There is a category here (on the right side of this page) dedicated to how to respond when we get verbally attacked by people about the way we choose to teach languages. This morning I thought of another good response to those kinds of uncomfortable discussions. We can tell people that ours is a “whole […]
A large part of our frustration with our colleagues who still use the textbook can be described as resulting from a distinction between an organizing principle and an approach. Robert Harrell explains: …an example of incongruity between the organizing principle and the approach would be to claim to teach with comprehensible input but organize the
Something has to change. We cannot continue to act as if nothing is happening when kids routinely tune us out, even in our CI classrooms. One of the things that made me MOST CRAZY over my 40 years in the field was all those times I’d be walking down to the copy machine and walk
Robert Harrell gives some sage advice to any CI teachers who may be getting challenged in their buildings about the mistaken idea – by ignorant* administrators – that rigor must be onerous and unpleasant. Krashen has shown quite well that unless the language learning process is not pleasant, it can’t occur: “I’m sorry to hear
Here is a tutorial that Sean created for us in 2016 on how to put a flag in our state or country on our “PLC Map “so we can know where each other is and contact each other if we want. Thank you Nancy McLaughlin for reminding us that we need an update on this:
There are actually still some teachers who think that it’s important to teach grammar, even though ACTFL doesn’t mention the word on their site, and it has been shown via research to be marvelously ineffective. So if you ever get into one of those uncomfortable discussions with a teacher in your building who still touts
Greg just published a short FVR reader (Tina and I use the term Free Choice Reader) with glossary – $2: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/One-Word-Image-FVR-Reader-Vol-1-3721205
The most foundational research element of this exciting new work we are doing in the CI movement is, in my opinion, the one that says that human beings acquire languages through the mysterious and infinitely complex workings of their unconscious minds when they are focused on the message (vs. the language), and that focusing only
This article by Robert is from 2016: https://benslavic.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/A-Short-History-of-Grades-1.pdf
Jason Bond is offering workshops in mindfulness and meditation for improved teacher health and well being. Designed by a CI teacher for CI teachers, these 1.5 hour workshops will share information and techniques for cultivating greater calm, stability, and focus in and out of our teaching contexts. Topics include working with role and time pressure,
I offered this prayer in 2011 when I was still doing targeted instruction. One could say that it was answered in 2016, when I made the switch to non-targeted instruction, because I was able to relax a lot more when that happened: Dear God: Please help me to go to my job with compassion for
From FB, put there today by Jim Tripp: “In 2013 alone, the U.S. education testing and support industry was a $16 billion business. Compare that to the NFL ($9 billion) and the U.S. domestic cinema box office ($11.2 billion.)” -Mary Jo Madda
