Curriculum
December 6, 2016
I tell you what, I’ll not be terribly sad to see 2016 go. It’s been a tough one. How would I label this year? It’s been- The Year of Confused– about my teacher and professional identity. The Year of Bridges Burned– when I stopped being an island I discovered this: When people discover I get it […]
premium
November 19, 2016
News flash: Textbooks are not the enemy. Faulty reasoning for evaluating the universe of language teaching activities that are out there, in print, online, passed out in sessions- that is the enemy. So whether you’re evaluating an activity I’ve shared or one you’ve seen on the authentic resources activity collaboration or one in your textbook, see if […]
premium
September 16, 2016
Sometimes, a mildly interesting idea takes root and then morphs into something you never expected. That has happened to me this year, and I cannot contain how excited I am about it. A toe in the PBLL waters At the beginning of this past summer, I was planning for Camp Musicuentos, deciding on what unit […]
premium
August 5, 2016
Have you thought about adding student choice to spice up your concept of homework and increase student motivation? Have you already been using student choice in homework for years but could use a few new options or a change in assessment system? Here is my kind of prerequisite annual post on options for homework choice. […]
premium
July 30, 2016
A call to #AuthRes August
premium
Tried stepping outside the textbook to use the target-culture world instead? This stuff is hard, people. Or at least, incredibly time-consuming. Textbooks aren’t so expensive because they weren’t a lot of work. Shall we start the school year by sharing the load? Wherever you are and whatever you’re teaching, I invite you to join me in […]
premium
April 7, 2016
Twenty-plus teachers will be getting together in Louisville, Kentucky this June to walk a continuum of curriculum planning, from unit selection and design, to setting daily goals with the long-term in mind, to lesson planning that incorporates comprehensible input that fits you and your students and helps them reach their goals. I was and am […]
premium
April 1, 2016
Not for novices, anyway. It’s too hard for them. I’m giving up. They simply cannot navigate them in a meaningful way to provide the comprehensible input necessary for language acquisition, so why even try? I’m buying into what a teacher trainer told me this week: “Authentic language isn’t comprehensible for beginners.” Take this, for example. […]
premium
March 30, 2016
My friend Amy Lenord and I are tired of drawing out our primacy/recency map on paper to keep us focused on planning the right stuff at the right time. So, a couple of weeks ago Amy emailed me the template she had whipped up to print out and fill in. It was super simple and […]
premium
March 15, 2016
I’ve often said that infographics are a go-to authentic resource, particularly in novice classes. They are ready-made materials that help you provide input in the visual ways students are increasingly becoming used to. They often use bite-sized portions of language and lots of numbers that make them extra comprehensible. And because they are intended for […]
premium
March 11, 2016
In case you couldn’t tell, I love storytelling! And at Central States today I had the opportunity to talk about it with a lot of fun teachers and in particular my co-presenter Wendy Farabaugh. It’s not particularly useful for me to offer our slides as we had all of 4 of them; it was not […]
premium
March 11, 2016
The Best Laid Plans (CSCTFL ’16)
premium
Isn’t lesson planning the easiest part of our job? I have to be honest: I find lesson creation and planning fun. But I don’t always find that what I produce is effective. What’s the difference between effective planning and randomly hoping it all comes together and accomplishing something? That’s the topic Thomas Sauer, Amy Lenord, […]
premium
February 26, 2016
CAMP MUSICUENTOS IS A WRAP FOR 2016! Thanks everyone for all the learning! Seven days. Three locations. It’s a new year and an all-new format for the collaborative, intense curriculum planning workshop that is Camp Musicuentos. I can’t wait! What’s this about? Camp Musicuentos is a workshop I hold with a limited number of teachers […]
premium