World Language Classroom | Teaching Ideas, Activities and Strategies

#114
Join me on the podcast for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode.

How do you approach writing with students, particularly at the very beginning of their language learning journey? Today’s episode is a Leveling Up episode, where I coach Jenn, a middle school Spanish teacher in Illinois. Writing is the area where wants to level up her teaching practice. So let's start the conversation. 

Suggestions:

• Revisit the percentage of each communication mode in your grading and focus more on interpretative mode at the novice level.
• Use clear, aligned rubrics for consistent and objective assessment of Novice-level writing in language classes.
• Consider a single point rubric
• Foster self-reflection and revisions to support language development and boost students' confidence in their writing abilities. Leverage the single-point rubric

Action Plan:

This Week:

• Gather resources: Compile a list of Novice-level vocabulary and simple sentence structures suitable for writing tasks.
• Develop scaffolded prompts: Create a set of writing prompts that guide students to construct basic sentences and short paragraphs using the identified vocabulary and structures with opportunities to go beyond the expected proficiency level

The Coming Weeks:

• Create single- point rubrics that align with the Novice-level writing expectations to assess vocabulary usage, sentence variety, and grammar
• Implement scaffolded tasks: Introduce the scaffolded writing prompts in class, guiding students through the process of constructing sentences and paragraphs.
• Provide formative feedback: Use the rubrics to offer constructive feedback on students' writing and encourage self-reflection and revisions.

You  can also be a part of Leveling Up coaching episode if there is an area of your teaching that you like to improve or enhance.  Join me on the podcast for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode.

Let's connect!

•  wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter):  @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
I'd appreciate the opportunity to work directly with your department, school or district.  Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get  tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.

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

#113
Have you listened to the last 2 episodes about Comprehension-Based Language Teaching and Standards-Based Grading? I referenced the book Honing Our Craft, World Language Teaching Today as I prepared those topics. In today’s episode I have the 2 editors of Honing Our Craft, Dr. Florencia Henshaw and Dr. Kim Potowski, who speak about their objectives behind this project, working through the content with 15 contributors and how language teachers can most efficiently and effectively use this very user-friendly resource.

Honing Our Craft

• Edited by Dr. Florecia Henshaw (Director of Advanced Spanish at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) & Dr. Kim Potowski (Professor of Spanish Linguistics at the University of Illinois at Chicago),
• 12 chapters written by educators for educators, with a focus on bridging the gap between research and practical application.
• Practical applications and suggestions for language educators that they can adapt to their particular contexts. 
• Use this link and the discount code JOSHUA25HOC to save 25% on the book.

In This Episode:

• What Florencia and Kim would you like educators to gain from reading Honing Our Craft.
• The “user friendly”chapter layout.
• The process of editing a volume like Honing Our Craft, where the initial idea come from and the writer/editor relationship.
• How Florencia and Kim suggest that teachers use Honing Our Craft 

Connect with Dr. Florencia Henshaw:

• X (Twitter): @Prof_F_Henshaw 
• YouTube: Unpacking Language Pedagogy

Connect with Dr. Kim Potowski:

• Instagram: @_kimpossibility_

Use this link and the discount code JOSHUA25HOC to save 25% on the book.

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district?  Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get  tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
______________________________
Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode  on the podcast.  

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

#112
Are your assessments and grades in your classes a reflection of what students are able to do with the target language? Are the communication modes in there?  Are there parts of your grade that are based on compliance to rules and routines? In this episode I am going to look into what grading based on standards in a proficiency based classroom looks like.  And once again, luckily there is a very useful chapter on this topic in the newly published book “Honing Our Craft.”  It gives us all the info we need to engage with “Standards-Based Grading for Proficiency-Based Language Instruction."  That’s actually the title of chapter 7. 

Honing Our Craft

• Edited by Dr. Florecia Henshaw (Director of Advanced Spanish at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) & Dr. Kim Potowski (Professor of Spanish Linguistics at the University of Illinois at Chicago)
• 12 chapters written by educators for educators
• Use this link and the discount code JOSHUA25HOC to save 25% on the book.

Standards-Based Grading for Proficiency-Based Language Instruction

Put Standards-Based Grading in Context

• Traditional grading system:
  • Variability in what exactly counts towards the percentage average of a traditional grade. 
• 3 Core Principles of Standards-Based Grading
  • Focus should be on mastery of specific skills
  • Multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning 
  • Separate factors such as behavior, punctuality, homework completion and extra credit

Key Terms and Misconceptions

• Proficiency: language ability in the real world, unscripted, without practice
• Performance: can do with practice in an educational setting. 
• Mastery: highest level
• SBG can be used with any set of standards
• Rubrics: core principle of SBG to provide feedback for revision and multiple attempts to demonstrate learning.
• Multiple attempts to demonstrate learning
• System in place to have retake opportunities: practice, formative, HW, meet with teacher.
• Grading behaviors unrelated to mastery
• Removes opportunity for implicit bias.

Suggestions

• Focus on...
  • Standards and create rubric accordingly
  • Differentiation
  •  Feedback and the iterative process
  • Formative and summative assessments 
• Do…
  • Plan units around your learning goals
  • Collaborate with colleagues for common rubrics, assessment and learning goals (standards)
  • Plan for reassessments and retakes (ad

Use this link and the discount code JOSHUA25HOC to save 25% on the book.

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district?  Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get  tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
______________________________
Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode  on the podcast.  

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

#111
What have you heard about Comprehension-Based Communicative Language Teaching?  Is this what you are doing in your classroom?  In this episode I want to unpack exactly what CCLT is and is not. Luckily there is an incredibly useful chapter on this topic in the newly published book “Honing Our Craft.”  It gives us all the info we need to answer the question “What is and What Is not Comprehension-Based Communicative Language Teaching?”  That’s actually the title of chapter 4.

Honing Our Craft

• Edited by Dr. Florecia Henshaw (Director of Advanced Spanish at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) & Dr. Kim Potowski (Professor of Spanish Linguistics at the University of Illinois at Chicago)
• 12 chapters written by educators for educators
• Practical applications and suggestions for language educators
• Use this link and the discount code JOSHUA25HOC to get save 25% on the book.

Comprehension-Based Communicative Language Teaching(CCLT)

Context and Origin of CCLT

• Role of Input
• Krashen's Input Hypothesis
• Presentation-Practice-Production (PPP)
  • popular because it is conceptually easy to understand
  • easy to grade and assess
  • accuracy is main criteria for success

Key Terms and Misconceptions

• Communication is not synonymous with oral production (reflection of PPP)
• move input to the center of the curriculum 
• Production and Grammar are not neglected (focus on form, structured input)

Suggestions

• What if my textbook follows the PPP approach?
  • modify activities to give have a communicative goal
• What if my exams are grammar-based?
  • set aside time for grammar explanation 
• Do…
  • speak the target language most of the class time.
  • make input activities meaningful
• Don’t…
  • forget that accuracy is developed gradually
  • forget comprehension is communication
  • plan classes around grammar points, grammar is a tool, not a goal

Remember to use this link and the discount code JOSHUA25HOC to get save 25% on the book.

Let's connect!

•  wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter):  @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district?  Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get  tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
______________________________
Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode  on the podcast.  

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

#110
Have you attended a conference specifically for language teachers, either locally, regionally or nationally.  If you have, this episode will get you excited about the upcoming conference season.  If you’ve never attended, you’ll be inspired to attend for sure. Danja Mahoney and Vilma Nasuti Bibeau, both members of their state language conference planning committee, join me to explore everything that these events have to offer and all that’s in it for language teachers.  I live for PD, workshops and a good ol’ conference. I’m so excited.

Topics in this episode:

• Benefits of attending a conference for world language teachers
• What typically happens at a language teacher's conference?
• Who presents at conferences?
• Events and activities that are typically available to conference attendees.
• Networking opportunities, social gatherings and exhibitors.
• How language teacher conferences foster collaboration among attendees.

Connect with Vilma, Danja and MaFLA:

• X/Twitter: @MaFLAonline , @vbibeau1
• LinkedIn: Vilma Nasuti Bibeau Ed.D.
• mafla.org
• State, Regional and National Language Organization

Let's connect!

•  wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter):  @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district?  Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get  tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
______________________________
Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode  on the podcast.  

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

#109
How do you plan out your individual classes and keep an eye on the pacing? Today’s episode is a Leveling Up episode, where I coach Tamica, a Spanish teacher in New Jersey. Lesson planning with a close eye on timing and class pacing is the area where she wants to level up her teaching practice.  Dive in with us & take the ideas back to your classroom. 

Suggestions:

• Develop a lesson planning template or framework that includes sections for warm-up activities, instructional content, single, pair and group practice opportunities, and assessments. This helps maintain consistency and organization. Break this into 2 or 3 sections per class.
• Create a list of 10 go-to activities and work toward putting the number of minutes along with each one so that you can effectively gauge and determine how long each one will take.
• Collect data on how long each activity takes and mix and match the activities.

Action Plan:

• This Week: Create a list of 10 go-to activities that include various opportunities for single, pair and group practice opportunities
• The Coming Weeks: As you move through the fall and implement the class template and activities, keep track of the minutes on task and make note of the time for planning purposes. Reflect on the effectiveness of your class template and planning. Revise and adjust your future lesson plans based on insights gained from the reflections and student input.

Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode  on the podcast.
 
Let's connect!

•  wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter):  @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district?  Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get  tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.

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

#108
We are back for a new school year. I asked you in the spring what you would like to get from this podcast. In this episode I’m excited to share with you how we will be changing up the podcast episodes (just a little) so that they are exactly what you are looking for and need as you approach your teaching. 

• Who is listening to the podcast? 
• Looks like you want 25-30 minute episodes
• All the topics you requested
• Leveling Up coaching episodes
• What to look forward to 

Let's connect!

•  wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter):  @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district?  Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get  tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
______________________________
Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode  on the podcast.  

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

#107
This is episode 6 in my 2023 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 28th, you will see new episodes with exciting new topics every Monday.  For today we take a look back at episodes 79 where Ben Fisher-Rodriguez shows how to do a Write and Discuss and episode 90 where Kaitlin Leppert talks us through parallel texts. These two activities work really well together.  Let’s jump in.

• Ben Fisher (79): the benefits of using Write and Discuss
• Logistics of doing a Write and Discuss
  • – when you us it
  • – how you do it
  • – the procedure
  • – what you can do after
• Ben’s pro tips
• Kaitlin Leppert (90): engaging students in a parallel text
  • – creating an original text
  • – whole Class parallel texts
  • – individual/small group parallel texts
  • specific examples
• Combining Write and Discuss with a Parallel Text.

Episodes: 

• 79: How to Do a Write and Discuss with Ben Fisher-Rodriguez
• 90: Parallel Texts in the Language Classroom with Kaitlin Leppert

__________________________
Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points for tips, tools and resources for language teaching.
______________________________
Let's connect!

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

______________________________
Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me on the podcast.  
We record conversations remotely, so you can be anywhere.

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

#106
This is episode 5 in my 2023 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 28th, you will see new episodes with exciting new topics every Monday.  For today we take a look back at episodes 78 where Meredith White shares lots of interpersonal activities and episode 82 where Wendy Mercado and Valérie Greer give us a wealth of engaging language activities.  Let’s jump in.

• Meredith White (76): how prescribed (curriculum) grammar and vocabulary come into play with communicative activities
• effective interpersonal (and communicative) activities that we can use in our classrooms
• Wendy Mercado & Valérie Greer (82): how “games” or “activities” address skill development and standards
• lots of ideas for engaging activities and games
  • High Tech
  • Some Tech
  • Low Tech
  • No Tech

Episodes: 

• 76: Interpersonal Activities with Meredith White
• 82: Engaging Language Activities With Wendy Mercado & Valérie Greer

__________________________
Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points for tips, tools and resources for language teaching.
______________________________
Let's connect!

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

______________________________
Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me on the podcast.  
We record conversations remotely, so you can be anywhere.

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

#105
This is episode 4 in my 2023 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 28th, you will see new episodes with exciting new topics every Monday.  For today we take a look back at episodes 78 where Allison Perryman talks about seeing, hearing and tasting culture and episode 88 where Kia D. London discusses representation in the language classroom.  Let’s jump in.

• Allison Perryman (78): formats for presenting and engaging students in diverse cultural experiences
• Allison’s approach of seeing, tasting and hearing diverse cultures with students
• Kia D. London (88):  examples of centering representation and diverse racial and ethnic content from Kia’s classroom and curriculum
• how to do this consistently while also engaging students authentically

Episodes: 

• 78: Seeing, Hearing & Tasting Culture with Allison Perryman
• 88: Representation in the Language Classroom with Kia D. London

__________________________
Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points for tips, tools and resources for language teaching.
______________________________
Let's connect!

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

______________________________
Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me on the podcast.  
We record conversations remotely, so you can be anywhere.

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