Blog

“Reflection” (CC BY 2.0) by  kevin dooley  Last week, langchat-ters joined in a lively conversation full of reflections on the last year of teaching students in the world language classroom. Participants talked through the changes they made, their “AHA!” moments, the biggest risk they took and how it paid off, and what they’re looking forward to trying and/or […]

“fit students” (CC BY 2.0) by  Susan NYC  Last week, langchatters joined in a great conversation about how to help students adjust to, and make the shift from, familiar instructional practices such as worksheets, quizzes, etc. Participants discussed what characteristics of familiar practices they feel need to be changed, what’s been pushing students out of their comfort zones, […]

“South African Roads” (CC BY 2.0) by  cornstaruk  Last week, langchatters joined in an enlightening conversation about how world language teachers can best go about equipping their student to be lifelong language learners. Participants discussed ways to help students connect their second language learning with their larger life goals, as well as how to ensure students leave a […]

“A New Japanese 7th Grade Classroom” (CC BY-ND 2.0) by  A is for Angie  Last week, langchat participants joined in a lively conversation about student choice in the assessment process, and ways to integrate that into the world language classroom. Langchatters shared their thoughts on the pros and cons of giving students a choice in assessment prompts/tasks, as […]

“classroom” (CC BY 2.0) by  Lead Beyond  Last week, langchat linked up to talk about group work in the world language classroom and participants brainstormed strategies to help make it a successful learning experience for students on a regular basis. Contributors discussed their opinions as to when/why you would decide to use group work, as well as the […]

“Snapper” Chat Covers 5 World Language Topics in 1 Hour: Try and Keep Up! “Duck-Duck-Goose” (CC BY 2.0) by  just_a_cheeseburger  Last week, langchat hosted another “snapper” round of conversation where participants joined in to talk about five unrelated questions that are relevant to the world language classroom. In these “snapper” chats, contributors weigh in on separate questions so […]

Making Rubrics Work FOR (Not AGAINST) You in the World Language Classroom “15/365 Research” (CC BY-ND 2.0) by  ajclarkson  Last week, langchatters put their thinking caps on to discuss the key elements of effective rubric design in the World Language classroom. Participants talked through the finer points of the challenges in finding and making an effective rubric, and […]

“Avalos_students_DSC2751crop” (CC BY-ND 2.0) by  avalos4assembly  Last week, participants of #langchat got together to chat about ways to get and use student input/feedback when it comes to informing future lessons, units and levels. Contributors had a lot of great ideas to share about why it’s important to let students have a voice when it comes to shaping curriculum […]

“When Young Children ”Hate” School” (CC BY 2.0) by  wecometolearn  Last week, #langchat discussed the grammar and how to go about deciding what grammar really matters in the world language classroom. Participants talked about the “less is more” theory when it comes to grammar, and ways to identify which grammar structures have high-value status in proficiency-oriented classes. Contributors […]

“urban_views_372” (CC BY-ND 2.0) by  perceptions (off)  Last week, #langchat enthusiasts joined in to continue the discussion on units in the world language classroom. Participants shared their thoughts on how to best structure and design each new unit to fit the needs of students, and meet the requirements of the approved curriculum at the same time. The contributors […]