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Conversation Circles…or “I spoke in the TL for 45 Minutes?!”
If I told a student that I expected 45-50 minutes of sustained discussion in the target language they’d laugh and say no way. But I watched it today in my Grade 12 class – as students used the pretext...
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“Everyday Situations”– The Taste-Test Activity
Remember those classic “Coke vs. Pepsi” commercials – where unsuspecting cola drinkers took a ‘blind’ taste test (don’t know which they are sampling) and then were stunned, or not, that what they...
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Two Ways To “Power” Up MFL Students’ Learning
This year I returned to teaching the ‘new’ Grade 9 course. They are young, keen and full of energy. Many I get have never really been in a modern language classroom taught by a language specialist. As...
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Leaving the Lurk Behind
In my last post I talked about joining Twitter and the inevitable question “what do I do next?” It’s natural to spend some time exploring Twitter and its usefulness as a Personal Learning Network...
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The Quick Sketch & Share – Interactive Homework Review
Okay, yes – I give homework. But I’m happy to say that my view of what constitutes homework is evolving. As much as possible I am trying to inject some choice into ‘what’ students express. Lately I...
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Language Sensei: Most Popular Posts of 2013
Language Sensei is a forum for me to explore both teaching an MFL (modern foreign language) and work to integrate/explore technology both in my classroom and for personal development. It has been my...
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“How do you say __?” Extending beyond “the vocab list”
I’ll admit it. For every unit – a set of vocabulary. Used to ensure a basic set of words to discuss the topic. My goal in this being that students have a common vocabulary with which to interact. But...
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Considerations As You Allow “The Phone”
As a language teacher I find mobile phones are a great resource as a dictionary, a unique way to do homework and, for many of my students, an alternative way to take notes. I’ve been using them in my...
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Continuing the “Vocabulary” Journey – A Quick Update
I wrote recently about my ‘journey’ with going beyond the vocabulary list and the challenge thrown out by Amy Lenord (@alenord) and others to go beyond a confined set of words in a unit. My post spoke...
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“How did that go?” An Oral Activity Feedback Rubric
I’ve always asked students to work in pairs, or small groups in class. But only lately have I started to ask for their feedback as to how it went. I’ve worked for a while on a quick feedback rubric –...
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