Building an Ecosystem of Proficiency Across Multiple Language Programs As the recently promoted chair of our school’s World Languages department, I’ve been thinking a lot about the kind of culture I want to engender in our 13 teacher “found family.” Teachers are a weird bunch to manage, since most of our work time is spent in a classroom with […]
Continue readingLeveling Up Language Skills: How Virtual Exchanges Supercharge Interpersonal Listening and Speaking
Foreign language teachers, we need to talk—literally. You know that moment when students freeze like deer in headlights when asked to engage in real conversation? They’ve mastered the textbook dialogues and aced the grammar drills, but panic sets in the second they have to actually speak with someone outside the classroom. It kills me because […]
Continue readingMeeting People Where They Are while Coaching for Language Competency
In a recent episode of the “Language is Your Superpower” podcast, guest Casie Arellano shares insights about supporting the attainment of language proficiency for a diverse workforce and provides tips for coaching adults learning English. When teaching a new language and particularly when coaching ESOL learners to enhance their language competencies within diverse workplaces, you […]
Continue readingRemoving the Training Wheels from Language Learning
The decision to learn a second language is no easy undertaking. It is in our human nature to want to rely on what is most comfortable to us as we embark on a task that seems daunting. However, studies show that humans learn new skills much faster when we remove all the comforts of the […]
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