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My own position statement: the why & how of TL use

Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell July 11, 2016 17 Comments

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Seeking the future of world language learning at the intersection of comprehensible input, project-based learning, global education, and love.
My own position statement: the why & how of TL use
Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell July 11, 2016
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Quiz for you: What percentage of target language use does the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages recommend teachers and students use in the classroom?

Almost every teacher I know and work with can answer this question.  How could we not when it becomes such a torment for so many?  Answer: 90% or higher.

Next question: Why?  Where did this magic number come from?

Last year, I had a most stunning conversation in which someone told me where the 90% in the ACTFL position statement on target language use in the classroom came from.  Caveat: I wasn’t able to verify this information in any online source, and I did look, but I’ll tell you that it came from one of the people involved in producing the position statement, so I feel comfortable blogging about it. (If you have different information, please offer it in the comment section below or to me in email.)

ACTFL leadership knew they wanted to develop a position statement asking teachers to increase the level of target language they were using in the classroom.  A very worthwhile endeavor, to be sure; in my first three years of teaching, I probably used Spanish in class about 5% of the time, and most of that was reading questions and answers out of the textbook.  But what number?  How to find out?  To come up with a percentage, ACTFL surveyed teachers.  As the surveys came back, said former ACTFL leader, they kept seeing the number should be 90%.

It came from surveys?

I suppose I had assumed it was much more… scientific than that.  Wasn’t there a research project done?  Some published paper that told us how much students needed to hear? You mean that the number so many teachers fight with is based on surveys?

But it makes some sense, does it not?  I’m not sure how else we’d come up with it.  My 90% doesn’t add up to as many minutes as yours does.  You can do 90% with the second graders you see for 20 minutes per week and they still won’t show significant proficiency gains.  And of the 90%, how much needs to be comprehended?  Clementi and Terrill tell us “Don’t confuse comprehensible input with 100% comprehension.”  No number on that.  It couldn’t have been a research project that came up with 90%.

Do you see what I mean here?

    A research project designed to test what percentage of comprehensible target language use results in proficiency gains in a classroom setting involves so many undefinable terms and so many unanswerable questions and so many unavoidable variables that in practical terms it is impossible to do scientifically.

 

What do you think?  What about the problem of actually defining comprehensible input and measuring how many of the students comprehend each utterance?  What about issues in working memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory, and which actually constitutes proficiency gains?  What about such overwhelming issues as keeping track of when a student is absent from class and how that reduces the number of minutes that individual student received and thus skews the data?  What about measuring whether or not each individual student is paying attention every single minute you’re counting as comprehensible target language?  Impossible.

But really? The number we talk so much about is… well, arbitrary?  And when you check the position statement, the number is (in parentheses).  The actual position is “as exclusively as possible (90% plus).”

not me

Want to go further into the complications?  Here’s my problem with equating comprehensible input with 100% comprehension: I can’t do it with students who have no language without being unnatural.  I can’t contrive it and keep them engaged.  I have seen presenters do this successfully.  But not with students, personally. I’ve seen it successful with teachers who love teaching language and are geared to language and who paid to be there so they are inclined to be engaged anyway.  And I’ve only seen it done by people I could describe with the phrases “stand-up comedian” and/or “energizer bunny” and/or “person who has been doing this demonstration for 20 years.”  It looks exhausting.  I can’t do it.  So what can I do?  What works for me?

This is a wall of text already, and I’ll take a break to tell you the purpose of this thought process and post is to show you how I decided to develop a position statement that worked for me and my students in my classroom and I’d love to see you do the same and share it on your own blog, here in the comments, or with me via email.  But first, let me briefly explore two directions I have been before and did not want to go.

Charlie Brown’s teacher: X% TL with little attention to comprehensibility

I’ve heard many colleagues talk about jumping on board with using 90% or higher target language without paying too much attention to whether or not – or how much – students were comprehending.  And boy, have I done this too!  But saying “90% target language” isn’t really an accurate summary of the ACTFL recommendation.  From the position statement,

a variety of strategies to facilitate comprehension… provide comprehensible input… make meaning clear… conduct comprehension checks… teach students strategies for requesting clarification…

I tried this before, specifically my first year teaching elementary school after all my training was in secondary.  I’d just come out of discovering the input hypotheses in grad school and thought if I just told the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar enough times that acquisition would happen.  (It didn’t.)  Now, in my journey to develop Russian skills for demonstrating CI strategies, I’ve been reminded just how much clarification and simplicity have to be a part of what we do in order for people to understand.

So my question now is not:

How much target language can I use?

but rather:

How much target language can I help them understand, and how?

X% TL with little attention to targets

Children acquire language naturally without anyone paying too much attention to what we teachers call target structures, target vocabulary, lesson goals, etc.  I can say with a lot of confidence that that is not going to happen with your students.  It’s not and I know it’s not for one simple reason: there is not enough time.  It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of patterning input (far more than most CI teachers) and using strategies like diagrams and changing marker colors to focus student attention on those patterns.  I think this is the best way I’ve implemented to fight our time problem.  Now, I have targets, and they’re directly related to ACTFL proficiency standards.  In my novice units, we’re going to be regularly seeing patterned comprehensible input on (what some might pejoratively call sheltered) novice-level goals: talking about my likes and dislikes, giving biographical information, engaging in a conversation about activities or plans.

Why?  Because:

Unless my students are growing up to be native speakers within the target-language culture, which they most certainly are not, why should I make my teaching match the input that produces that kind of speaker?

It’s a can of worms, I get it.  I’m in a place where I’m okay with that.  Because this is my position statement, not yours, and not his, and not theirs over there.

Speaking of which…

The Musicuentos position statement on TL use

I’ve thought about the wording here for a long time.  I wanted something deeper than comprehensible because I wanted to emphasize realistic targets that are within students needs.  I kicked around “apprehensible” because it’s related to aprender (Spanish: “to learn”), and I wanted it to be able to be comprehended and learned but then it turned out apprehensible just means comprehensible.  Then I contemplated “learnable” but it still wasn’t quite what I wanted.  So I landed on attainable.

In a graphic:

position

That text again:

I aspire to…

infuse my class with target language interaction focused on 100% attainable, useful targets that are related to my students’ needs.  I define focused as 100% comprehension of learning targets with 80% or more of class time and activities directly related to those targets.  I will define and continually evaluate what students can do and limit my content and requests for output to what will push them without overtaxing them.  We will explore attainable language in contexts that will inspire them to step forward on their own, because whether they care is as important as whether they can.

Do I think this should be your position statement?  ABSOLUTELY NOT.  If I’ve learned one thing from all the arguments and fuss about what comprehensible means, what’s compelling, what’s acquisition, what percentage, how to hit the percentage, and so on, it’s that

people are different

and the more we lie to ourselves that they’re not, the more frustrated we’ll be in this profession.  So now I advocate that you 1) reflect on yourself, 2) reflect on your school and your students and their goals, and 3) formulate your own position statement.

What do you aspire to?

actfl best practices target language
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Previous July agenda: To boldly think in public
Next Where are the points of agreement in language teaching?
Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell
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17 Comments

  1. Emily says:
    July 12, 2016 at 6:45 am

    Dear Sara Elizabeth, thank you for your article. I have always hated a number being imposed on a teacher. I think it could be dangerous, especially in the hands of an administrator who doesn’t really understand the culture. I have seen inner city schools where you’re lucky if the student is participating even some of the time, no matter how engaging and creative a teacher is. I have also seen presenters saying, “You have a 60 minute period, you can’t speak English more than 6 minutes,” and imply that the teacher is ineffective if s/he does. My philosophy is to use the target language as much as possible and there is always room for improvement. ‘Nuff said!

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      July 12, 2016 at 9:38 am

      Thanks for your thoughts, Emily! I’m a firm believer that one size almost never fits all.

      Reply
  2. Julie says:
    July 12, 2016 at 9:44 am

    Hi Sara,
    Thank you so much for this thought provoking post! I decided to make it my professional goal this past year to conduct my classes 90% in the TL ALL year, rather than petering out sometime late fall- this following 70-80% previously (keep in mind I teach K-4, elementary). What did I find? It can be done- but this was the most exhausting year of my 23 yr career, and no amount of coffee or chocolate can make it otherwise. Making my lessons comprehensible required mental gymnastics beyond my expectations- and not in regards to my ability to speak Spanish but rather to break it down enough to be comprehensible (learnable-love that word!). I was even more physically engaged than ever, going from kiddo to kiddo demonstrating what to do taxed me incredibly- I’m no longer in my 20s and able to sing ‘Head, shoulders, knees and toes’ a bazillion times a day! On the flip side, I found greater gains in my kiddos, especially at the earliest ages, than ever before, and I had been quite happy with my students previously! And, I didn’t find ways to give myself an “out” for activities that I had thought HAD to be done in English.. sure, I had to modify, alter, and change my expectations, but I discovered a lot about how I can make my lessons accessible to my students.
    Regarding your thoughts about language acquisition, student learning, and realistic expectations in relation to time confines, I think you are right on! It has been a long standing beef of mine that many teachers assume students can learn a FL just like they learned their native language, or like one can in an immersion setting abroad. Though we can learn much from native language acquisition, it can only take us so far.
    Lastly, I am so curious to hear more about your journey learning Russian through CI. Russian was my major, and I taught for over 13 years. I made it as comprehensible as possible, but it is so different from romance languages, and , especially in regards to its grammar, is just not intuitive for native English speakers. Keep posting about it!
    Wishing you well, and kudos to your courage in posting something that is, in some ways, at odds with commonly held beliefs!
    Julie
    Mundo de Pepita

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      July 12, 2016 at 9:48 am

      Thanks so much for your thoughts, Julie – I always come away a better teacher for my discussions with you!
      I’m so intrigued that you taught Russian. I am still somewhere between NMP and NL- but I’m on a journey. I knew I needed a lesser-known language for CI demonstrations so that’s my primary purpose but hey, I could end up communicative. And I don’t know that I’m learning Russian “through CI” but I also don’t know if I’m capable of learning through CI i.e. natural acquisition. On this end of learning languages and getting an M.A. linguistics my first instinct is to deconstruct every word into its bits and guess and analyze how it might be reconstructed to form something else. I’m pretty sure not many people would call that natural, ha!

      Reply
      1. Julie says:
        July 12, 2016 at 10:14 am

        Sara,
        That’s the interesting thing, and why I am so curious about your journey with Russian! I first experiences with it were traditional, aka the grammar approach. Since I am a grammar nut, this suited me very well- for me, grammar is like a puzzle that I just can’t wait to solve, and is endlessly fascinating- Russian satisfied that part of me, and surpassed it lol! I spend a semester in Moscow, during which, like every exchange student, I found I was lacking in a lot of skills- but, I also found that the grammar rules I had learned really helped me! Now, I do not want this to sound like I think we should turn back the clock and go back to a grammar approach! Just sharing my personal experiences- what truly moved me forward to proficiency and ultimately fluency, both with Russian and Spanish, was conversing with native speakers, ones who were and are willing to correct me, ones who are willing to answer all my questions, and truly are interested in helping me! Those conversations, along with reading, reading, reading, and yes, continuing to study grammatical points, is what has worked for me. A blend of CI, traditional methods, immersion, caring teachers/friends, and a boatload of work on my part! What does this have to do with our classes- honestly, just what you wrote! We need to be realistic about what our students can achieve, do as much as we can for them while we are together, and hope that in their adult lives the interest we have sparked (fingers crossed) will inspire them to continue their language learning journey!

        Reply
        1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
          July 12, 2016 at 2:11 pm

          Here’s another application that some teachers and I were just discussing at Camp Musicuentos. At what point do you introduce grammar explanations into the class? I told them that, for instance, the past subjunctive: no way are our students in AP Spanish going to get enough natural exposure to the past subjunctive to be able to use it on the exam. On the other hand, kids who hang around that long are often ready to actually implement a grammar explanation. So I explain it, for a few minutes, and then highlight for several seconds (“how/why is this fuera and not fue?”) when it comes up. That’s all. But the other issue is a question I have following the opinions of the researcher Robert DeKeyser: If a structure like that can be learned explicitly (as I did learn it) and can be used in communication so it almost looks implicit (as I can now regularly produce the structure on the fly but after explicitly thinking through the formation of it), then why does it matter whether it was learned or acquired?

          Reply
  3. Julie says:
    July 12, 2016 at 5:31 pm

    Exactly! Your example is a perfect one; and, I will add, as teachers and/or speakers of a second language, we continue to utilize those strategies and skills that we learned to hone our own proficiency. Though I would love to say that I never translate in my head, or go back to a grammatical rule to know how or what to say, it isn’t true. I still look up things in the dictionary, I still consult a textbook to determine an ending or which preposition to use, and I think it is unfair of us to somehow expect our students to do what we are ourselves do not do exclusively. Regardless of how it gets into the brain, if it can then be used, by whatever thought process is necessary, then we are serving everyone better if we allow for a wider range of professional thought and action as opposed to a narrower definition that may, in the end, have some drawbacks. I really appreciate your thoughts and perspective on this- it is a breath of fresh air to consider and think about a wider dialogue!

    Reply
  4. Position Statement: The Why & How of TL Use - Indwelling Language says:
    July 13, 2016 at 7:55 pm

    […] for the first time, the timing (and titling) of a post here is due to a powerful post by my friend and #TeamBlackBox colleague Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell. This week, Sara-Elizabeth […]

    Reply
  5. Amy Lenord says:
    July 15, 2016 at 12:24 pm

    Sara-Elizabeth–
    This is probably one of the best posts I have read in a while. It captures so much of what recent conversations have been about, where my mind has been wandering and pairs all of that with an action item. They say that if you write down a goal your brain thinks you have already reached it, so I would think that writing a position statement like this would be the same. It is certainly something to do to hold one’s self accountable for target language teaching and how that will look in class.

    You have made me really think more deeply about some things that have been swimming in my head for months. Thank you for writing this and refocusing my own thoughts. I will let you know what my position statement is when I draft it!

    Hugs from TX,
    @alenord

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      July 15, 2016 at 6:17 pm

      “They say that if you write down a goal your brain thinks you have already reached it” – that makes SO much sense! Thanks for your thoughts as always, amiga.

      Reply
  6. Brillante Viernes: July 15, 2016 | Maris Hawkins says:
    July 15, 2016 at 1:35 pm

    […] of Sara-Elizabeth, her post on target language is well researched and thoughtful.  I highly recommend reading […]

    Reply
  7. My own position statement: the why & how of TL use | Musicuentos – Cymraeg Cyfrwng Saesneg says:
    July 20, 2016 at 10:03 am

    […] via My own position statement: the why & how of TL use | Musicuentos […]

    Reply
  8. Best of 2016, #4: Where’s the agreement? | Musicuentos says:
    December 13, 2016 at 8:51 am

    […] just blogged about my personal position statement on TL use in the classroom.  I recommend you figure out where you stand on this one.  This is one of the strongest points of […]

    Reply
  9. iFLT Day 4 | Making Good Mistakes says:
    July 17, 2017 at 10:19 pm

    […] Or 90% of the time. I am really okay with about 80% of the time as a target (especially since, as Sara-Elizabeth notes here, that the 90% statement from ACTFL is really an arbitrary number made up that sounded pretty good […]

    Reply
  10. Rachel says:
    April 15, 2018 at 10:02 pm

    Dear Sara-Elizabeth,
    I found your article very interesting. I, too, have been searching for the research basis that resulted in the selection of 90% TL for ACTFL’s guideline. I have read many of the articles ACTFL cites supporting this guideline, but I’m not sure 90% is mentioned anywhere.
    Right now, I’m carrying out some classroom-based research on how 90% TL looks (sounds, and works!) in the classroom, and what the learners think about it. If you have any further ideas on this topic you’d be willing to share, I’m all ears 😉
    Thanks-
    Rachel

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      April 17, 2018 at 7:00 am

      Hi Rachel, thanks for stopping by! You had me at “classroom-based research.” 🙂 I would suggest you reach out on Twitter with the hashtag #langchat – there are a lot of teachers there that I think would love to hear more about what you’re investigating, and so would I!

      Reply
  11. Where are the points of agreement in language teaching? | Musicuentos says:
    January 31, 2019 at 9:36 am

    […] just blogged about my personal position statement on TL use in the classroom.  I recommend you figure out where you stand on this one.  This is one of the strongest points of […]

    Reply

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      • Quick Tech to start your year: Video DownloadHelper
      • Quick tech to start your year: Screencastify
      • Chameleons and bears and early language class, oh my!
      • Blogs to Watch 2016
      • Resolve for 2016: Walk free, and pay it forward
  •  2015 (78)
    •  December (11)
      • Top post of the year: The 2015 updated rubric
      • Book Club 2015: Make It Stick
      • Best of 2015 #2: The five things I must have in my syllabus
      • Book Club 2015: All the etc. in one post
      • Best of 2015 #3: How important is task completion?
      • Semester 1 assessment: Elementary edition
      • Too much choice = a self-defeating tyranny?
      • Best of 2015 #4: My homework choices for very early novices
      • Best of 2015 #5: Using the song El perdón
      • Ending the year with Best of & Book Club
      • How about an elementary rubric?
    •  November (4)
      • Couch conversations from ACTFL: A conference in sound bytes
      • Teach me to say what I need to say: Overview of TBLT (Black Box)
      • See you at ACTFL '15?
      • A checklist: Adapt, Incorporate, or Ditch a textbook activity?
    •  October (7)
      • 7 Brain Breaks for World Language Teachers
      • Give & take #authres activities: Let's collaborate!
      • Collaborating via Google Drive step-by-step
      • Correcting all those errors? Step away from the red pen. (BlackBox)
      • Twitter Lingo for World Language Teachers
      • More resources for very early circumlocution
      • More TL in class is tough. Let's do it anyway. (BlackBox)
    •  September (6)
      • A conference in sound bytes: 6 quotes from KWLA '15
      • The Best Laid Plans (KWLA '15)
      • Cultura y Comunicación con Comerciales (KWLA '15)
      • Novice description with a deep cultural AP twist
      • See you this year? Conferences & Camp Musicuentos 2016
      • The taco/sushi talk - visualized!
    •  August (9)
      • These are a few of my favorite things
      • ANNOUNCING: The 2015 updated performance assessment rubric
      • Let me tell you about tacos... I mean crêpes!
      • You can't possibly teach it. But you can do this. (Black Box)
      • Homework choice for elementary students (and my syllabus)
      • BTS: The Taco Talk for Intermediates
      • Finally: My homework choices for very early novices
      • The five things I must have in my syllabus
      • If I learn it, can I use it? The interface debate (Black Box)
    •  July (6)
      • Back-to-school time! Upcoming posts, resources on sale
      • Starting my interactive notebook
      • I can do more with you than I can alone (Black Box)
      • This is design-based learning: A disaster relief team
      • No dog with my iced tea, please
      • All they need is accurate input... right? Wrong. (Black Box)
    •  June (4)
      • The new required school supply: Find your own audience
      • Grammar drills aren't all in your head... or in your head at all (BlackBox)
      • The one-word key to teaching culture
      • Why your method doesn't matter: Black Box videocast
    •  May (4)
      • Embedded listening
      • Rubrics: How important is task completion?
      • Add this to your Novice AND Intermediate HW choice options NOW
      • What a design-based WL program looks like
    •  April (6)
      • "Three Before Me" poster in German and French
      • Three before me
      • Why interpersonal isn't interpretive
      • How can a transition empower your class?
      • How can I help you put research to practice?
      • Forced to adopt a textbook: Now what?
    •  March (7)
      • New song: El perdón for two levels
      • En español, por favor: Fostering bilingualism in children
      • It's not about the I in IPA, or the vocab list
      • Armed for a world of incomprehensible input: Circumlocution training
      • Timely repost: the "I don't understand!" signal
      • Poll: what conference proposals?
      • Anatomy of a novice question
    •  February (7)
      • I see a... great chance to practice prepositions
      • Speaking of motivation: Guest interview on Paulino Brener's EPC Show
      • It's TIME! Open registration for Camp Musicuentos '15
      • The M that trumps your method, materials, & madness
      • Shake things up: Vary your seating - every day
      • #Teach2Teach 3: A coach who failed me, and a coach who didn't
      • Pronunciation gold: Forvo.com
    •  January (7)
      • It's a myth, #11: Assessing communication without communication
      • My favorite authentic resource combining culture & calendar
      • #Teach2Teach Question 1: The Great Balancing Act
      • All new resource: Battleship for es / está
      • 2015 Resolution #3, Expand your learning network: New blogs to watch
      • 2015 Resolutions #2: Act like we're on the same team
      • 2015 resolution #1: Stop being so hard on yourself
  •  2014 (96)
    •  December (22)
      • Book Club '14: George Müller & Bruchko
      • Best of 2014 #1: Every language teacher's biggest mistake
      • Best of 2014 #6: Carol Gaab's rebuttal to my TPRS critique
      • Book Club '14: Creating Innovators
      • Best of 2014 #2: Where I depart from classic TPRS
      • Book Club '14: Stella Bain, Gemma Hardy, & a bittersweet hotel
      • Best of 2014 #7: What I love about TPRS
      • Book Club '14: Monuments Men, With the Old Breed, In Pharaoh's Army
      • Book Club '14: The Kite Runner
      • Best of 2014 #3: Sample homework choice systems
      • Book Club '14: Crazy Busy
      • Book Club '14: The Hobbit & The Scarlet Pimpernel
      • Best of 2014 #5: How I use verb charts
      • Book Club 2014: Amazing Grace (Kozol)
      • Book Club '14: A Step of Faith & Walking on Water (The Walk series)
      • Best of 2014 #4 & #8: Curriculum planning outside the textbook
      • Book Club '14: Five Days at Memorial & Men We Reaped
      • Best of 2014 #9: Genius hour isn't a great idea for novice classes
      • Book Club '14: The Painted Veil & Life After Life
      • Best of 2014 #10: The new JCPS curriculum documents
      • Happy Cyber Week! Resource sale Dec. 1-3
      • Musicuentos Book Club 2014
    •  November (4)
      • Lessons from ACTFL '14: if they have all the answers, they're trying to sell you something
      • What's ahead: ACTFL, best of '14, and the book club
      • Linguacafé: The idea that rocked my interpersonal world
      • What we learned at IFLTA '14: Everyone struggles, Culture leads
    •  October (5)
      • Communicative teaching in the shadow of [grammar-focused] common assessment
      • More multi-tasking children's lit
      • Next on my PD list: New proficiency videos
      • What we learned at KWLA: share, think, respect
      • The game-changing authentic resource guide for Spanish 3+: it's here!
    •  September (4)
      • Three days and then...
      • The technology that's making us irrelevant...and more relevant
      • Thank you, reflective teachers
      • See you this year? Conferences & Camp Musicuentos
    •  August (6)
      • How I teach La ciudad de las bestias
      • Putting homework in their hands: Sample systems
      • The First Day Story: Empowering with CI
      • Keeping games communicative
      • Let's talk tacos: Informing parents & students on proficiency
      • Regreso a clases! Ciudad on sale
    •  July (2)
      • Oso de Mantequilla: A tribute
      • It's coming!
    •  June (7)
      • What we learned at Camp Musicuentos
      • Lesson plan: Indirect objects and celebrations (template too)
      • New Podcast: What kind of corrective feedback works?
      • New resource: Educating parents and students on proficiency
      • Another resource: JCPS new curriculum documents (K-12)
      • Introducing the past tenses together
      • Time for you to get feedback?
    •  May (9)
      • Upcoming workshop (IN): Proficiency-based lesson planning
      • Stop calling this easy & fast
      • Revisiting Photopeach for the AP Final
      • Stop stressing: It's wrong to do the best you can
      • Three tasks for crafting an effective message: Black Box Podcast episode 4
      • A Year in a Day: Camp Musicuentos 2014
      • Taking care of business: Summer collaboration for a successful year
      • 4 ways to tweak the exit ticket
      • Black Box Podcast episode 3: To Sell Is Human, part 1
    •  April (9)
      • Top 25 Spanish novels
      • Let's play
      • New activity resource: Tweetfest!
      • Black Box Podcast episode 2: Circumlocution
      • An impromptu "langcamp"
      • See you at ACTFL '14
      • 4 ways to keep curriculum relevant
      • Tutorial on the best free PD you'll find in your own home
      • The Musicuentos Black Box Podcast: IT'S HERE!
    •  March (11)
      • Authentic visual illustrations of proficiency (Spanish)
      • Curriculum planning outside the textbook, Part 2
      • A week or more of working with Vivir mi vida
      • Resource release: Complete verb pack
      • Curriculum planning outside the textbook: Part 1
      • Corrections to simple verb pack
      • Musicuentos is on Pinterest!
      • Is this the best we can do?
      • Writing a restaurant review: Activity from Bethanie Drew
      • Putting a number grade on proficiency-based assessment
      • Resource release: Simple verb pack
    •  February (7)
      • My favorite source for restaurant (and other) reviews
      • Guest post: A TPRS rebuttal by Carol Gaab
      • TPRS strategies I don't put in my toolbox
      • What I love about TPRS
      • Repost: Valentine's #authres from Twitter
      • How I use verb charts
      • Guest post: What students need- A leader (David Seibel)
    •  January (10)
      • Every language teacher's biggest mistake
      • My new favorite digital storytelling app
      • Why Genius Hour can't work in a novice classroom
      • Website review: Geoguessr
      • 2014 resolutions #5: Use more authentic sources.
      • 2014 Resolutions #4: Take a step outside the textbook
      • Reviewing 2013: Five blogs to watch
      • 2014 Resolutions #3: Survey your students.
      • 2014 Resolutions #2: Collaborate with someone
      • 2014 Resolutions #1: Read a book
  •  2013 (110)
    •  December (13)
      • The #1 Musicuentos post of 2013 (and the six years before that)
      • Best of 2013: #2 - Tips for the new AP
      • Best of 2013: #3 - Choice in homework, updated
      • Best of 2013: #4 - Novice song for Spanish Class Idol
      • Best of 2013: #5 - Can you control vocabulary?
      • Best of 2013: #6 - Is your lesson plan out of whack?
      • Best of 2013: #7 - Four habits that enrich vocabulary
      • AP Spanish final exam: Controversia navideña y Vacunas para niños
      • Best of 2013: #8 - Novice high vs. Intermediate low
      • Best of 2013: #9 - Using assessment to inform your teaching
      • Best of 2013: #10 - Spot-checking conversations
      • First-ever Musicuentos ebook: Reader's Guide to Ciudad de las bestias
      • Happy December!
    •  November (8)
      • AP Spanish essay - Obamacare
      • Vote: Musicuentos proposal for ACTFL '14
      • Setting goals
      • Don't go to ACTFL '13 without TELLing
      • Repost: A story for demonstratives
      • Listen to some Grammy music
      • Caring about the Really Big Deal
      • Calm before the excitement!
    •  October (4)
      • Using assessment to inform your teaching
      • Just some fluff: Makeup for busy mom teachers
      • Top 3 mistakes teachers of novices make
      • Book review: Teach Like A Pirate
    •  September (7)
      • Interacting with authentic materials: a guide
      • Using audio-lingua
      • Seven keys to a great story
      • Stations: Exploring music
      • It's a myth: Equipping students to communicate with... themselves
      • Turn a Novice Song into "Spanish Class Idol"
      • Is your lesson plan out of whack?
    •  August (12)
      • Children's literature for the world language class (Helena Curtain)
      • App review & Giveaway! High School Spanish
      • Choice in homework, updated
      • Back to school: Proficiency posts
      • App Review: Storykit (bonus - meet my family!)
      • Back to school: Evaluate traditions
      • Back to school: Blogs with great ideas
      • App review & giveaway: Word Magic dictionary and thesaurus
      • My authorized AP syllabus
      • Back to school: Musicuentos "first days" posts
      • Back to school: Give them signals
      • Going back to school with Musicuentos
    •  July (6)
      • Tips for the New AP
      • Don't be fooled! What the AP does and doesn't measure
      • Illustrating proficiency with a laugh
      • Snag some free apps while you can!
      • Stop asking for unnatural language
      • Fun video: Animals, present, feelings
    •  June (9)
      • Targeting problems with a pop quiz
      • Song, irregular present, part 4: Tengo tu love
      • It's my birthday - check out our presents!
      • A meaningful approach to grammar
      • Websites for creating online magazines
      • A world with no magazines
      • Guest post: Coaching with choice
      • Screencast: Photopeach
      • Communicative grading made easier
    •  May (10)
      • Health infographic: Novice - Intermediate Activity
      • A lesson in finding authentic sources easily
      • Tips and songs for past participles
      • Foster higher-level thinking from the beginning
      • Summer: Language for the fun of it
      • Novice high vs. intermediate low
      • E-magazines with learner appeal
      • Step outside the textbook: Tell a story
      • Repost: Novice description with Jengibre and Pin Pon
      • Interpersonal communication by choice
    •  April (11)
      • Novice speaking: Describing self with Sie7e
      • Can you control vocabulary?
      • Activities from authentic resources: Future tense
      • Why I love mistakes
      • Maternity leave!
      • Lots of your class gone? Pick up a book.
      • Abandon the multiple-choice question
      • Songs for future tense
      • I choose béisbol: sample "homework" report
      • 300 times thank you
      • Reporting like kindergarten
    •  March (11)
      • Training in circumlocution: Ban the dictionary
      • Fun activity #9: A leer
      • Last tips on avoiding burnout
      • Cortometraje for narration
      • Make developing curriculum even easier
      • Even more tips on avoiding burnout
      • Authentic resource: trivia games
      • Still more tips on avoiding burnout
      • Two more ways to ease into developing curriculum
      • Song, irregular present, part 3: Carmelina
      • More tips on avoiding burnout
    •  February (10)
      • Intermediate news activity for all three modes
      • Easing into developing curriculum
      • If you don't pay attention to comprehensibility...
      • Burning out or burning bright?
      • Keeping the class engaged: Change activities
      • Fun activity #8: A cantar
      • Twitter/relationships activity, just in time for Valentine's
      • Tech tools gone wrong
      • Grading regular free-topic writing
      • Add more music to homework choices
    •  January (9)
      • Spot-checking conversations
      • Song, irregular present, part 2: Hace tiempo
      • Four habits that enrich vocabulary
      • Paragraph form
      • Myths 8 & 9: I don't do it because they can't handle it.
      • Assigning homework
      • Song, irregular present, part 1: Sigo con ella
      • More choice every day
      • A novice cross-curricular activity from authentic materials
  •  2012 (39)
    •  December (2)
      • 5 New Year's resolutions for every WL teacher
      • It pays to have a focus
    •  October (2)
      • Best and worst games I've seen
      • Example: authentic text for novices
    •  September (7)
      • Success with Stations
      • More student choice in homework
      • Prezi: The Choice is Theirs (KWLA 2012)
      • Prezi: Kick the Vocab Quiz (KWLA 2012)
      • Take the leap to standards-based assessment
      • Fun activity #7: Conecta cuatro
      • A song for feelings
    •  August (11)
      • Screencast: Edmodo
      • Myth #7: Spanish Mike is a taco.
      • A study in motivation, part 2: Self-assessing abilities
      • It's my blogiversary - but you get the gift
      • Menus
      • Reading guides: Cajas de cartón & Esperanza renace
      • A re-post for your first days back: Abecedario
      • Screencast: Finding authentic sources for prompts
      • Maintaining personal proficiency
      • Ideas for the first days of school
      • AP redesign: Units & EQ's
    •  July (9)
      • A study in motivation
      • Advice for teachers in training
      • More uses for Amor de mi tierra
      • Book review: The Talent Code
      • Songs for 'duele'
      • The Case for Commands
      • Got idioms?
      • Like Musicuentos? Like it on Facebook.
      • Very short times with very young kids
    •  June (1)
      • 5...4...3...2...1... LAUNCH!
    •  March (4)
      • Another change: Survey says...
      • Design your own final exam
      • What I'm changing this week
      • Repost for CSC12: Increasing target language
    •  February (1)
      • A storytelling success story
    •  January (2)
      • Not going to ACTFL again, but for the best reason ever
      • Free Ebook for WL educators
  •  2011 (57)
    •  November (1)
      • Dear novice-learner teacher - love, an AP teacher
    •  October (3)
      • Learning from #langchat
      • Not your average health unit
      • Presentation: Target Language: Expect More, Say Less
    •  September (6)
      • Spanish 3 assessment documents
      • For KWLA 2011: Media from Reel to Real
      • Accuracy vs. proficiency: an illustration
      • Fun activity #6: A escribir
      • App review: Tour Wrist
      • Myth #6: Memorizing vocabulary
    •  August (5)
      • Trending topic = authentic comprehensible input
      • Got the rubric!
      • New year, new units, new assessments
      • Jumping on the Animoto bandwagon
      • Rethinking "late" work
    •  July (1)
      • A song made for early Spanish 1
    •  June (9)
      • Proficiency & tacos
      • Proficiency levels shouldn't be a secret
      • Flipbook illustration
      • Ethics in the language class - we aren't their parents
      • Activity #5: Gira la botella
      • Symbol Illustration
      • Connecting your classroom
      • Myth #5: The textbook is all I need
      • Taking paperless to the blog
    •  May (2)
      • Combat the 'este tiempo' monster
      • Children's DVD giveaway!
    •  April (6)
      • Activity #4: Drama Inmóvil
      • Myth #4: The Time Whine
      • Have you used PhotoPeach?
      • The myths aren't going to ACTFL
      • Fun activity #3: ¡Arriésgate!
      • Fun activity #2: A conversar
    •  March (3)
      • Dismantling Myths 2 and 3: Learning about language and its cousin, Grammatical Terms
      • Activity 1: Cuento poco a poco
      • (Trying to) Make learning fun
    •  February (10)
      • Two new options for out-of-class fluency
      • Great resource from la Sra. Birch
      • Dismantling Myth #1: What's a qualified teacher?
      • Keep singing: 189 pages of Spanish lyrics
      • #Charlando para aprender
      • Vote for this week's #langchat topic
      • It's time for them to use their time
      • For tonight's #langchat: A game for description
      • Short listening activity tailor-made for beginners
      • Ciudad de las bestias: Guides public & streamlined
    •  January (11)
      • Instead of the vocab quiz
      • Best songs for stem changing irreg. present
      • Do something drastic - kick the vocab quiz
      • Topic for #LangChat 1/27
      • Topic for the first #LangChat 1/20
      • Low-level learners can't understand authentic media, what?
      • They can't speak, and it's our fault: Dismantling the myths
      • Don't teach a health unit without this song
      • New: A language teachers' weekly chat on Twitter - choose our first topic!
      • Since I stopped teaching to the [AP] test
      • Faith and Culture: help me decide our AP topic
  •  2010 (38)
    •  December (4)
      • 9 ways to increase students' TL use
      • I love collaboration
      • The problem with translation (from a student)
      • Why music is more powerful than anything (& how to use it)
    •  November (2)
      • iPad giveaway!
      • A collaborative project for our Spanish-teacher PLN
    •  October (2)
      • And the winner is...
      • In the spirit of open source: Ciudad de las bestias
    •  September (10)
      • Books recommended as 'easy'
      • Pure present tense & at least 22 repetitions of 'ya no'
      • For a conference attendee: resources in math
      • Searching BBC Mundo
      • Prompts with Power: writing/speaking prompts
      • Prompts with Power: Prezi
      • Prompts with Power: German & French resources
      • Prompts with Power: Dating in high school
      • KWLA Presentation: PLN-ology
      • Tweet with double objects
    •  August (6)
      • Interactive comic creator using Maya & Miguel
      • Ads of the World | Creative Advertising Archive & Community
      • Added some great new links
      • First 12 days of Spanish 1
      • My supply list
      • Scope & sequence, word list for Spanish 1
    •  July (4)
      • 5 tips for increasing (your own) target language use
      • A warm-up from @samocamila: por vs. para
      • Camila's all on board! (well, on Twitter)
      • Getting vocabulary from a tweet
    •  April (3)
      • Huge toy giveaway from SpanglishBaby
      • A case for avoiding "pet" grammar
      • Authentic audio with future tense
    •  March (2)
      • Interesting blog post about iPod as language lab
      • News article: appeal + subjunctive for influence
    •  January (5)
      • A high-interest exercise for imperfect/pasado continuo
      • A song with 17 verbs in past subjunctive
      • My corporate Spanish links, all in one place
      • "Adora la Exploradora"-the week we didn't feel like a boring past-tense review
      • My level 1 and 2 stories (for Bethanie, and whomever else)
  •  2009 (80)
    •  December (2)
      • A song with 37 repetitions of "más que"
      • Switch to a communicative set-up
    •  November (10)
      • Print & audio sources for AP synthesis essay re: efficient energy
      • Two songs for voy + a + infinitive
      • A case for free-topic blogging
      • It's 19 de noviembre!
      • Camila's new single: "Mientes" (release date 11/24!)
      • A case for pleasure reading
      • Noviembre - a popular month for songs
      • Zachary Jones's "Clozeline"
      • Two songs + resources for Ojalá + subjunctive
      • A song just for @mamitati
    •  October (13)
      • You can't buy this in a textbook
      • Cultural connections: Four songs to explore using Google Earth
      • David Bisbal's YouTube channel
      • Correction on Pin Pon in Shrek
      • Four songs for contrasting que & lo que
      • Nominados en la 10a entrega de los Latin Grammy
      • Story and songs for subjunctive: indefinite/negative antecedent
      • AP sythesis essay sources: Los indocumentados y el sistema de salud
      • Blog that does what I do, only better
      • My October playlist
      • We must not ignore the Paz Sin Fronteras (video)
      • Build your perfect tenis (en español)
      • Video with por, haber, past participles, commands, from Coca Cola
    •  September (10)
      • Latin Grammy website gets a cool makeover... and nominations!
      • Songs for the elusive 3rd pers. sing. preterite
      • I just made my first Yodio
      • KWLA Fall 09 Conference presentation
      • Found Juanes on Twitter
      • For you French teachers
      • Bilingual toy giveaway, gracias a @mamitati
      • Keeping your eyes open for gold nuggets
      • CNN launches Latino in America
      • Bob Esponja on Mundonick
    •  August (4)
      • A correction on the correction of La Frase Tonta
      • I am in technology heaven
      • An AP oral presentation, with past tense: "Consecuencias"
      • I love crossover songs
    •  July (2)
      • Raimundo, the bilingual Latin American snail
      • A song for object/refl pronoun 'te'
    •  June (6)
      • A song for your hip-hop fans
      • Developing world citizens
      • Follow me on Twitter
      • Aquí Estoy Yo: video oficial
      • A new group on my radar
      • Two months later, back to the blogosphere (with a companion)
    •  April (5)
      • A most fantastic performance at Premio Lo Nuestro
      • The heroes speak Español
      • A brilliant pair of songs contrasting por/para
      • Useless grammar I used to teach
      • Adding some links--check 'em out
    •  March (7)
      • Negative commands + culture
      • Winds of change
      • Our students aren't the only ones who have speaking problems!
      • Activity: News interaction (present perfect)
      • A new smash hit with a subjunctive benefit
      • A shout out for Jacob & Joshua
      • El campesino y la princesa (a Spanish 3 story test, with a bit of subjunctive)
    •  February (15)
      • More interactive websites, courtesy of my students
      • A product I love
      • Good stories for commands
      • a story for imperf. vs. pret. and subjunctive influence
      • Interactive websites: practicing house/location/color vocab
      • Subjunctive for doubt: Story, song, activity
      • A good story for 'tiene'
      • A song for subjunctive/nosotros commands
      • A story for demonstratives
      • Rules in a communicative class
      • Cause and effect
      • Relating everything to English
      • A correction on La Frase Tonta
      • Equipping and informing, for free
      • A project based on motivation
    •  January (6)
      • "How much is estuvo de pie?"
      • One more song for subjunctive
      • A couple more subjunctive songs
      • An example of vocab
      • Internet scavenger hunts
      • A Spanish 2 story test
  •  2008 (51)
    •  December (7)
      • Videos from Jesús Adrian Romero
      • Alex Campos's YouTube channel
      • A story test
      • A video for Navidad
      • Great new song for subjunctive
      • ¡Nueva música!
      • A fantastic blog post
    •  November (14)
      • Ever heard of Patito feo?
      • Two groups you just can't go wrong with
      • Things to be thankful for
      • Grammar learning vs. acquisition
      • Forced to give grammar tests?
      • High aptitude is a beautiful thing
      • Another Spanish 1 reading
      • New media list!
      • At the ACSI conference in Dayton
      • Story success: Huevos verdes con jamón
      • Another story source!
      • Words we don't use
      • Song success: Hace tiempo
      • El carro de sus sueños
    •  October (12)
      • Overgeneralizing, again
      • Spanish 2 Story: La llama se llama...
      • Song success: Me voy
      • Not posting lately
      • overgeneralizing
      • The outcome of Pin Pon
      • Pin Pon in Shrek?
      • Best practices
      • Reading in Spanish 3
      • SCORE!
      • My media list
      • Awesome YouTube video
    •  September (18)
      • KWLA '08: Assessing comprehension without English
      • Song success: La llave de mi corazón
      • Spanish 1 Story: Insectos grises para el almuerzo
      • Finding stories
      • How do I find the music?
      • Modeling the billingual lexicon
      • Summaries of some classroom SLA articles
      • Love/Hate Krashen
      • Another article that rocked my world
      • More sunshine
      • When it's not all coming up roses
      • What on earth is going on here?
      • So, what are the cuentos?
      • The verdict on pop test 1
      • People I love
      • A pop test
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