I said it before, and I’ll say it again: I hope school subjects are abolished in my lifetime. The archaic notion that understanding can be split into neat categories and segregate “math people” and “artist types” is doing no one any favors. If you want to know something now, in Read more…
I started playing Pokemon GO! for my students and now I can’t stop. That’s right. It’s for work. As I harnessed the power of the Netflix binge with the telenovela unit, I need to harness the power of Pokemon, or rather of gaming, to “catch ’em all” in class this Read more…
Spanish I is going to be one big PBL project this year, all leading up to the answers to the biggest driving question in any novice Spanish class: Spanish: HOW and WHY? In fact, forget “Spanish I” or even “Novice Spanish:–this is the new title for our students’ first official Read more…
I panicked. Tuesday night, after an hour and no fewer than 68 repetitions of the target structure, all I could get was something like Hatshepsut capisce kaput. I still remembered Shto eta? from Camp Musicuentos and could name blue and green balls. But NOTHING new from an hour’s worth of comprehensible Read more…
I don’t get TPRS. But I really want to. I’ve pored over blogs from Carrie Toth, Kristy Placido, Cynthia Hitz, Justin Slocum Bailey, Keith Toda, and Bryce Hedstrom for years. I’ve tried writing stories a la Martina Bex and Anne Matava to support PBL projects with Comprehensible Input and connect Read more…
ACTFL 2014 was full of powerful learning and powerful connections. It’s not so much that I learned anything new as I felt previous learning reinforced and my resolve to move forward strengthened. Just being around people doing such progressive and pro-active things with their students and their practice overall has Read more…
It started with an L2 twist on a literacy activity for building fluency. It has become an addiction. My students are spontaneously bursting out singing and dancing in their seats while they work–and in the hall. They are making their parents listen to their new favorite Spanish songs they just Read more…
I missed the memo that Google had added rules to 20 Time, but I’m totally okay with it. In fact, a little additional structure and scaffolding suits me fine. @SECottrell of Musicuentos directed me to the Forbes post linked above with her post on Genius Hour, and I’d like to take Read more…
I missed the memo that Google had added rules to 20 Time, but I’m totally okay with it. In fact, a little additional structure and scaffolding suits me fine. @SECottrell of Musicuentos directed me to the Forbes post linked above with her post on Genius Hour, and I’d like to take Read more…