Category Archives: Podcast Episodes

125: Try Something New Part 2 – What Will that New Thing Be?

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The new year will soon be here and along with that are thoughts of trying out something new.  Last week we looked at how small, sustainable, and consistent changes or modifications are more likely to stick, rather than attempting to overhaul everything. This week we focus on lots of ideas for what you can actually do in the classroom along with ways to make it happen seamlessly, consistently and successfully. 

Topics in this Episode:

  • What will that new thing be?
    • Communication Modes
    • Classroom Procedures
    • High-Leverage Teaching Practices
    • Assessments
  • How will you make it happen?
  • When is it time for a new goal?
  • Matt Cuts: Try Something New For 30 Days
  • James Clear: Atomic Habits

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me as a guest on the podcast.

You  can also be a part of Leveling Up coaching episode if there is an area of your teaching that you like to improve or enhance.  Join me on the podcast for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode.  

Follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

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124: Try Something New Part 1 – Why? How? What Gets in the Way?

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The new year brings on thoughts of trying out something new.  However, the idea of trying something new or modifying your existing practices in the classroom is not always that easy. In this first of a two-part episode, we look at how small, sustainable, and consistent changes or modifications are more likely to stick, rather than attempting to overhaul everything. This week we focus on real examples of trying new things in the classroom successfully, along with ways to overcome any obstacles that might get in the way.  Part 2 next week will give you lots of ideas for what you can actually do in the classroom.  

Topics in this Episode:

  • Matt Cuts: Try Something New For 30 Days
  • James Clear: Atomic Habits
  • Why try something new?
    • Keep Students engaged
    • Model for students
    • Boost creativity
    • Problem-solving experience
  • What gets in the way of trying some thing new?
    • Fear of failure
    • Time
    • Resistance
    • Staying motivated
  • Tips and suggestions for working through the things that get in the way.

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me as a guest on the podcast.

You  can also be a part of Leveling Up coaching episode if there is an area of your teaching that you like to improve or enhance.  Join me on the podcast for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode.  

Follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

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123: Addressing Polarizing Topics in the Classroom with Kent Lenci

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Are there topics that you avoid in the classroom?  Are there themes that come up and you’re not sure how to handle a potentially polarizing situation? I’ve certainly been there myself and that’s when I turn to my guest today, Kent Lenci, who collaborates with schools as they work toward building a culture of civil discourse in their classrooms and communities. How often do we ask our language students their opinion, on everything from favorite color to politics. We can all use some tools to navigate some of these potentially tricky situations. Kent Lenci is here to provide those tools and insights.

Topics in this Episode:

  • why it’s important to not avoid  challenging topics
  • techniques and strategies teachers can use to create a supportive environment, particularly thinking of students who might be hesitant to express their viewpoints due to fear of judgment or negative consequences.
  • practical classroom management strategies to keep conversations constructive and focused on learning
  • how teachers can be prepared for unexpected reactions or comments and foster an atmosphere of empathy and understanding
  • Kent’s thoughts and insights on Robert Jones, Jr.’s quote: “We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.”

Connect with Kent Lenci :

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me as a guest on the podcast.

You  can also be a part of Leveling Up coaching episode if there is an area of your teaching that you like to improve or enhance.  Join me on the podcast for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode.  

Follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

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122: IPAs and World Language Standards

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Join me on the podcast for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode.

How do you implement IPAs effectively in your classroom? Today’s episode is a Leveling Up episode, where I coach Judy, a German teacher in Illinois. Implementing IPA’s effectively is the area where wants to level up her teaching practice.

Suggestions:

  • Begin by incorporating IPAs in one unit or topic. This step-by-step approach allows you to refine your techniques and identify what works best for your students.
  • Authentic materials can be just about anything: a short video, a photo, a brochure. Create a Pinterest board where you can pin authentic resources that you find on the internet.
  • Develop clear and detailed rubrics to evaluate students’ performance in IPAs. 
  • Begin with 2-3 modes on the IPA, then add on the other modes with future IPAs.
  • Offer formative practice opportunities before the actual IPA to help students become familiar with the assessment format.
  • Use AI tools, such as ChatGPT to create a possible IPA, or at least offer a template to use.
  • Create a Pinterest board where you can pin authentic resources that you find on the internet

Action Plan:

This Week:

  • Choose one unit or topic from your curriculum where you will create an IPA.
  • Create a clear and detailed rubric that aligns with the IPA tasks

The Coming Weeks:

  • Design and implement formative practice activities related to the selected IPA unit. 
  • Administer the IPA for the selected unit, using the rubric to evaluate students’ performance.

Helpful Podcast Episodes on This Topic:

Helpful Blog Posts on This Topic:

You  can also be a part of Leveling Up coaching episode if there is an area of your teaching that you like to improve or enhance.  Join me on the podcast for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode.

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me as a guest on the podcast.

Follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

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121: Using Chat Mats in the Language Classroom with Christina Margiore

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Have you used chat mats in your classroom? Even if you haven’t, I’m sure that you have heard about this useful tool to support students.  Today, Christina Margiore,  a Spanish teacher on Long Island, New York, joins me to talk us through all the details involved with creating and using chat mats.  If you are using them already, you will get some new ideas for sure.  New to chat mats?  No problem.  You’ll soon be ready to use them with ease. 

Topics in this Episode:

  • what chat mats are and how they are beneficial in the language classroom
  • elements to you include in chat mats
  • building on existing chat mats and creating new chat mats by unit
  • specific examples of how incorporating chat mats into lessons and activities
  • tips for implementing chat mat

Connect with Christina Margiore :

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me as a guest on the podcast.

You  can also be a part of Leveling Up coaching episode if there is an area of your teaching that you like to improve or enhance.  Join me on the podcast for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode.  

Follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

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120: Rethinking Participation with Timothy Chávez

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What does participation look like in your classroom?  How can you make sure that all students are actively engaged and not just a few that have demeanors that lend themselves to speaking up regularly?  In this episode I speak with Timothy Chávez, a Spanish teacher in Massachusetts, who shares his suggestions and techniques for getting all students involved and participating in class.  We recorded this episode live in the Exhibits Hall at the MaFLA conference in October. We had lots of spectators stop by to see how it all works and what it looks like to record an episode. I kept the background sound of the exhibit hall excitement in so that you can feel the energy that we did.

Topics in this Episode:

  • the benefits of Prsida Himmele & William Himmele’s Total Participation Techniques in the world language classroom
  • how these techniques enhance language learning and student engagement
  • how Total Participation Techniques promote a comfortable and inclusive learning environment
  • Specific Total Participation Techniques that Timothy has found most effective
  • Total Participation Techniques used for assessment
  • how Total Participation Techniques can be adapted to ensure that all students are actively participating and feeling confident in their communication skills

Connect with Timothy Chávez:

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me as a guest on the podcast.

You  can also be a part of Leveling Up coaching episode if there is an area of your teaching that you like to improve or enhance.  Join me on the podcast for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode.  

Follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

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119: Teacher ToolBox Episode (Vol 5)

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This is the fifth teacher toolbox episode. I hear from listeners all the time that they like the actionable tips and suggestions for activities that they can use with students next week, or even tomorrow. That usually means effective and beneficial, but somewhat minimal prep. That’s what I bring you on these Teacher Toolbox episodes. I have lots to share with you.

Sorry (not sorry), But They Will Keep Asking

“Can we play a game?” Embrace the request and discover 15 activities that can be easily adapted to any language or level. Fill your teacher toolbox with ways for students to engage enthusiastically with the target language in all modes.  

Activities mentioned in this episode:

This Google Doc has all of the links.

Interpersonal

Interpretive

Presentational

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me as a guest on the podcast.

You  can also be a part of Leveling Up coaching episode if there is an area of your teaching that you like to improve or enhance.  Join me on the podcast for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode.  

Follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

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118: What If Common Assessments Are Not Proficiency-Based

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Join me on the podcast for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode.

Do you have to balance common assessments with your proficiency-focused classroom?  Is this a bit of a challenge when those common assessments are not all that focus on proficiency and communication? Today’s episode is a Leveling Up episode, where I coach Lisa, a French teacher in Michigan. Balancing common district assessments in a Proficiency-Focused Classroom  is the area where wants to level up her teaching practice. So let’s start the conversation. 

Suggestions:

  • Might have to be a both/and during these years of transition. Allow for this.
  • Leave 1-2 days at the end of a unit to check in on the material that should be covered on the district common assessment. Any topics that were not covered during the unit can be quickly added on at the end so that students are prepared.

Action Plan:

This Week:

  • Review the district assessments and analyze the proficiency objectives in your curriculum. Identify specific areas where the two align and make sure that the focus remains on language proficiency, while also setting students up for success on the common assessments.
  • Make note of the topics that will be added on to the final days of the unit to align with the common assessment.

The Coming Weeks:

  • Initiate discussions with department heads or administrators to advocate for the importance of proficiency-focused assessment in language learning.
  • Present evidence of its benefits and explore possibilities of incorporating proficiency tasks into district assessments.
  • Start with the walkers and get them into running mode, then move onto those standing on the side.

Helpful Podcast Episodes on This Topic:

Helpful Blog Posts on This Topic:

You  can also be a part of Leveling Up coaching episode if there is an area of your teaching that you like to improve or enhance.  Join me on the podcast for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode.

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me as a guest on the podcast.

Follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

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117: Guided Conversations in the Language Classroom with Jamie Rodriguez

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How do you support your students through the process of getting them comfortable when it comes to speaking in the target language? On today’s episode I speak with Jamie Rodriquez, a Spanish teacher in Connecticut, who talks us through using guiding conversations to get students to that place of using the target language to speak not only comfortably, but confidently.

Topics in this episode:

  • what guided conversation are and how they benefit both student performance and language proficiency
  •  strategies for creating effective and engaging guided conversations that align with the curriculum and target language proficiency goals
  • how to adapt guided conversations for different proficiency levels
  • success stories of using guided conversations and the significant impact on students’ language proficiency and communication skills
  • Free Guided Conversations: Family Theme

Connect with Jamie Rodriguez:

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me as a guest on the podcast.

You  can also be a part of Leveling Up coaching episode if there is an area of your teaching that you like to improve or enhance.  Join me on the podcast for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode.  

Follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

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116: AI Tools in the Language Classroom

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Are you using AI tools like ChatGPT?  Do you know about all the other AI tools that are out there and can help support your teaching, your curriculum and save you time?  Today, Noemí Rodríguez, a Spanish teacher in New Jersey, has thrown herself into the AI world. She shares lots of resources and tells about all the incredibly helpful ways that we can leverage AI tools as language teachers.

Topics in this episode:

  • what AI is and why should teachers consider using it
  • advice for language teachers who are eager to embrace AI tools but may feel overwhelmed or uncertain about where to start
  • Using AI tools to streamline lesson planning while still maintaining personalized learning experiences
  • striking a balance between leveraging AI tools and fostering meaningful interactions and cultural understanding among your students
  • examples of specific AI applications that work well in the world language classroom and how do these tools enhance the learning experience for students
  • AI Resources: Magic School, Diffit, Learn With Carlos, ChatGPT

Connect with Noemi Rodriguez:

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me as a guest on the podcast.

You  can also be a part of Leveling Up coaching episode if there is an area of your teaching that you like to improve or enhance.  Join me on the podcast for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode.  

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