided my teaching for years! Watching Bryce model immersive language conversations with students in an engaging, positive, and effective way was invaluable! The students participated enthusiastically and retained an incredible amount of information from the day! The training was a huge success! The students wanted Señor Hedstrom to return! Thanks, Bryce! Your strategies bring joy, enthusiasm, and high levels of learning to all levels of second language learning!”
“I scoured Bryce’s website when I started teaching, soaking in all of the insights and teaching resources. Then, for years, we interacted in online teacher communities where we learned and grew together. Obviously, Bryce has great knowledge and experience, and he takes learning and improving his craft very seriously, but what most stands out to me about Bryce is his humility and generosity. If you are looking for an agent of positive change, then look no further.”
“As language teachers, language is important, so when I say that working with Bryce is easy and delightful, I mean it. Bryce is a leader in the field of world language teaching and learning, but he is also attuned to people, both teachers and students, as he wants all parties to find success. As a teacher, teacher educator, presenter, author, business owner and genuine human, Bryce should be the one to be called upon to work with in whatever capacity you need his expertise. He has been so helpful to me and I’m certain he will be for you and/or your school district”
Comprehensible Input (CI) Teaching Methods
Bryce started developing materials, presenting and blogging because:
“It disheartens me to see so many teachers try and then give up because they cannot make all the pieces of their teaching work right away. I also dislike the way that the inertia in education is crushing the dreams of so many gifted teachers and making students think that they are bad at learning.
It doesn’t have to be this way. I want to contribute to solving these problems of discouragement and abandonment of our profession by giving teachers some hope. I believe that success in the classroom is possible; that students can learn and that teachers can be both productive and happy. Comprehensible Input-based methods, solid classroom management, varied reading approaches and fresh student engagement techniques can help us to get there.”
This website is dedicated to training teachers with his blog, helpful links and free materials, as well as his books and other materials.
Bryce Hedstrom
Author, Educator & Speaker
Learn more about Bryce