-
Continue reading →: Retour aux sources (Agen, France)In 2014, I attended the Agen workshop and it really transformed my approach because it got me hooked on 1) telling stories and 2) using personal questions and answers as a way to provide input and build community. I was teaching for proficiency before Agen, but I really made the…
-
Continue reading →: All hands on deck to hold TPRS Books accountableDear WL colleagues, A few weeks ago, I learned that in 2008 TPRS Books, then Blaine Ray Workshops, had made a $6K donation toward Proposition 8, an anti-gay marriage bill in California. This was shocking news to me and to many who have entered the CI community since that time.…
-
Continue reading →: Freebies for my readersSince we are snowed in this week, and I am privileged to have electricity and Internet, I used the extra time to prepare a few surprises for my readers. I am so thankful for you and I want to make your life teaching or using my books as easy as…
-
Continue reading →: Black History MonthThis posts outlines a project to explore connections with Francophone people, culminating in a Black History Month exhibit. Students compare themselves to a Black Francophone person using a Venn diagram and showcase their contributions.
-
Continue reading →: Teaching in the age of a pandemic – part 4b: Hacking Google Slides to foster interaction with content and with each otherI have so much to say about the HyFlex model that I decided to split my post into two posts. For set-up and expectations, click here. For hacking Google Slides, keep reading: As a teacher, I rely essentially on relationships, stories, and reading to bring the language to life in…
-
Continue reading →: Teaching in the age of a pandemic – part 4a: Set-up and expectations for the dreaded HyFlex modelPhew. This year is no joke. I just came out of an intense few weeks of HyFlex: teaching half the class online and the other half face-to-face AT THE SAME TIME. For those of you who have been doing this all year long, you are rockstars! I have so much…
-
Continue reading →: Introducing “La fille, le chien et le gobelet”, a historical fantasy novel for Intermediate studentsIt has been two years since Dumè, Marie’s big brother, left their quiet village in the mountains of Corsica to go to war against the Germans in the north of France. Prompted by a vivid dream she has been having lately, Marie sets out on a journey to find her…
-
Continue reading →: Teaching in the age of a pandemic – part 3: keep telling stories without burning outWhen we tell stories to our students, they get the full range of human non verbal communication. My students and I have been deprived of this human interaction because I am wearing a mask, I can’t get close to them, and sometimes half my class is on Zoom, which means…
-
Continue reading →: Toward a more diverse Commercial MadnessFor Commercial Madness this year, I have carefully handpicked 8 commercials that represent the beautiful diversity of our world. This list is by no mean perfect, nor does it represent everyone, but it strives to provide more mirrors, windows, and sliding doors for all my students.
-
Continue reading →: Teaching in the age of a pandemic — part 2: including remote learners in the hybrid classroomAfter weeks of teaching in cohorts, my school moved back to “mostly in person”: the vast majority of my students are physically in the classroom, with a small group of students attending my class via Zoom. These remote students are either vulnerable, or protecting someone in their family who is…
Welcome!
This platform is dedicated to empowering World Language educators in their journey towards Teaching for Proficiency and Intercultural Competence.