The following is from group member Andrew Graff. It’s something that, if we can get some serious responses with substance to them by Friday, would help him greatly in a pretty big meeting coming up for him. It would be a shame to not use the combined brain power of this group to give answers […]

Here is another question for the group: We have some gaps in our department and are in need of a French teacher for level 3 and up. Currenly I am teaching level 1 and 2 French plus level 2 and 4 Spanish. “Un secret…” (full disclosure, just being honest)…I am not as fluent in French

I got this from a group member. Group responses are welcome: I have a question about SAT test in languages. Our school does not have AP classes, so the only kind of standardized tests kids take in languages are the SAT Spanish or French. Since I have no interest in tests I really have no

People in or around Charleston, SC are asked to contact Hayne Painter, who is in Summerville, if you want to compare notes and possibly work together. Here is Hayne’s email address: hpainter@me.com

I read that most human perception is visual (like 93%). I also kind of have a feeling that sound – that is, the melodic quality of sound – is more important, more perceived, than the words that the sound carries. I may be wrong on that, however. For example, when I think of a song, the first thing that

If your truth is connected to making them conjugate verbs and memorize lists, they sense that somewhere in what you are presenting to them, on some level somewhere, they are being shamed. Yes, doing those activities in your  classroom is shaming. Why? Because it destroys what real language is. It scatters what real language is.

Kids need approval. If they don’t get it from parents, they can try to get it in school. If not there, in a gang. They’ll find it somewhere because they need it. The approval doesn’t have to be huge. Just a little nod, a little glance to let them know that they are o.k. and

Not just the most common verbs, these two may be the hardest ones of all to gesture. I have never had success with them and am going to try this next year: For “to have” – left hand palm up placed at belly buttom, right hand in fist on top of left palm. Each time

In a press conference last month at the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, GA, Tiger Woods made a very simple response to a reporter’s question about why he wasn’t playing well: Q: I know you had a practice session on Thursday, but how were the rest of them? Was it just a problem with transferring

This link is pretty interesting. It supports what we do when we use questioning. It can help us when we do Kindergarten Day. The key part of the article is the middle section. Small Change In Reading To Preschoolers Can Help Disadvantaged Kids Catch Up http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/05/29/153927743/small-change-in-reading-to-preschoolers-can-help-disadvantaged-kids-catch-up?sc=emaf Listen/Watch on NPR.org. Many stories at NPR.org have audio

This is from a student with two years of CI, whom I no longer teach, now taking an AP class in her third year: Dear Mr. Slavic, First off I wanted to thank you for being my French teacher. No other will compare to your fun genius. Second I wanted to tell you that thanks to

I don’t know the science, but I feel intuitively that there is a correlation between kids who are forced to speak too early and stuttering. Maybe messing with the neurology that produces speech too early is not a good idea. When my level 1 kids, in April or so, start complaining about not being able to speak