Blog

How can a teacher learn from last semester and it’s failures and successes in the world language classroom? Guest #langchat moderator Heidi Trude (@htrude07) invited teachers to reflect on that question in a recent chat. After all, the #langchat community exists to be a place where world language teachers can collaborate and encourage each other […]

It’s no secret: young children love games.  (And really, don’t most of us?)  It can be challenging, though, to find a game for the early Spanish language classroom that is fun, useful, and authentic.  Pañuelito fits that bill perfectly. – Follow us on Twitter – How to play the game Pañuelito, also often called el juego del pañuelo, is  […]

This langchat discussion focused on the benefits of teaching without a textbook. Although it may seem challenging to some, many #langchat teachers believe teaching without a textbook increases student engagement and allows proficiency in the target language to become more attainable. – Follow the blog on Bloglovin – How to Begin to Transition Away from […]

Some call it “20% Time,” a concept borrowed from Google in which people spend one-fifth of their work time on a project of their choosing.  Others may call it “genius hour,” still referring to one hour out of five per week that students spend pursuing their own interests in learning.  Another term, “passion project,” is […]

Role play for young learners? Yes, please! It’s no secret: in early language education (and even in middle and high school!), finger puppets are a win! Somehow, sometimes, it seems less intimidating to pretend you’re a puppet speaking Spanish rather than be yourself speaking Spanish.  Of course, young children usually love any kind of role […]

Learning in general is often more successful with bold practice and a willingness to make mistakes. Overcorrection from teachers, however, can discourage learners.  In the September 21 #Langchat, teachers discussed how to correct student output while still encouraging them to put forth effort. – Follow the blog on Bloglovin – Determining the Errors to Correct […]

Do students benefit from doing homework? In their September 14 chat, #Langchat teachers discussed how to get the most out of assigning homework for World Language students. Reasons to Assign Homework #Langchat teachers shared some of the reasons they assign homework for their world language students. @MmeFarab shared, “these days, homework [is given] to finish […]

So, how are you today? ¿Cómo estás? It’s one of the first things we teach our learners to understand and answer, and for good reason.  Particularly young children will hear “How old are you?” quite a bit, and of course “What’s your name?” but right up there in the most common questions anyone hears in any […]

Teaching individual goal setting can be a challenging, yet useful tactic to encourage growth in a World Language Classroom. This #langchat discussion looked at all of the possibilities, tools, and benefits to setting goals for world language students. Types of Student Goals World Language teachers want their students to succeed and aspire to gain proficiency […]

Language and culture are tightly interrelated. This week, #langchat participants took a deeper look into what it means to integrate culture into their World Language classrooms. – Follow the blog on Bloglovin – Cultural Topics that Make a Strong Unit #Langchat teachers discussed some great cultural topics that make for strong units inside the World […]