#49
In this episode of the Summer Headspace series I revisit episode 20 on Rubrics and episode 37 on Competency-Based Grading.

Listen to the episodes:

• Episode #20:  Effective Rubrics with Beckie Bray Rankin
• Episode #37: Competency-Based Grading with Ursula Askins-Huber

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Sign up for Talking Points, my weekly newsletter with tips, tools and resources for language teachers.

• wlclassrom.com
• Twitter:  @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#48
In this episode of the Summer Headspace series I revisit episode 17 on motivation and episode 43 on student choice.

Listen to the episodes:

• Episode #17: Increasing Student Motivation with Tracy E. Rucker
• Episode #43: Student Choice in the Language Classroom with Maureen Lamb

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Sign up for Talking Points, my weekly newsletter with tips, tools and resources for language teachers.

• wlclassrom.com
• Twitter:  @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#47
In this episode of the Summer Headspace series I revisit episode 8 on communication modes and episode 12 on proficiency levels.

Listen to the episodes:

• Episode #8: Communication Modes
• Episode #12: Proficiency Levels 

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Sign up for Talking Points, my weekly newsletter with tips, tools and resources for language teachers.

• wlclassrom.com
• Twitter:  @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#46
In this episode I want to talk to you about what the podcast will look like over the summer. Like many of you, I will be on my summer break from school in the US.  I don't want to go away from you for 6-8 weeks, but also understand that you need some time to recharge.

Over the summer I will publish a "Summer Headspace" episode every Monday.  

What is Summer Headspace and how what will this look like:

• Time to reflect without other pressing priorities and issues
• Clear head
• Opportunity to revisit themes and episodes with a fresh lens  
• Maybe something has come up since you first listened
• You catch something new
• Finish an episode that you started
• Listen to an episode for the first time

I will group 2 episodes by theme so that you can listen to them together. Summer Headspace episodes will be 5-7 minute recaps to pull the themes together and links to the episodes will be in the show notes. 

There will be 8 Summer Headspace episodes and new regular season episodes will begin on August 22, 2022.

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Sign up for Talking Points, my weekly newsletter with tips, tools and resources for language teachers.

• wlclassrom.com
• Twitter:  @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#45
In this episode I talk about how you can take in and use the information that you hear on this podcast without feeling overwhelmed.  So far there have been 30 guests and 15 solo episodes and it can sometimes feel like a lot to digest.

I offer up some ideas to sift through and figure out what will be most useful to you personally and how you can actually do it when you likely have so much else to do.

Topics that I cover:

• Decision Paralysis: too many choices to choose from
• How can we choose what to focus on?
• First, remember that we do not have to do it all and we teach in different situations (levels, languages, interest, demographics).
• Second, remember that none of this happened in a day. Teachers are regularly working on their teaching effectiveness.
• Third, think about what is discussed and suggested with this lens:
  • I can likely do this tomorrow.
  • This needs a little prep, so I’ll do it next week.
  • That will be effective in the _____ unit, so I’ll try it when that unit comes up.
  • The concept is a bit of a change in approach for me and I want to sit with it and learn a little more because it is more of a mindset shift for me, so next year I’ll prioritize trying it out.

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Sign up for Talking Points, my weekly newsletter with tips, tools and resources for language teachers.

• wlclassrom.com
• Twitter:  @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#44
In this episode we talk about dual immersion programs.  You may be wondering what the difference is between immersion and dual immersion? Francesco Fratto joins me today to clarify and talk us through the process he and his district went though to implement their program.  Francesco is the Director of World Languages, Language Immersion & English as a New Language in Herricks Public Schools in New Hyde Park, NY.

Francesco speaks in detail about:

• what immersion and dual immersion programs are and how they work.
• the articulation of the Herricks Public Schools' dual immersion program and the steps they took to implement the program.
• the goals of the program, how they measured, and entry requirements.
• the logistics: finding qualified teachers, promoting the program, student retention, parental concerns around things such as L1 literacy development.

Connect with Francesco Fratto:

• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn

 Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Sign up for Talking Points, my weekly newsletter with tips, tools and resources for language teachers.

• wlclassrom.com
• Twitter:  @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#43
In this episode we talk about the effectiveness of providing students with choice in the language classroom.  Why should we consider this?  What does it look like in practice?  Maureen Lamb, a Latin and Ancient Greek teacher in West Hartford, CT, joins me to talk through the logistics and benefits of student choice in their language learning.

Maureen speaks about:

• what led her to look into making “choice” a part of her students’ learning experience.
• the results of implementing (offering) choices to her students.
• the various ways that she has used to offer choice to students.
• the student perspective and experience when given choice. 
• assessment and keeping it all manageable.

Connect with Maureen Lamb:

• email: [email protected]
• Twitter: @latintechtools

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Sign up for Talking Points, my weekly newsletter with tips, tools and resources for language teachers.

• wlclassrom.com
• Twitter:  @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#42
In this episode we talk about creating LGBTQ+ inclusive classrooms and curriculum.  While this is certainly beneficial to our students that identify as LGBTQ+, inclusive classrooms and curriculum benefit all students.  Joseph Parodi-Brown, a Spanish teacher in Connecticut, has done extensive research in this area and puts it into practice in his classroom.  He joins us to offer insights and suggestions for ensuring representation in our classrooms so that all of our students are seen, understood and valued.

Joseph speaks specifically about:

• the benefits of an inclusive classroom and curriculum.
• his  journey to creating an LGBTQ+ inclusive classroom and curriculum, the challenges and successes.
• GLSEN and what can we learn from the National School Climate Survey.
• the challenges with gendered languages.
• entry points for positive representation in our classrooms.
• intersectionality; is the LGBTQ+ experience the same in all cultures?
• common fears that teachers experience when implementing inclusive curriculum and how to proceed.

Connect with Joseph Parodi-Brown:

• Resources for inclusive LGBTQ+ classrooms and curriculum
• Twitter: @SenorParodi

 Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Sign up for Talking Points, my weekly newsletter with tips, tools and resources for language teachers.

• wlclassrom.com
• Twitter:  @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#41
In this episode I talk about the ideas of practice and communication in the language classroom.  Sometimes what we think is authentic communication in the language is actually just practicing structures and vocabulary.  Is there a place for practice or should it always be focused on communication?  I take on these concepts with suggestions for what this can look like in you classroom.

I speak specifically about:

• Sandra Savignon’s definition of communication: “The expression, interpretation and very often negotiation of meaning in a given context. Communication has purpose.”
• Proficiency: what a student can do with language in real-world situations .
• Distinguishing Practice and Communication and what these look like in our classrooms.
• Practice, Activity and Task
• Practice Language and Communication Language

Common Ground: Second Language Acquisition Theory Goes to the Classroom
by Florencia G. Henshaw and Maris D. Hawkins

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Sign up for Talking Points, my weekly newsletter with tips, tools and resources for language teachers.

• wlclassrom.com
• Twitter:  @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#40
In this episode we talk about the concept of Microinstruction. This approach is being applied in general education contexts, but we we speak about how it can be used specifically in the language classroom.  I'm joined by Lindsay Mitchell, a Spanish teacher in New Hampshire, who talks about her own personal experience and success with Microinstruction.

Lindsay speaks about:

• the skill set from her previous profession that she brought to her teaching
• obstacles and challenges that she saw in her classroom that led her to look for other approaches
• the concept of microinstruction and its benefits
• what a lesson looks like using the microinstruction approach
• the levels and content best suited to microinstruction
  
  

Connect with Lindsay Mitchell:

• Twitter: @linzemitchell
• Email: [email protected]

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community

French and Spanish Teaching Position at the Brookwood School in Manchester, MA.

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Sign up for Talking Points, my weekly newsletter with tips, tools and resources for language teachers.

• wlclassrom.com
• Twitter:  @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.