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Greg promised a Power Point Presentation we can all use and here it is with many thanks to Greg: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Jk0yDZyZS_7RuTS11lybO8hR2awwuc9D1woCaFd98DM/edit#slide=id.p Another link:

It would be nice to get some group responses on this from Meg: Hi Ben, On Friday I talked to my administration and my classroom management issues came up (it is my 2nd year). Admin said that they agree with TCI philosophy, but believe that teaching with CI “is not conducive to management because the

We wish Greg good luck in his Edcamp initiative today. Greg reports: “This Saturday 12/9/17 will be Edcamp Lake County in Mundelein, Illinois (I am one of two organizers), within Edcamp we will be having a TPRS/CI room in which the Chicagoland TCI group will meet. The Chicagoland TCI group is run by this blog’s

There are fettered and unfettered responses to discipline problems. A fettered response would take into consideration all sorts of factors like who said it, the tone of voice, the history of the kid’s involvement in class, the kid’s grade, who their parents are, if the administration likes them, if they are a cheerleader or a

I got this from Alisa: Hi Ben, I searched ‘Bitchy Edge’ on the PLC and got the thread from 2010 with Susie Gross where you are clarifying what is and isn’t an ‘Eclectic Teacher.’  I don’t recall ever reading it before, so thanks – it was awesome, and apparently I too was a non-textbook toting

For upper level kids as a fun break. Not intended for input gains, just some fun for kids who have a couple of years of language and who want a change in activities: 1. One student starts with Il y a 2. Next student adds a word. 3. They build a story that  way. Teacher

We are collecting semester exam samples if anybody wants to send theirs in. Here is Greg’s: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11mSxjaeU94M5Qb4k3suft-WELd6lE0Y0PMwQRxg14rg/edit?usp=sharing Another one from Greg: Here is my actual multiple choice final for Spanish 1 UCP this semester. https://docs.google.com/document/d/12G_fPWfdSBUMJLRYBO0LL1cxCZJ6IrJesz6f6M969gw/edit?usp=sharing It contains: Persona Especial, Listening comprehension based on an Invisibles story, a OWI story for Reading Comprehension (from another teacher’s

A note on gender:  In some school populations, the character’s name is enough to assume the person’s gender.  If it is named Bill, it is a boy, and if it is named Sally, it is a girl.  However, the national culture is changing rapidly in regards to gender identity and expression.  Therefore, in many school

I was admiring the crisp New England weather last month when visiting Connecticut and Keri Biron told me that the winters could be pretty bone-chilling. So I do appreciate the nice 60 degrees with sun here in Denver today. While I was watering my perennials, staring at the ground, my mind does what it inevitably

To do a Movie Talk, you do not have to do much planning.  Simply find an engaging movie clip.  Engagement drives the bus, so you can use any clip that you think your students will enjoy watching. If you have never done a Movie Talk, Erik Olsen of San Francisco, at a presentation at COFLT

To keep your kids honest, always have your quiz writer write up a  short (usually five point) quiz of the Movie Talk while it is happening. This keeps the students accountable. Double the five point score they make, and pop it in the grade book. Formative assessment drives the bus in CI instruction. It’s amazing

Tina and I have noticed that many CI teachers use Movie Talk a lot. We have five reasons why we don’t  use it too much: Technology already plays such a huge role in students’ lives today. We like the hand-built aspect of working with the student artwork. Students today need community and acceptance more than