Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #168 How well do you navigate change? Are you open to it? What do you need to reduce any resistance that you might have? How do you support colleagues through the process? In our ever-evolving world of language teaching and learning there are opportunities for change in ou…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #167 Do you use authentic texts in your language classroom? To make sure that we are all on the same page with the concept, the simple definition is materials created by and for native speakers not for the purpose of language learning. These materials reflect real-life lan…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #166 Community. Is this a word that you would use to describe your classroom? Do you and your students feel like you are a part of a supporting and encouraging community each time you and they walk in your classroom? How do you create this type of learning environment? Tod…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #165 How much of the target language is used in your classroom, by both you and your students? I’m talking about truly communicative language. Today’s episode is a Leveling Up episode, where I coach Helen, a German teacher in Wisconsin. Using the target language more regul…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #164 The topic of grammar is always up for discussion. Does the question of teaching grammar have a simple yes or no answer? Is it an either or? Is there a place for a both/and? I will suggest that there is this episode by focusing on form. Focusing on form involves drawin…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #163 We’ve heard this idea of working smarter and not harder. Does that sound like something that is easier said than done? Do you feel that efficiency might sometimes compromise your teaching and how and what students are learning. In this episode I take on this idea with…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #162 We talk a lot about making language comprehensible in our language classroom. This is essential now that we understand how critical this is to language acquisition. When students understand what they hear and read, they begin the acquisition process. It also boosts th…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #161 Is your world language classroom a welcoming space for students? Would you describe it as warm and welcoming? Can it be? Should it be? Is it helpful for learning? My guest today, Allison Perryman, sure believes that it is. Allison joins me to discuss how she makes her…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #160 What is a discourse community? Essentially, it’s a learning environment where students actively engage in meaningful communication, using the target language to interact, collaborate, and build relationships. It’s a space where every student’s voice is valued and enco…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #159 I have something that I want to share with you as we go into this new school year. If you know me you know that I have talked a lot about my experiences in Nicaragua and I have been there this summer. I had an opportunity to sit down with Paulette Goudge and talk abou…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #158 This is episode 7 in my 2024 summer headspace series. This is a chance to revisit episodes from the previous school year during the summer months when you may have a little extra time. Beginning August 26th, you will see new episodes with exciting new topics every Mon…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #157 This is episode 6 in my 2024 summer headspace series. This is a chance to revisit episodes from the previous school year during the summer months when you may have a little extra time. Beginning August 26th, you will see new episodes with exciting new topics every Mon…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #156 This is episode 5 in my 2024 summer headspace series. This is a chance to revisit episodes from the previous school year during the summer months when you may have a little extra time. Beginning August 26th, you will see new episodes with exciting new topics every Mon…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #155 This is episode 4 in my 2024 summer headspace series. This is a chance to revisit episodes from the previous school year during the summer months when you may have a little extra time. Beginning August 26th, you will see new episodes with exciting new topics every Mon…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #154 This is episode 3 in my 2024 summer headspace series. This is a chance to revisit episodes from the previous school year during the summer months when you may have a little extra time. Beginning August 26th, you will see new episodes with exciting new topics every Mon…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #153 This is episode 2 in my 2024 summer headspace series. This is a chance to revisit episodes from the previous school year during the summer months when you may have a little extra time. Beginning August 26th, you will see new episodes with exciting new topics every Mon…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #152 This is episode 1 in my 2024 summer headspace series. This is a chance to revisit episodes from the previous school year during the summer months when you may have a little extra time. Beginning August 26th, you will see new episodes with exciting new topics every Mon…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #151 Now that the school year is over hopefully you have a little less on your mind and have a little extra time. This is the perfect time to get into your summer headspace. What do I mean by that? You’ll soon understand. Let’s jump in. time to reflect without other pressi…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #150 How often do we stop to reflect on our teaching? Hopefully we take the time and opportunity to do it regularly so that we are teaching our students as effectively as possible. In this episode I’m going to talk about reflective practice and how we can use this as langu…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #149 As teachers, and proficient second language speakers, we have figured out ways to communicate words that we don’t know. We can teach this skill to students early on so that they can begin doing it right away. Circumlocution is a strategy for describing or defining a c…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #148 What is your understanding of the word proficiency? This is a concept that we use all the time in our language classrooms. How about the word performance? This concept is also becoming more commonplace in our teaching vernacular. When we say that we are proficiency-or…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #147 Throughout the school year I published Leveling Up Coaching episodes with language teachers who are taking on a challenge area in their teaching or simply wanted to improve in a particular area. As part of this collaborative relationship we talk through some possibili…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #146 When it comes to providing comprehensible input, is it possible to use authentic resources? In this episode, we explore how to use authentic listening resources as a form of comprehensible input with Steven Lopez, a Spanish teacher in New York. Steven shares his proce…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #145 In this episode I’m taking on the question of leveling up. We often talk about proficiency levels and the output that goes along with each level. We’ll take a look at some concrete examples of language produced at each level and I’ll share some suggestions for how we …

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #144 What do you do with the information that you learn from the assessments that you give students? Even if we are talking about end–of-unit summative assessments we should look at the overall results and see if there are any changes we should make to instruction. This is…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #143 If you’re not a native speaker, how do you maintain your proficiency and confidence in speaking the language that you teach? Today’s episode is a Leveling Up episode, where I coach Stephanie, a middle school teacher in Maine. Maintaining and improving her personal con…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #142 How do you address current events with your students? In this episode we take on the topic of current events in the language classroom with Ben Tinsley, a French teacher in Pennsylvania. This is Ben’s third time on the podcast and he is here again to share his practic…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #141 What have you heard about language functions? I see this as the idea of using the target language to communicate or convey a message rather than only being able to describe the grammatical structures, patterns and vocabulary. In this episode we are going to take a loo…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #140 Have you heard of the term “Translanguaging?” In this episode, we are going to explore this emerging concept in language teaching with Dr. Uju Ayna, an Associate Professor of Second Language Acquisition at Carnegie Mellon University. She helps us to understand exactly…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #139 Do you feel that you provide comprehensible input to your students? Do you have a solid understanding of how beneficial this is to their language learning? Hopefully you are thinking, yes indeed. An important part of this process is checking that students do, in fact …

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #138 How do you take a unit plan and translate that into daily lessons? Today’s episode is a Leveling Up episode, where I coach Liz, a Spanish teacher in the Northeast of the US. Translating a unit plan into daily lessons is the area where wants to level up her teaching pr…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #137 Are your students confident when speaking the target language in your classroom and with speakers of the language? This is not always easy for students. Building speaking confidence in language learners is a gradual process, and it starts with tailoring activities to …

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #136 Have you ever found yourself in a classroom where the atmosphere was so positive and engaging that you couldn’t help but feel excited about learning? Have you wondered how some language teachers seem to easily manage their classrooms while fostering a sense of communi…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #135 In this episode, we talk about pacing in our language classrooms. How do we determine the amount of time that students should spend on particular activities? Part of this involves when and how to use Brain Breaks. Fadi Aboughoush, an Arabic teacher in Chicago, has a w…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #134 Are your speaking activities as communicative as they could be? Are students creating language spontaneously? Today’s episode is a Leveling Up episode, where I coach Stephanie, a Spanish teacher in New Hampshire. Creating speaking activities that allow students to cre…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #133 How much do you connect the language that you teach with the culture where that language is used? Today, Rabbi Daniel Atwood, a Hebrew teacher in Chicago, joins me to explore this idea in depth. We look at how he teaches a language that is deeply connected to a faith …

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. I'm a creature of habit for sure. It's Wednesday (and not Monday) and I'm popping into your episode feed. It must be for a good reason. I want to tell you about a FREE virtual workshop that I will be presenting as part of the World Language Teacher Summit from March 4th-8t…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #132 This is the 6th teacher toolbox episode. I hear from listeners all the time that they like the actionable tips and suggestions for activities that they can use with students next week, or even tomorrow. That usually means effective and beneficial, but somewhat minimal…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #131 Do you have a routine or process for regularly recycling material, content, vocabulary or language structures in your classroom? How do you make sure that students keep it all fresh and readily accessible as they move to new topics and themes? In this episode, we are …

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #130 Are you sometimes challenged by students being off task or not transitioning well between activities? Today’s episode is a Leveling Up episode, where I coach Victoria, a Spanish teacher in Virginia. Creating smooth transitions and keeping students on task more consist…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #129 What do you think of when you year “teaching content in the target language?” Are you thinking of elements like structures and vocabulary related to the language, or actually teaching content outside of the language, but in the target language. In this episode, John N…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #128 How do you ensure your language students have a solid foundation and continue to thrive as they progress through grade levels? Language teachers often grapple with this question as they strive to provide the best possible language learning experience for their student…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #127 Is there a place for mindfulness and SEL (Social Emotional Learning) in the world language classroom? My guest today, Jennifer Schwester, a French teacher in New Jersey, certainly knows there is. We discuss why language teachers should consider mindfulness and SEL act…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #126 Are your students comfortable reflecting on their own experiences? Are we, as teachers, comfortable doing this? This is an important first step in asking our students (and ourselves) to understand and appreciate other cultures and experiences. Today I speak with Jocel…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #125 The new year will soon be here and along with that are thoughts of trying out something new. Last week we looked at how small, sustainable, and consistent changes or modifications are more likely to stick, rather than attempting to overhaul everything.This week we foc…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. These are the top 3 episodes of 2023. Listen again, or for the first time. So many valuable and actionable tips and suggestions from Meredith , Wendy, Valérie and Ashley. Episode 76: Interpersonal Activities with Meredith White Episode 82: Engaging Language Activities With…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #124 The new year brings on thoughts of trying out something new. However, the idea of trying something new or modifying your existing practices in the classroom is not always that easy. In this first of a two-part episode, we look at how small, sustainable, and consistent…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #123 Are there topics that you avoid in the classroom? Are there themes that come up and you’re not sure how to handle a potentially polarizing situation? I’ve certainly been there myself and that’s when I turn to my guest today, Kent Lenci, who collaborates with schools a…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #122 Join me on the podcast for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode. How do you implement IPAs effectively in your classroom? Today’s episode is a Leveling Up episode, where I coach Judy, a German teacher in Illinois. Implementing IPA’s effectively is the area where wants to le…

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #121 Have you used chat mats in your classroom? Even if you haven't, I'm sure that you have heard about this useful tool to support students. Today, Christina Margiore, a Spanish teacher on Long Island, New York, joins me to talk us through all the details involved with cr…