This is my response to Jack: Well Jack you inspired me as well. During my whole career I noticed how (mostly) boys with a sense of humor, super bright kids like you who had spirit, suffered in schools. For example, that science teacher who shamed you that day in early spring by sending you to […]
Today I got an email from one of my students in that sixth grade class in New Delhi whose energy helped lead to the Invisibles concept discussed here so frequently over recent years: Hello Mr. Slavic! It’s in my best hopes that you do remember me and this isn’t too much of a surprise, and
A Brilliant Step Forward Prior to Blaine Ray’s application in the form of TPRS in the 1990’s of Dr. Stephen Krashen’s groundbreaking research, foreign languages classes at all levels from the elementary to the university level were mostly taught from the textbook. But Krashen’s research has shown that people don’t acquire languages by focusing on
Our new book on CM is starting up its engines: The General Plan This book consists of three parts. In the first part we take an in-depth look at key points and strategies made in previous books I’ve written. The first part of the book, then, recapitulates, defines and illustrates the external strategies found in
Here is a possible title for this new book on classroom management: A Natural Approach to Management in the Comprehensible Input Classroom (NATMAN) Below is the beginning of the book. Each succeeding post labeled “Classroom Management” with a number attached to it will represent the next entry in the book. Of course, the final product
Everything published here scrolls out and eventually gets lost in the past, unless we are good with the search bar. In order to prevent the loss of these upcoming articles on classroom management, I’m going to write them up in the form of a book. We’ll build the book post by post – each new
Perhaps the best time to work on our classroom management skills is not during the year but in the summer. We must at some point when we are not in the middle of the fray take a step back to take a good look – if an uncomfortable one – at how we managed our
Last week in testimony before Congress the actress Taraji P. Henson said: “We in the African-American community don’t talk about mental health issues. We don’t even talk about it. We’ve been demonized for coming out saying that we have issues…and we have trust issues.” Is any part of what Taraji said applicable to what we
With the appearance of my last two books this summer on the Invisibles, the external search to find – for me – the best way to teach a language will now mark the beginning of something new that I wish to address in our professional community. What is it? What is this “something new”? It
Working with great teachers has kept me afloat in spite of taking some direct hits to the hull of my CI boat over the years, when I was made to feel crazy and weak by all sorts of odd battles that I ended up fighting against my will. Some remember the battle we had about
The purpose of this post is to inform my readers that with the publication this summer of the two Invisibles books, with support videos to follow when they are ready, I can say with certainty that the long journey, the odyssey, really – that’s what it has been and nothing less – is over, with
This internet space started as a public TPRS blog about 20 years ago and evolved into this private PLC 15 years ago. During those years, as those few who have been with us for all those years can attest, we have discussed mostly everything under the sun in comprehensible input instruction. There was a lengthy
