“We’re a diverse faculty (in terms of languages and levels we teach, number of years we’ve served, and our exposure to CI), and Cecile brought us all together under our common goal of providing compelling, comprehensible input to our students. After our workshop, I feel encouraged, energized, and supported in taking my practice to the next level, and in cheering others along as they work toward the same goal.” Ruth Ann G., World Language Department Head
Workshops can be delivered as stand alone or combined and customized to your needs.
1. Compelling and comprehensible from day one
Being comprehensible does not have to mean being boring and repetitive! In this session, participants will practice techniques to use the target language from Day One, stay comprehensible, and keep their students engaged with input. This is a fundamental skill-building session.
Min 2 hours
2. One Word Image: create with your students, in the target language
In this highly interactive session, participants will learn how to develop class-created fictional characters with their Novice students, while building their descriptive language and literacy skills. One Word Image is a wonderful way to provide Novice students with language in context and prepares them for story telling.
Note: One Word Image was created by Ben Slavic.
Min 2 hours
3. Personalization: your students are your curriculum
This session will emphasize noticing your students and making them part of your daily lesson plan using a powerful and joyful technique: Personalized Questions and Answers (PQA). Come and learn how to ask the next interesting question to your Novice and Intermediate students!
Min 2 hours
4. Unleash the power of stories in your language classroom
Telling interesting stories in a comprehensible way provides optimal input for students because you are naturally providing rich input at i+1, just like you do when you tell a story to a young child.
This session will enable participants to select, adapt, and effectively deliver stories to their Novice and Intermediate students.
Min 3 hours
5. Teachers as Librarians: establishing a free reading program
Are you interested in developing an independent reading program for your Novice to Intermediate students but don’t know where to start? This workshop is for you.
Using a selection of classroom examples and hands-on practice, we will look at curating and setting-up an inclusive classroom library, developing our students’ emerging literacy skills, and fostering a love of reading.
Min 3 hours
6. Reading our first class novel: centering student choice and voice
Doing a class novel for the first time with novice students can be a daunting task: Will they understand it? Will they like it? Will they be able to sustain reading? Will they retain anything? In this workshop, we will explore a simple yet powerful approach to doing class novels with our novice students, in a way that centers student voice and choice.
Min 2 hours
7. Picture Talk and (or) Movie Talk: engaging stories are all around
Whether you want to introduce a cultural topic, narrate in the past, or just present a compelling story to your students, Picture Talk and Movie Talk are go-to techniques every teacher should (and will) master. These techniques are versatile and appropriate for all proficiency levels!
Min 3 hours
8. Assessments in the input-based classroom
In this session we look at Standard Based Grading (SBG) principles to inform our grade book set-up, criteria to select an assessment, simple interpretive assessments and rubrics for Novice learners, and ACTFL Integrated Performance Assessments for Intermediate learners.
Note: Participants will work collaboratively in small groups to develop the backbone of an Integrated Performance Assessment.
Min 3 hours — one full day recommended to develop rubrics and an assessment
9. Backward design: design powerful input-based cultural units
Whether you want to “upgrade” your textbook units, or start from scratch in designing rich input-based cultural units, this workshop will guide you step-by-step through this important ACTFL core practice.
Note: Participant will work collaboratively in small groups to develop the backbone of an input-based cultural unit for a proficiency level and language of their choice.
Min 3 hours — one full day recommended in order to design a unit
10. Curriculum (re)design & mapping
Curriculum design is a time when teachers come together and agree on common goals for the program, specific outcomes, ways to measure these outcomes, and instructional practices that will support and empower teachers and students. It can be a make or break experience for a World Language department. Let me help facilitate this process of coming together!
We will start either from your mission statement or from the ACTFL standards, and then backward design from there.
Finally, my specialty and greatest joy is to infuse rich and interesting input into a curriculum, in a way that respects the slow and piecemeal nature of language acquisition. If you are ready to take that step, I would be happy to help you achieve this exciting goal!
In a nutshell, I am prepared to meet you wherever you are on your journey.
“I find the value of these workshops to be exceptional. I’ve read about these practices, but it is amazing how much I learn and the confidence I gain from seeing it up close and personal. Excellent work- truly. ” Compelling and Comprehensible Nashville series participant
The ‘Demo-Debrief-Do’ model
My workshops are designed to boost teacher’s confidence, and ensure they can quickly implement what they have learned. Workshop participants first experience a demo of an input-based strategy, then debrief collaboratively, and finally practice the strategy together in a safe coaching circle. This sequence is effective because it is very hands-on and focuses on setting-up teachers for success.
If you are looking for training and mentorship as you seek to transition to an input-based classroom and/or strengthen the kind of input that you are already providing your students, I would be honored to help you achieve your goals. Let me know if you are interested in hosting a workshop!