#187

What do your grades look like? Do the grades that your students earn reflect their mastery and what they can do with and in the target language? In this episode, I speak with Jude Krushnowski, the Director of the World Language Teacher Education Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He walks us through a framework for competency-based grading in our proficiency-based classrooms. Lots of tips, insights and suggestions for making this transition to assessments authentically reflecting our students’ competency.

Topics in this Episode:

• what standards-based grading is and how it differs from traditional grading methods
• how standards-based grading aligns with proficiency-based instruction and why is it more beneficial for assessments
• examples where standards-based grading significantly enhanced learning and proficiency growth
• what gets assessed and what does not; what goes into the grade
• what it looks like in practice, particularly gradebook categories, retakes, rubrics vs. points and percentages
• challenges teachers might face when transitioning to standards-based grading

Connect with Jude :

• Twitter/X: @ProfeKrush

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community:

• wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district? Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
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Sign up for Talking Points to get tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
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Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode on the podcast.

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#186

How do we ensure our students know exactly what they’re working toward in their language learning journey? In this episode, we’re diving into Writing Can Do Statements—how to make them concrete, student-friendly, and aligned with proficiency levels and ACTFL’s communication modes. We’ll explore both yearly and unit-specific Can Do Statements, their role in guiding instruction and assessment, and practical strategies for crafting effective statements that support student growth.

Get the Bloom's Taxonomy verb list to use in your Can Do Statements

Topics in this Episode:

• understanding exactly what Can Do Statements are and how to use them effectively in the classroom
• using Success Criteria to write Can Do Statements
• using Bloom's Taxonomy to write Can Do Statements
• yearly Can Do Statements
• unit-specific Can Do Statements
• examples of effective Can Do Statements
• tips for writing effective Can Do Statements

Get the Bloom's Taxonomy verb list to use in your Can Do Statements

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community:

• wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district? Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
______________________________
Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode on the podcast.

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#185

What have you learned about your teaching throughout your years of experience? Do you take time to look introspectively at what works well for you and why so that you can replicate it? In this episode, Carmen Scoggins, a Spanish teacher in North Carolina, joins me to talk us through her 5 universal truths about teaching. Though our personal experiences and truths may be a little different, hearing how Carmen frames her universal truths provides an effective framework for articulating our own, and the benefits of doing it.

Topics in this Episode:

• what Carmen means by "Universal Truths about Teaching" and how she discovered them
• the key universal truths Carmen believes are essential for teachers to understand and embrace
• how these universal truths apply specifically to the context of world language teaching
• examples of how these truths have influenced Carmen's own teaching practices and student outcomes
• why and how teachers can incorporate these universal truths into their teaching philosophy and practice

Connect with Carmen Scoggins:

• Instagram:@srtascoggdawg
• Twitter/X: @carmenscoggins
• Facebook: /carmen.scoggins

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community:

• wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district? Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
______________________________
Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode on the podcast.

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.