Category Archives: Podcast Episodes

103: Revisit Department Goals and Language Associations

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This is episode 2 in my 2023 summer headspace series. This is a chance to revisit episodes from the previous school year during the summer months when you may have a little extra time. Beginning August 28th, you will see new episodes with exciting new topics every Monday.  For today we take a look back at episodes 60 where Tin Eagan talks about leading a proficiency-based language department and episode 74 where Mike Mitchel and Jenny Delfini discuss state language associations.

Episodes: 

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102: Revisit Common Ground

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This is episode 1 in my 2023 summer headspace series. This is a chance to revisit episodes from the previous school year during the summer months when you may have a little extra time. Beginning August 28th, you will see new episodes with exciting new topics every Monday.  For today we take a look back at the  episodes about the book Common Ground.

Episodes: 

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Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
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We record conversations remotely, so you can be anywhere.

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101: What the Podcast Will Look Like Over the Summer

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Now that the school year is over hopefully you have a little less on your mind and have a little extra time. This is the perfect time to get into your summer headspace.  What do I mean by “Summer Headspace?”

  • time to reflect without other pressing priorities and issues
  • opportunity to revisit themes and episodes with a fresh lens
  • catch something new.
  • finish an episode that you started
  • listen to an episode for the first time

I’ll group episodes by theme so that you can listen to them together with a 5 minute recap to pull the themes together. The links to episodes will be in the show notes.

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

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Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me on the podcast.
We record conversations remotely, so you can be anywhere.

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100: Look Back at 100 Episodes & 60+ Guests

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Guess what? This is episode 100 of the world language classroom podcast. I was watching data to see if we would get to 100 episodes first or 100,000 downloads. I’m happy to report that we crossed the 100,000 download mark well before this 100th episode.  So, thank you so much for your continued support of the podcast and the many guests who have joined me over the past 2 years.  In this episode I want to look back at some key takeaways from the collective wisdom of guests and share some listener highlights as well.  Can’t wait, so Let’s jump in!

Episodes Mentioned in this Episode:

  • Florencia Henshaw and Maris Hawkins (65,66)
  • Ben Fisher on Write and Discuss (79)
  • Kaitlin Leppert on Parallel Texts (90)
  • Cécile Lainé on Social Justice Standards (33)
  • Ben Tinsley on Diversity and Equitable Feedback (27, 58)
  • Joseph Parody Brown  LGBTQ+ Inclusive Classrooms (42)
  • Vicky Wang on Courageous Dialogues and Affinity Spaces (28)
  • Allison Perryman on Seeing, Hearing and Tasting Culture (78)
  • Kia D. London on Representation (88) 
  • A.C. Quintero on Equity in the Language Classroom (10)
  • Lisa Sherpard on Critical Thinking Skills (92)
  • Margarita Pérez García on Story-Listening (91)
  • Teacher Toolbox (25, 54, 69, 85)

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

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Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
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We record conversations remotely, so you can be anywhere.

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99: Planning Communicative Activities Efficiently with Hope Anderson

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Do you find it time-consuming to create effective communicative activities? We can all feel that way at times.  In this episode, we are talking about how to do this more efficiently.  Hope Anderson, a Spanish instructor in Arizona, joins me to offer suggestions for going about our communicative practices a little more efficiently, while also being quite effective. Something for all of us to learn.

Topics in this Episode:

  • breaking down exactly what we mean by communicative teaching
  • how to determine if an activity is truly and authentically communicative
  • the value and benefits of authentic communication in the language classroom.
  • ways to engage students in communicative tasks without taking a ton of time
  • using templates when creating tasks

Connect with Hope Anderson:

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

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Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me on the podcast.
We record conversations remotely, so you can be anywhere.

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98: From a Short Text to a Full Lesson with Sarah Barrientos Svatos

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How do you find a text, or any kind of reading that you use with your students?  Does it have to be a long piece of text to make sure that students really get something out of it or that you can use as a way for students to engage with the language? Today, Sarah Barrientos Svatos, a Spanish teacher in Spain, joins me to discuss how we can take a short text and turn it into a full lesson that touches on all of the communication modes. She has lots of tips to share so that you can get started right away.

Topics in this Episode:

  • what we mean by a “short text”
  • the benefits of using a short text
  • are short texts only effective at novice level or also effective at higher proficiency levels?
  • how to set students up for success by preparing them to engage with the text (pre-reading activities)
  • how to support students while they engage with the text (during-reading activities)
  • how to check for understanding of the text and set students up to produce output  (post-reading activities)
  • Download Sarah’s Paella Activity

Connect with Sarah Barrientos Svatos:

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Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me on the podcast.
We record conversations remotely, so you can be anywhere.

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97: Asking the Right Questions

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Please take this 3-5 minute feedback survey (mostly multiple choice).  This will provide incredibly valuable information as I move on to the next 100 episodes.

This episode is all about you, the World Language Classroom Podcast listener. As I say at the start of every episode, thank you for taking the time out of your week to listen to me and other teachers discuss topics of language teaching and taking those ideas into your classroom.  This is just one of the many things that make you an incredible educator. We are soon coming up on episode 100. I’ve learned a lot and have changed some things about the podcast based on your feedback. I want to make sure that the next 100 episodes and your listening experience are even better. That’s what we’ll take on in this episode.

Topics in this Episode:

  • the importance of listener feedback and its role in shaping the podcast
  • creating a valuable and tailored experience for the audience
  • survey questions:
    • language taught
    • ideal episode length
    • listening environment
    • solo and guest episode
    • coaching episode
    • desired topics
    • additional content
  • take the 3-5 minute feedback survey 

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me on the podcast.
We record conversations remotely, so you can be anywhere.

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Podcast Listener Survey

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We are coming up on 100 episodes. I’ve learned a lot and have changed some things based on listener feedback.  I want to make sure that the next 100 episodes and your listening experience are even better. 

 

Please take this 3-5 minute feedback survey (mostly multiple choice).  This will provide incredibly valuable information as I move on to the next 1oo episodes.

Thank you so much, Joshua

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96: Teaching Heritage Language Learners with Courtney Nygaard

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Do you have heritage speakers in your language class or perhaps you have full classes of heritage speakers? In this episode, we are talking about how to design and implement curriculum and daily class activities that meet the specific needs of heritage speakers. Courtney Nygaard, who has full classes of heritage speakers in Minnesota, joins me to talk about how she designs her classes and offers useful tips and suggestions for working with this unique group of students.

Topics in this Episode:

  • who our heritage language learners are and how Courtney came to teaching this population of students
  • the early days, lessons learned and where Courtney is now with her heritage language classes
  • what the curriculum looks like with heritage speakers and how this differs from the “typical” second language curriculum
  • Courtney’s core beliefs behind her heritage learner curriculum
  • the core components of her curriculum and her process for delivering it
  • differentiating what can be a wide ranges in proficiency, particularly with regard to literacy

Connect with Courtney Nygaard:

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Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me on the podcast.
We record conversations remotely, so you can be anywhere.

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95: Curriculum and Structure in the CI Classroom with Adriana Ramirez

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What does curriculum look like in a classroom that puts comprehensible input at the center of the language acquisition experience? Is it possible, in fact, to follow a curriculum, in either a traditional or reinvented way? In this episode, we look at this very question with Adriana Ramirez, a Spanish teacher in Canada. Adriana helps us to see what curriculum looks like in her classroom as she implements a CI approach to language teaching and learning.

Topics in this Episode:

  • the key aspects of a CI (Comprehensible Input) classroom that are a departure from some more legacy approaches
  • “curriculum” in a CI classroom and how do we plan for and document the learning
  • the structure of a lesson and the student experience
  • why  CI is ultimately more beneficial than a vocabulary and grammar-focused curriculum
  • some misconceptions and critiques about CI

Connect with Adriana Ramirez:

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

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Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me on the podcast.
We record conversations remotely, so you can be anywhere.

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