Become a more confident language teacher.
Get trained in Teaching for Acquisition this August! Join The Comprehensible Classroom for online or in-person professional development on Teaching and Assessing for Acquisition! If you are seeking to learn the WHY, WHAT, and HOW of Teaching for Acquisition, The Comprehensible Classroom is the best place for you to get started. Working with individuals and districts around the country, we…
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The end of the year is tough, I know! Students are simultaneously exhausted and buzzing with energy… thank you, sun! You need lesson plans that teach themselves, and I’ve got one plan that will do just that. Try out this no-prep, hands-off “3 – 2 – 1” lesson for current events… or any texts! 3-2-1…
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Pre-ordered copies of the anticipated text Common Ground: Second Language Acquisition Theory Goes to the Classroom by Florencia G. Henshaw and Maris D. Hawkins arrived in mailboxes around North America this past week. Both authors have been active contributors to the community of language educators through online and real-world forums, and so it is no…
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Is your head swimming with the different terms that are used to describe language teaching? CI, ADI, TPRS, POLI… what do they all mean, and how do they work together? Most importantly, what does talking about teaching actually have to do with teaching? Listen to CI Diaries #2 I recently listened to Episode 2 of…
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In the Northern Hemisphere, it is SPRING! And with spring comes celebrations. Many of you reading this blog teach languages that are spoken in countries with deep religious roots, and those roots are super visible in March and April! Easter, Passover, Equinox, and Ramadan are all holidays and celebrations that occur in the Spring. It…
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Many of us learned language through an explicit instructional model, in which words and concepts were taught, practiced, and memorized. When I began teaching, I started out with that same explicit model of instruction: working from a textbook curriculum that laid out thematic vocabulary to memorize and grammar concepts to practice and master in each chapter.…
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If you are ready to move away from Explicit Language Instruction toward a more Implicit, Acquisition-Driven model, you’ve come to the right place. Making this change is a complete paradigm shift, but it can be done in pieces. If you are ready to focus on helping your students to acquire language, as opposed to helping…
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Trashketball is a common game used by teachers in many subject areas to review content. The basic premise is that teams are competing to answer questions, and their score is affected by shooting and making or missing baskets (in a trash can). There are many different versions of this game, and there’s no wrong way…
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As teachers are trying to decide if a text is a good fit for their learners, they will often ask us the question, “What ACTFL Level is this text?”. Unfortunately, it’s a question that we can’t usually answer, and I want to explain why. ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines do not describe texts; they describe people. Specifically,…
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