Blog

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 […]

Last week, #LangChat participants tackled a much-used buzzword in education. It seems that “rigor” gets thrown around a lot by educators, but the definition remains somewhat unclear – especially in the world language classroom. As many participants pointed out, the dictionary definition of “rigor” is certainly not in line with the goals of most teachers. […]

Last week, #LangChat participants discussed how portfolios can be used to support student reflection. This was a particularly interesting discussion, as not all participants are currently using portfolios in their classrooms, and those that are using portfolios are not all using them in the same way. We were especially pleased to hear from some new […]

Last week, our #LangChat participants shared their thoughts on how to use groups to practice communication skills. The conversation focused on, but was not limited to, interpersonal oral communication. Participants shared their thoughts on ways to group students for activities that maximize target language use and cultural exposure. Group Size and Roles for Practicing Communication […]

Last week our participants shared their thoughts on how to support heritage speakers in the world language classroom. Participants began by defining the term “heritage speaker” or “heritage learner” as someone who speaks the target language at home, but who does not necessarily know how to read and write, especially in a more formal, academic […]