World Language Classroom

Getting the Most out of a Comprehensible Novel with Jennifer Degenhardt and Theresa Marrama

#175Do students read in your classroom? What do they do with the reading? In this episode I speak with Jennifer Degenhardt and Theresa Marrama. They are both authors of CI Novels that I have personally used in my French and Spanish classrooms. I thou…

Cohesive Lessons and Flow in Class Routines

#174How cohesive are your lessons? Do you feel that activities flow and connect to each other in meaningful ways, or do they sometimes seem disconnected? Today’s episode is a Leveling Up episode, where I coach Cyndi, a German teacher in Idaho. Plann…

ACTFL 2024: Connect for the Love of Languages!

#173This is an exciting episode that I recorded live at the 2024 ACTFL Convention and Language Expo in Philadelphia! This year’s ACTFL theme, “Connect for the Love of Languages!”, highlights the importance of building meaningful connections in every …

World Language Honor Societies with Regina Symonds

#172Do you have a World Language Honor Society in your school? Have you thought about bringing one to your school? In this episode, Regina Symonds, a French teacher in Massachusetts, joins me to talk about the benefits of having a language honor soc…

Focusing on Cultural Products, Practices & Perspectives

#171How do your students engage with culture in your classroom? One way to approach cultural topics is to look specifically at Cultural Products, Practices and Perspectives. Focusing on these cultural aspects helps students develop intercultural comp…

Calendar Talk is More Than Just Calendars with John Sifert

#170What do you know about calendar talks? Maybe you have tried them yourself and maybe you’re hearing about them for the first time. In today’s episode I speak with John Sifert, a Spanish teacher in Iowa. John, aka Padre de Cinco, walks us through t…

Student Choice in the Language Classroom

#169What role does student choice have in your classroom? We know that when students have some ownership over their learning that they are more intrinsically motivated and this leads to real agency in their learning. Today’s episode is a Leveling Up …

How to Deal With Resistance to Change with Tim Eagan and Mike Travers

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #168How 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? …

Guiding Learners to Interpret and Discuss Authentic Texts

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #167Do 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 …

Building Community Through Comprehensible Input (CI) with Elodie Channa

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast. #166Community. 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 eac…