The SWIRL Method
Supporting Multilingual Learners as They Speak, Write, Interact, Read and Listen
The SWIRL Method is available on Solution Tree's website and Amazon.
Published February 11, 2025.
SWIRL provides dozens of scaffolds, supports, and strategies for teaching Multilingual Learners, K-12. If we want students to speak, write, and read English fluently, we need to provide ample opportunities for them to do so with fidelity and accountability. SWIRL’s strategies help you create, structure, and monitor those opportunities.
"The SWIRL Method will undoubtedly become a universal, groundbreaking, professional development go-to guidebook on how to best serve multilingual learners in classrooms, teachers’ colleges, and homes."
— Dr. Alma Flor Ada, Professor Emerita at the University of San Francisco & and F. Isabel Campoy, International Latino Book Award Winner/ Renowned Bilingual Authors & Co-Founders of Transformative Education
"Drawing from Katz’s extensive experience as a bilingual educator and bestselling author, this book is packed with research-based strategies as well as culturally and linguistically-sustaining supports. The SWIRL Method empowers educators to leverage students' home languages, implement effective assessments, and navigate the evolving landscape of language acquisition. A must-read for creating inclusive and effective multilingual classrooms!"
— Désirée H. Pointer Mace, Ph.D., Professor of Education and Department Chair, Alverno College
Praise for SWIRL Presentation
"I can use a LOT of the SWIRL strategies in the classroom. They will benefit ALL students, not just ESOL."
"I loved the make and take so I could bring to life ideas I had jotted in my notes!"
"I loved the workshop! Very hands on and I learned many strategies."
"Lots of activities that are easy to implement."
"Refreshing, well organized and super helpful!"
"This was a great workshop for the general teachers because it showed them the how’s and why’s of different activities they can do to include their ELL in the class at all times. An awesome workshop!!!"
"Excellent job! So nice to have such a versatile presenter with so much experience in the classroom!"
"Great job! It was interactive and engaging."
"Great presentation! It was interactive and included great strategies!"
"I loved everything about this workshop!"
"I think that you did an awesome job of presenting the materials. Just keep doing what you are doing!"
"The presenter was fantastic!"
"The presenter was engaging and knowledgeable!"
"Excellent training! Would definitely recommend the SWIRL PD!"
“Great! So nice to have such a versatile presenter with so much time in the classroom.”
1-minute Highlight reel from The SWIRL Method PD presented by Susan B. Katz.
9-minute Highlight reel from The SWIRL Method PD presented by Susan B. Katz.
Thank you for sharing your expertise with our teachers at the Symposium. Your session was engaging, inspiring, and filled with practical strategies that our participants are eager to implement immediately. We truly appreciate the impact you made on our educators and, ultimately, on the ELLs they serve. Thank you as well for sharing the Dice Discussion template. We will be sure to distribute the document to our teachers so they can continue to benefit from the resources and strategies you presented. Thank you again for helping make the Symposium such a meaningful and successful learning experience. We look forward to working with you again and exploring future opportunities to support our schools and teachers.
— Hannah Ramontal,
Executive Director, Department of Bilingual Education and World Languages, Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Thank you so much for being such an integral part of making today’s symposium a success. We were truly fortunate to have you with us. I have had the opportunity to meet and work with many wonderful authors and presenters over the years, but you were truly special. Your engaging personality, enthusiasm, openness, and willingness to share your knowledge and connect with our teachers made such a meaningful impact. It was evident how much you genuinely care about educators and our Multilingual Learners. Our teachers were incredibly engaged, and I know they walked away with strategies they are excited to put into practice right away. That is a true testament to the way you connected with them and brought The SWIRL Method to life. Thank you again for your time, energy, and generosity. We are grateful for the impact you made today and look forward to continuing this work together!
— Vanessa De La Peña,
Administrative Director, Division of Academics, Miami-Dade County Public Schools
We truly appreciate your partnership and the incredible impact you made on our teachers through your engaging and inspiring presentation. Many teachers came up to me to tell me how much they loved your presentation! Hearing firsthand how much your message resonated with them was truly special. Your passion for supporting Multilingual Learners was evident and made a lasting impact on our educators. We look forward to continuing our collaboration.
— Fabiola Jean-Pierre,
District Supervisor, Department of Bilingual Education and World Languages, Miami-Dade County Public Schools
“Hands-on activities are an excellent way for us to retain and practice SWIRL. I loved this workshop!”
“Activities that were relevant and I can implement immediately like ‘hot seat’”
“Great visuals, pace, and movement!”
“Good balance of explanation and practice.”
“Very organized, interactive, easy to follow.”
“You bring a welcoming attitude that allows others to be more willing to speak and share.”
“Great breakout session. Very easy to relate to and follow.”
“Very engaging and practical ideas to incorporate into my classroom instruction.”
“You are so knowledgeable and gifted as a presenter.”
“I appreciate you sharing your wealth of knowledge with us.”
“Very hands-on and helpful!”
“Amazing materials that I can use right away. Extremely engaging and fun to revisit and learn new strategies to teach all students.”
“I loved Along the Lines and Map It and can see many ways these apply to my grade level/content area.”
“I appreciated you giving us specific activities that we can take back with us.”
“Excellent training! Would definitely recommend!”
“Very informative session!”
“You get right to it! Thank you!”
“I thoroughly enjoyed this session.”
“So great! Fast-paced. Lots of ideas.”
“Thank you for your closing snowball activity. I struggle to close lessons in an engaging way, and I felt like I listened and learned a lot from the circle at the end.”
“An excellent presentation! You made learning fun!”
“Loved all the ways to get kids writing!”
“Susan provided tangible examples that we were able to practice.”
“So many amazing ideas I can use to have my kids SWIRL!”
“The delivery is passionate, fun to listen to, and interactive.”
“ALL praise! Susan’s SWIRL presentation was interactive and hands-on.”
“I loved being actively engaged. This made my learning easier, and I will remember the strategies.”
“I really enjoyed this session! So many great activities and we were shown how to do each one.”
“I loved the make and take so I could bring to life ideas I had jotted in my notes.”
“I loved the SWIRL workshop! Very hands on and learned many strategies.”
“Refreshing, well organized and super helpful!”