A new problem is cropping up in schools that have accepted the TPRS/CI approach and want to move as quickly as possible in that direction. It is that some teachers in the department will immediately start talking the talk in meetings, and even attend trainings, but, for whatever reason (they don’t really get it, they don’t […]

[ed. note: don’t read this long article on the Net Hypothesis if you aren’t willing to do full-on comprehensible input in your classes in the form of listening and reading. You won’t like the content because it will make you change what you are doing in your classroom.] Judy Dubois wrote this: If we talk

Here Robert describes the new AP format for German, which will be put into place for the 2013-2014 academic year. I’m going to try to memorize the course themes so that I can instantly  inform any doubters that this change is really taking place. Can you imagine what kids who have only been trained to

There are some kids who do well on the AP exam in spite of not hearing the language in the classroom. These are the very few kids in each room, not even four percenters but more like 0.4 percenters, who can pass such exams. But such kids only give the impression of acquisition. When they are prepared for the exam, they

We could say a lot about the move to ACTFL’s Three Modes of Communication by the College Board AP Exams. Indeed, we have already done so, in a discussion that has lasted since May, 2011 when Robert first brought it up. The intensity of the discussion over the ensuing months revealed that many of us

When Jason Fritze was in town a few weeks ago, he quoted Marsha Wilbur about the new AP exams: …if we want students to be successful on the new AP exams, there must be CI from the beginning of level 1, with lots of reading…. Jason’s energized follow-up comment to that was , “You gotta DO

Around this time of year, my melting Grammar Man (he’s almost completely melted), starts thinking about how our students are going to “do” on end of year asssessments. My kids haven’t written much this year, and what’s left of GM wants me to teach some “structure”. So I asked Diana the following question this evening :

Laurie’s winter break is over and this is definitely one of those posts from her blog that we all want to read on a Sunday nite. No, we don’t have to do everything right and no we don’t have to be perfect teachers of whatever method, but here is one thing that we certainly can do

Clarice compiled the main ideas of the thread from last week on rigor into a poster. Since it is in the form of a Word file, it can be adapted in any way (communication with administrators, etc.). Copies in other languages will be available on the posters page of the new site should anyone want to use

What we do is so emotional. We are just squirming around on the cutting edge of  this change, trying to keep our balance and often failing. We have such difficult interactions with our colleagues. The essense of our work is in such deep conflict with the way things are done now. As emotional as the

Again, we express our thanks to both Brigitte (Ch. 2) and a master of English, French and German (and who knows what other?) languages Martin Anders (Ch. 3): Die Vitalienbrüder Der neue Schiffsjunge putzt das Deck. Es ist harte Arbeit, und er ist müde, aber er darf nicht aufhören zu putzen. Er muss das ganze Deck

From Robert: Hi Ben, Martin is the one to thank this time for his work proofing the German in this chapter and then translating it into English.   Robert The Victual Brothers The new cabin boy is cleaning the deck. It is hard work, and he is tired, but he is not allowed to stop