bonus

bonus

Published on:

24th Aug 2025

CI Stories: From Textbooks to Total Engagement—Vicki Schrader’s CI Story

Discover how veteran ELL teacher Vicki Schrader transformed her classroom from grammar-heavy to fully Comprehensible Input (CI) and published four CI novels along the way.

Get your monthly lifeline of ready-to-use CI lessons, activities, and assessments with the CI Survival Kit: https://imim.us/survival

In this inspiring CI Story episode, Vicki Schrader shares her journey from textbook-driven teaching to a vibrant, fully CI Level One classroom in Surrey, British Columbia. With over 20 years of experience and a growing passion for TPRS and CI strategies, Vicki reveals how she shifted her mindset, engaged a diverse ELL population, and even became a published CI author. Whether you’re new to CI or ready to level up, her story proves the transition is possible—and worth it.

#CIteaching, #ComprehensibleInput, #LanguageTeaching, #TPRS, #LanguageTeachers, #WorldLanguage, #SecondLanguageAcquisition, #LanguageLearning, #TeacherInspiration, #ell

Links Mentioned:

Get Vicki's Books: https://imim.us/vickischrader and TheCIBookShop.com

Vicki Schrader's Blog: https://vickischraderauthor.wordpress.com/

Adriana Ramirez: https://www.adrianaramirez.ca/

Karen Rowan: https://fluencyfast.com

Bryce Hedstrom: https://brycehedstrom.com

FkNxVDzhMuLLFHvnCGRh

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

RSS Feed

Show artwork for Comprehend THIS!

About the Podcast

Comprehend THIS!

Real talk for real language teachers—because comprehension isn't optional.

Welcome to Comprehend THIS!, the podcast for language teachers who are tired of the same old textbook chatter and want the real talk instead.

Every episode is like pulling up a chair in the copy room or leaning on the hallway wall at your favorite conference — except it’s not awkward, the coffee’s better (yours, not mine), and nobody’s grading you.

Host Scott Benedict sits down with 1–2 guests — teachers, trainers, authors, CI rebels — to swap stories about what actually works in a comprehension-based classroom.

We talk the good, the weird, the messy middle — first wins, facepalms, reading that actually sticks, grammar without drills, surviving department side-eyes, grading for real proficiency (without losing your mind), and everything in between.

It’s casual. It’s honest. It’s LIVE — so you get all the “did they just say that?” moments, unfiltered.

Pull up your favorite mug. Laugh, nod along, steal an idea or two for Monday, and remember: you’re not the only one doing it different — and doing it better.

Watch LIVE: Sunday mornings at 8am Pacific / 11am Eastern, on YouTube at youtube.com/@immediateimmersion — or listen soon after on your favorite podcast app.

Comprehend THIS! — Real talk for real teachers. Ditch the drills. Trust the process. Stay human.

About your host

Scott Benedict

Scott Benedict has been teaching Spanish since 2001—which means he’s survived more textbook adoptions, curriculum rewrites, and “revolutionary” teaching fads than he cares to count. He runs Immediate Immersion and hosts the Comprehend THIS! Podcast, where he tells the truth about teaching with comprehensible input: the good, the bad, and the “did that student just say tengo queso again?”

After two decades in the classroom, Scott knows what actually works (spoiler: not conjugation charts) and isn’t afraid to say it out loud. On the podcast, he dives into CI strategies, teacher survival hacks, and the occasional story that will make you question your career choices—but in a good way.

When he’s not recording or coaching teachers, you’ll find him traveling, taking photos, or wandering yet another zoo because apparently, one giraffe enclosure is never enough.

Comprehend THIS! is equal parts professional growth and comic relief—because let’s be honest, if we don’t laugh about teaching, we’ll cry.