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While language assessments are a large part of the foreign language classroom, not all tests are created equal. This was one of the major topics of discussion during #langchat on Thursday. Although everyone had a different opinion about the importance of summative assessment tools for language teaching, we could all agree that they are often […]

  by  Fancy Jantzi  Ipad Curious Learners, Fancy Jantzi. January 24, 2011. Penn Laird, Virginia, US. Langchat Summary: Total Participation Techniques in the Classroom It was a great meeting of minds at this Thursday’s #Langchat. The newest member of the moderating team, @CoLeeSensei, was introduced.  In addition, a reminder was given to participants to be aware of […]

During our #Langchat session last Thursday night, participants batted around a number of excellent authentic language listening resources and ideas for using authentic audio in the classroom. Here are some of our favorites! Audio Resources Pandora Radio Latin channels. Great songs for in class use! (@srapontarelli) @ZJonesSpanish has organized resources by topic (@espanolbartlett) Musicuentos Blog […]

After a short break for the Thanksgiving holiday, #langchat was alive with great ideas and interesting perspectives on the different ways that teachers are preparing their students to interpret authentic audio sources. Setting Clear and Appropriate Learning Expectations One of the key components that many teachers agreed upon was the importance of setting realistic and […]

Last week, #LangChat participants discussed the role of personal learning networks for language teachers(PLN). Several participants were live-tweeting together from the ACTFL 2012 Conference in Philadelphia, which made the discussion all the more meaningful and lively! Participants described the value of personal learning networks for language teachers on sites such as Twitter, Edmodo, and other […]

Last week’s #LangChat participants discussed ways to help their students get the most out of reading in world language classrooms. As @muchachitaMJ pointed out, target language reading skills are an extremely important part of building proficiency; however, it can be difficult to get students interested in reading in L2 if they already dislike reading in […]

Last week, #LangChat participants were asked, “What language learning games do you recommend or require in your classroom?” Everyone had lots of great ideas for how to adapt familiar games for the world language classroom setting, as well as completely new and innovative games specifically designed for language learning! What purpose do language learning games […]

Last week’s #LangChat participants discussed their strategies for helping students acquire vocabulary. @tmsaue1 correctly noted that the wording of the topic was deliberate: participants were asked how to help students “acquire vocabulary,” not just how to “teach” or “introduce” it. Participants shared their best practices for ensuring that students are exposed to and retain meaningful […]

Last week’s #LangChat participants discussed the challenge of maximizing target language use when teaching beginners, and strategies for overcoming that challenge. ACTFL recommends that language teachers aim to stay in the target language 90% of the time. The ACTFL magazine, The Language Educator, recently featured an article on this very topic. But the 90% goal […]

Last week, #LangChat participants shared their insights on the best classroom management practices and techniques. It was a dynamic discussion, and teachers with all levels of experience were able to come away with new ideas! As @placido noted, the discussion was more focused on general goals and philosophies, as well as some helpful tricks and […]