November 24, 2015
We’ve been talking for a long time about how we should infuse language classes with language that communicates meaning. We’ve also been talking about how we can make sure the meanings we’re choosing are the ones students actually need and want to communicate in the real world. When meaningful language meets meaningful purposes, whether you realize […]
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November 19, 2015
See you at ACTFL ’15?
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It’s about time for me to hop on a plane (eventually) bound for San Diego! Will I see you there? If so, you can find me at these places and on Twitter via #actfl15. If not, connect with me virtually anytime, and stay tuned for my ACTFL resources and reflections next week.
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November 16, 2015
Love the textbook or hate it? Convinced you can’t teach well unless you pitch that textbook in the trash? Convinced you can’t teach without it or you’ll lose your sanity? Wherever you fall, if a textbook is a tool in your classroom, this post is for you. Note that I believe a textbook is just […]
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October 27, 2015
You know that glassed-over look that your students get about halfway (a quarter of the way?) through your lesson? The same one you get about 15 minutes into the faculty meeting? Here’s how to fight it. First, realize it’s not your students’ fault. Their brains are designed to filter and process information and the brain […]
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October 21, 2015
Does this sound familiar to you? Via Facebook, Twitter, Edmodo, Google search, or a two-hour plummet down the rabbit hole known as Pinterest, you found exactly the right authentic resource for your upcoming lesson on members of the family. You spent 72 minutes designing a scaffolding activity that would help make it comprehensible and focus your […]
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October 16, 2015
Here at TFLA, as I do at many workshops and sessions, I’ll be asking participants to share their ideas, creativity, and lessons learned with those who aren’t able to be here. Most frequently I invite them to do that via Google Drive. I have discovered, however, that not everyone is familiar with how to share […]
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October 15, 2015
Disclaimer: No red pens were harmed in the making of this episode. Here we confront a continual dilemma in language teaching. As language teachers who are good at the languages we teach, every error grates on our ears and eyes. We want to correct. We want to cross out the masculine ending and write the […]
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October 13, 2015
Here begins a flurry of posts related to my presentations and workshops at the Texas Foreign Language Association’s conference this weekend. First, our workshop (by our I mean I’m doing this with Amy Lenord, John Cadena, Melissa Vargas) on Thursday night is called Twitter 101 and is about how and why to get involved with a professional […]
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October 12, 2015
In the last year and a half, I have read a research article, recorded a Black Box Podcast, presented a conference session selected as a Central States All-Star session, and blogged – all on the topic of why we should teach the skill of circumlocution early and often. Aside: Circumlocution is the skill of talking […]
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October 3, 2015
When I tell you that the topic of this episode of the Musicuentos Black Box videocast is an article entitled “Overcoming Resistance to 90% Target Language Use” you probably think what I thought, that it was about getting your students on board with everyone speaking more TL in the classroom. You’ll learn something about that […]
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September 29, 2015
One of the best parts of KWLA: I got to sit down and chat for a few minutes or for an hour with some of the wisest people in our profession. (E.g.: ACTFL president Jacque VanHouten, ACTFL TOY Nicole Naditz, NNELL president Nadine Jacobsen-MacLean, Learning Shifts guru Thomas Sauer, TFLTA incoming president Julie Golden, KY-AATSP […]
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September 28, 2015
The Best Laid Plans (KWLA ’15)
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Given how long Thomas Sauer and I have been colleagues and friends, I can’t believe we haven’t presented together before. Well, we fixed that on Saturday and presented a 3-hour workshop on effective lesson planning. Two things: 1. Three hours was not enough. 2. I learned at least as much from Thomas as anyone there learned […]
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