This is from Nathaniel: I recommend the following interview with Dr. Asher produced by The Everyday Language Learner:

Bob sent me this in 2012 but it still applies now:  I always give the same three questions to my students at different points in the year (as a check in) and then after the final exam in the spring, regarding the entire year.  Here’s a summary of what they told me. Items are listed

Connie Navarro is the DPS LEAP observer for WL teachers (LEAP is the district mandated professional evaluation program in DPS for all subject areas). Diana and Connie were observing a class yesterday and Connie sent the following comments to two other (Learning Lab) observing teachers, both who have been struggling with CI quite a bit

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