Alisa Shapiro pretty much summed it all up in a comment today on the Krashen article: …unless and until language instructors see and accept their role as supporting and aiding their students’ ability to communicate in the TL (until Intermediate level, at which time students can seek more independently if they so choose), the WL […]
This post is for Magister. The Verb Slam Activity, a TPR based activity, brings into the students’ deeper minds instant or nearly instant identification of many high frequency verbs found in the target language. Like TPR, it is a necessary precursor to stories, vPQA and anything else that requires instant auditory identification of verbs later
As we think about how we want to introduce what we do to parents next year, Michael Coxon found this from Laurie Clarcq. We’d be crazy not to use it at parents night or in a parent letter home at the beginning of the year. You will want to modify it to reflect the specifics
This post from 2011 also relates to the topic of Parents Night: Hi Ben, I teach French, grades 4-6. Wednesday night is our parent open house – students walk around the school with their parents to show them their classrooms, and take them to the “specials” as well (art, music, French, etc.). I have often
Just to be clear, strong language is allowed here; we’re entitled. But not swear words. I think that in the past I have dropped a few offensive bombs but we just shouldn’t do it. I understand why we might want to drop an occasional f-bomb, given the incredibly frustrating situation most of us are in
I apologize but we have a very bad queue jam right now so if your articles, stuff you send me, aren’t up on the blog soon they will gradually get there, probably once school is out next month. We are all so busy tracking, identifying and sharing all the changes we are going through as
Something to think about for the fall and the CWB cards: Once you are done with the cards, or rather have exhausted their use since some of us use them all year round with the kids, there are mountains of options. The cards are only there to make sure that the trust is there, and
…when I pretend to be Laurie Clarcq, everything gets better…. David Sceggel …if it gets said, it has to be read….. Chris Stolz
This comment-turned-article from Susan Bowman is an important read. We are not all in a position to take or leave a job, I realize, but the overall tenor of what she says below carries a lot of healthy ideas in it that can help us keep our thinking healthy at a time of year when
This is actually John’s latest comment turned into a post because it is so compelling. His previous report from the field (it’s been like a soap opera!) told us that he was leaving his position, tired, I imagine, of living a Jurassic Park sort of existence. But then this: Wow! Thanks for all of the
This from Maya Angelou made me think of what we do, how we are different: …a bird does not sing because it has answers. It sings because it has a song….
So many people just quit trying with CI. I think I know why. It’s kind of insane to try it in a building with students and classes and all that the way schools are set up with their testing and regulations and forced attendance and all that. It’s unmatched socks. It’s like taking a wild
