#202

I want to make sure that you start your new school in the fall with a clear framework for planning and teaching for proficiency. I created a free reflection and planning tool that will guide you as you create a classroom that prioritizes what students can do with language. In this episode I will tell you all about it and point you to where you can get yours today.

Planning & Teaching for Proficiency: A Guide for Language Teachers

Topics in this Episode:

• By focusing on performance, proficiency, communication, and authentic language use, you can support students on this journey to using the target language authentically and communicatively.
• I created a guide to support your planning and teaching that focuses on performance in the classroom and eventually increased target language proficiency when they are using the language in authentic, real-world situations.
• Each section highlights essential components that support confidence and proficiency growth. You'll also see actionable steps that you can take right away:
  • Purposeful Planning
  • Comprehensible Input & Student Output
  • Meaningful Tasks & Relevant Practice
  • Assessment & Feedback
  • Professional Reflection & Collaboration
  • Common Challenges in Proficiency-Focused Classrooms
  • Next Steps and Your Action Plan
• Planning & Teaching for Proficiency: A Guide for Language Teachers

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.

#204

Do you have some go-to activities to motivate your students to speak and engage with the target language in your classroom? Are you always on the lookout for activities and routines to add to your list of possibilities? In this episode, I speak with Sherry Sebesta, a French and Spanish teacher in New York. Sherry shares suggestions for getting your students speaking the target language more regularly and confidently. You’ll go away with several new things to try out right away.

Topics in this Episode:

• Sherry's goals for language students and how speaking activities work into this
• how teachers can create a classroom environment that reduces students' fear of making mistakes and promotes more speaking
• activities to encourage students to speak more in the target language
• examples where Sherry's strategies have increased student speaking confidence and participation in class
• practical steps to implement Sherry's speaking activities and ideas in the classroom
• Sherry's blog post with 20 Ways to Get Your Students Speaking in the Target Language

Connect with Sherry Sebesta

• Instagram: @worldlangcafe
• Facebook: /worldlanguagecafe
• X: @worldlangcafe
• Blog: worldlanguagecafe.com
• Pinterest: /worldlangcafe

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.

#200

How do you feel about the CI strategies, proficiency-based procedures or communicative language teaching that you do in your classroom? You hear a lot about it, either on this podcast, from colleagues or on social media. Lots of good stuff. But, do you sometimes feel like it seems like it's always smooth sailing with no challenges in other classrooms while you definitely have them in your own classroom? Well, me too. We all have them. In this episode I will address some of these common challenges with practical solutions to help navigate them.

Topics in this Episode:

• Blog post on Common Challenges in Proficiency-Based Classrooms
• Implementing comprehensible input (CI) strategies in a proficiency-based language classroom comes with its challenges at times.
• With proactive planning we can create an engaging and effective learning environment for all students.
• Common obstacles and practical solutions to help you navigate them.
  • Different Proficiency Levels
  • Large Class Sizes
  • Student Resistance
  • Time Constraints
  • Assessment and Accountability
  • Classroom Management

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.