In this episode, we are talking about how we can create a supportive classroom environment so that learners, particularly those new to language learning, feel comfortable speaking the target language. Julie Baker, The Director of the French Intensive Language Program at the University of Richmond, joins me to take this a step further with simple ways of modifying speaking activities that we all are likely doing so that they are indeed communicative.
Topics in this episode:
- what it means to have a “safe space” for speaking the TL, why this is important, and how we can create this type of classroom
- motivating students to speak and interact in the TL with some ways to facilitate this in the classroom
- how to determine if our activities are truly communication, rather than simply practicing structures and vocabulary
- simple ways to make our activities more communicative with concrete examples
- assessment and evaluation of communication, compared with assessment of language structure and vocabulary
Connect with Julie Baker
- email: jbaker@richmond.edu
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