What’s your goal in your language teaching classroom in a single tweet? Here’s mine. My goal is to push into society as many children as possible who can communicate at an intermediate level and are inclined to listen to, trust
Here’s to the Crazy Ones
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can
Rejoinders: Some Skills and Strategies for Greasing the Wheel
In my last post, I shared a video of introducing some rejoinders. Today I want to break down some of the steps, skills and strategies I use. These are by no means exhaustive. Let’s remember that rejoinders exist to keep
Rejoinders: Getting Started
Teaching short expressions in the target language has always been a thing, right? I remember being a student in my own mother’s Spanish class as a freshman in high school. She taught us how to say “bless you”, “I don’t
A Nail in the Coffin Part 2 – CI Increases ACHIEVEMENT
CI Increases Achievement. Period. This is part 2 of 2. In part one, I shared an enrollment story from my prior district. This was a comparison study. We compared students who had been taught with traditional, “eclectic” methods, using the
Student Voices – Reasons to Teach with Rejoinders
I’ll be presenting on REJOINDERS at Mitten CI on April 21. Rejoinders are authentic words or short phrases you can use to keep a conversation going. In teacher-speak they are memorized chunks of social language. They help my students communicate
Workshop in Duluth, MN on Feb. 3
Join me for a half day workshop in Duluth on Feb. 3. Title: Comprehensible, Caring and Customized Instruction to Make Success Unavoidable. Registration at this link. Limit of 40 participants. Date and Time: Feb. 3 from 9am to Noon Location: The
A Nail in the Coffin Part 1 – CI Increases ENROLLMENT
Part 1 of 2 Data alone isn’t something that will change people’s mind when it comes to their teaching practice. But, nonetheless, in 2010 when I transitioned to a new school and district, I decided I would collect data, if
As Year 18 Begins, A New Beginning
Our willingness to acknowledge that we only see half the picture creates the conditions that make us more attractive to others. The more sincerely we acknowledge our need for their different insights and perspectives, the more they will be magnetized
Personalized, Comprehensible Teaching Reaches the Tough Kids Too
I met Abra last year at iFLT in Chattanooga. It was her first iFLT and it was an experience that empowered her to ditch the textbook and teach mostly with stories, PQA and FVR. I met Abra again at the