Ben Slavic

Some kids engage at the right amount. Some too much. What about the kids who withdraw? It is my position that, generally, kids who withdraw from interacting in a CI class have good reasons to do so. We all know that kids withdraw in traditional textbook classes from pure boredom. But when things are interesting

An academic program is rigorous when there is: depth and integrity of inquiry: Many teachers have expressed concern that there is too much curricular material to “cover” and not enough time to teach it in. Academic rigor implies that sufficient time be devoted to a topic or unit of study and that students would have

It feels a little lighter now. Maybe we can really do it. Whether we win or not, all that is up to you, as the outcome of every battle is up to you. The outcome of every attempt is up to you. The outcome of every failure is up to you. Help us in this

Some kids engage at the right amount. Some too much. What about the kids who withdraw? It is my position that, generally, kids who withdraw from interacting in a CI class have good reasons to do so. We all know that kids withdraw in traditional textbook classes from pure boredom. But when things are interesting

Some of us are lying wounded with varying degrees of injuries, the mental kind of injuries that take so long to heal. It’s hard to work when our minds don’t work as well as they used to. Help us find solace from our teaching injuries in you. Let your will be done in this and

In developing and articulating a philosophy of language instruction, or instruction of any kind for that matter, a good place to start is at the end. What is the goal of our instruction? What should students be able to do: recall a set of fact? Apply those facts to a given situation? Analyze a text,

Too often now, it seems, more every day, that that dang darkness creeps in, a little more each day since the crisis began, and there’s that word again – tired. The darkness used to creep in a little. Now it’s creeping in a lot. You didn’t design languages to be taught through machines, but through

The model for our work as language teachers was always there – your Madonna and Child – but we missed it and put this work, this crazy work we all do for you, up in our heads and we tried to teach your jewel-gifts, your languages, by making our kids do worksheets and think about

The text below is being added to the Primers if you ever have the “homework discussion” with your students, colleagues, or parents: There is a place for Homework, just not homework as it is traditionally conceived. Many people read Alfie Kohn (The Homework Myth), for example, and think he is saying “No Homework”. He is

Source: Language Assessment; Principles and Classroom Practices, H. Douglas Brown and Priyanvada Abeywickrama. Pearson Education, 2010. There are five principles of language assessment: Practicality Reliability Validity Authenticity Washback Practicality includes: Staying within the budget Doable within time constraints Clarity of directions for administration Appropriate utilization of human resources Not exceeding available material resources Considering time

In various writings, Robert Harrell has illustrated and defended the use of comprehensible input in foreign language classrooms. The CI tidal wave, however, has yet to find its defense in most district level Scope and Sequence documents, which are still largely written from textbooks. In this appendix, Robert makes a unique and refreshing argument in

Another repost from Robert Harrell. He raises the right points and has a way of exposing stinking thinking in language instruction as no other person can. Enjoy! Hi Ben,  Thanks to the feedback from the PLC, I have revised the Eight Traps document, adding some additional information, names, and sources. Here it is. Robert Opponents