Become a more confident language teacher.
This is a guest post authored by Elicia Cárdenas, Director of Training for The Comprehensible Classroom. In response to the many atrocities that our nation has witnessed at the expense of Black people–and other people–, more and more discussions are happening online and in-person about racism and anti-racism. It is wonderful to see educators coming…
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I know. We can’t believe it either. BEHOLD! Our first ever SOMOS Workshop is being held in Dallas, Texas, on February 21 & 22, 2020! *REGISTRATION IS CAPPED AT 100 ATTENDEES!* A huge THANK YOU to Andrea Schweitzer at St. Rita Catholic School for taking the lead in organizing a space for us to host…
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We know that we can’t communicate with someone if we don’t understand them, and we know that language acquisition cannot happen if comprehension does not occur… but just how well do we need to understand someone or something in order to communicate? How comprehensible does something have to be in order to be ‘comprehensible’? To…
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For those of us coming home from #ACTFL19, it is time for the real work to begin. A big conference like ACTFL can feel exciting, inspiring, exhausting… and overwhelming. Conferences are special kinds of vortexes–’swirling centers of energy’–that leave you feeling uplifted but when left out of control can lead to a huge crash. The…
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The 2019 ACTFL Convention and World Languages Expo is just one week away. This convention is unlike any other training that is available to World Languages teachers in the US, and it is an invigorating, inspiring… and overwhelming experience! Over the last 10 years, I have made it a priority to attend and present at…
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By trade, I am a Spanish teacher. I learned Spanish in classrooms and in the real world, and I’m intentional about creating opportunities that will help me to become ever more proficient. On the quest for proficiency, there is one factor that will always haunt me… …ENGLISH!!! You see, English is my L1. And, like…
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Observing other language teachers is one of the best ways to hone our own practice. Noticing the strategies that other teachers use to help learners understand and feel comfortable is at the core of the Coaching model used at national conferences like iFLT and NTPRS, and it is a form of professional development that we…
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Storyasking à la TPRS is one of my very favorite methods for facilitating language acquisition, and it is also one of the most complicated to learn. In this week’s #summerSOMOSfunCLUB, Elicia Cárdenas and I shared some steps and strategies for maximizing its success in your classroom. Scroll to the end of the post to watch…
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If you have decided to teach for proficiency with an emphasis on comprehension, you are probably asking the question, “Where do I start?” When you ask this question to colleagues, they will probably suggest some resources for you. “Get SOMOS!“, they might say, or “Start with Special Person interviews!”. You’ll probably hear, “The MovieTalk database…
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One of our family’s favorite ways to get the squiggly wiggly’s out is with Cosmic Kids Yoga. In each episode, Jamie tells a story and acts it out with yoga poses and other forms of movement (ex: jumping jacks, running in place, etc.). Our kids love the stories, love Jamie’s accent, and love yoga. Adapting…
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