Category Archives: Podcast Episodes

203: Black History & Hispanic Heritage in Language Curriculum with Jenniffer Whyte


What do we mean when we talk about representation in the classroom? More specifically representation in our language classrooms?  How can we make sure that our students understand the variety of cultures and experiences that are part of the target language culture?  In this episode, Jenniffer Whyte joins me to talk about bringing the Afro-Latinx and Black heritage into our classroom curriculum. You will walk away with concrete ways to go about this and might even be ready to put together an all-school event or assembly at no cost.  Jenniffer tells us all about how she does it.

Topics in this Episode:

  •  resources or materials that teachers can use to ensure Black and Afro-Latinx voices are authentically included in their curriculum
  • how teachers can introduce these topics in ways that foster curiosity and meaningful discussions
  • effective strategies for introducing Black history and culture to younger students in an engaging and age-appropriate way
  • details about Jenniffer’s whole-school Black History and Hispanic Heritage programs with no budget, including creative ways teachers can do the same in their own schools
  • moving beyond only celebrating Black History and Hispanic Heritage during designated month with concrete ways teachers can weave these histories and contributions into their world language curriculum year-round

Connect with Jenniffer Whyte:

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

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202: Planning and Teaching for Proficiency


I want to make sure that you start your new school in the fall with a clear framework for planning and teaching for proficiency. I created a free reflection and planning tool that will guide you as you create a classroom that prioritizes what students can do with language. In this episode I will tell you all about it and point you to where you can get yours today.

Planning & Teaching for Proficiency: A Guide for Language Teachers

Topics in this Episode:

  • By focusing on performance, proficiency, communication, and authentic language use, you can support students on this journey to using the target language authentically and communicatively. 
  • I created a guide to support your planning and teaching that focuses on performance in the classroom and eventually increased target language proficiency when they are using the language in authentic, real-world situations.
  • Each section highlights essential components that support confidence and proficiency growth. You’ll also see actionable steps that you can take right away:
    • Purposeful Planning
    • Comprehensible Input & Student Output
    •  Meaningful Tasks & Relevant Practice
    • Assessment & Feedback
    • Professional Reflection & Collaboration
    • Common Challenges in Proficiency-Focused Classrooms
    • Next Steps and Your Action Plan

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.

201: Ideas to Get Students Speaking More with Sherry Sebesta


Do you have some go-to activities to motivate your students to speak and engage with the target language in your classroom?  Are you always on the lookout for activities and routines to add to your list of possibilities? In this episode, I speak with Sherry Sebesta, a French and Spanish teacher in New York. Sherry shares suggestions for getting your students speaking the target language more regularly and confidently. You’ll go away with several new things to try out right away.

Topics in this Episode:

  •  Sherry’s goals for language students and how speaking activities work into this
  • how teachers can create a classroom environment that reduces students’ fear of making mistakes and promotes more speaking
  • activities to encourage students to speak more in the target language
  • examples where Sherry’s strategies have increased student speaking confidence and participation in class
  • practical steps to implement Sherry’s speaking activities and ideas in the classroom

Connect with Sherry Sebesta

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

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200: Tips for Common Challenges in Proficiency-Based Classrooms


How do you feel about the CI strategies, proficiency-based procedures or communicative language teaching that you do in your classroom?  You hear a lot about it, either on this podcast, from colleagues or on social media.  Lots of good stuff. But, do you sometimes feel like it seems like it’s always smooth sailing with no challenges in other classrooms while you definitely have them in your own classroom?  Well, me too.  We all have them.  In this episode I will address some of these common challenges with practical solutions to help navigate them.

Topics in this Episode:

  • Implementing comprehensible input (CI) strategies in a proficiency-based language classroom comes with its challenges at times.  
  • With proactive planning we can create an engaging and effective learning environment for all students.
  • Common obstacles and practical solutions to help you navigate them.
    • Different Proficiency Levels
    • Large Class Sizes
    • Student Resistance
    • Time Constraints
    • Assessment and Accountability
    • Classroom Management
  • Blog post on Common Challenges in Proficiency-Based Classrooms

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.

199: Celebrating Identity and Dialects in Heritage Classes with Courtney Nygaard


How can celebrating identity and dialects transform the experience of language learners? In this episode I’m joined by Courtney Nygaard, a teacher of heritage Spanish speakers in Minnesota.  Courtney shares how she honors and values her students’ identities as a way to build confidence, connection, and community in the classroom. We talk about practical strategies for embracing dialectal differences, navigating varied proficiency levels, and fostering a space where all students feel seen and valued. Whether you teach a heritage class or not, this conversation will inspire you to make your classroom a place where every student and experience is valued.

Topics in this Episode:

  •  importance of celebrating identity and dialects in language classes
  • strategies or activities you can use to acknowledge and honor the diverse identities and dialects of your students
  • challenges that might arise when students speak different dialects or have varying levels of proficiency in the heritage language
  • Courtney’s success stories and examples where celebrating identity and dialects positively impacted her students’ learning and engagement?
  • for teachers who don’t have heritage classes, how you can create an inclusive and supportive environment that respects and celebrates the linguistic diversity of your students
  • Episode 96: Teaching Heritage Language Learners with Courtney Nygaard

Connect with Courtney Nygaard:

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.

196: Immerse Your Students in Arts and Culture with Heidi Trude


What if your students could step inside the Louvre Museum, explore Frida Kahlo’s studio, or walk through the streets of ancient cities, all without leaving your classroom? In this episode, we explore the Google Arts & Culture app with French teacher and tech integration specialist Heidi Trude. From boosting cultural understanding to sparking meaningful conversations, Heidi shares creative ways to use this free tool to make language and culture come alive in your classroom.

Topics in this Episode:

  • how Heidi first discover the Google Arts & Culture app, and what made her decide it was a good fit for your classroom
  • Heidi’s favorite features of the app, and how she incorporate them into her lessons
  • using Google Arts & Culture to enhance your students’ understanding of art, history, and culture
  • projects or activities using the app that have a particularly powerful impact
  • how tools like Google Arts & Culture are shaping the future of how we teach cultural understanding and global awareness in the classroom
  • Heidi’s Resource: Making Art Come Alive with the Google Arts and Culture App

Connect with Heidi Trude

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.

195: Teaching Grammar For Proficiency with Catherine Ritz and Mike Travers


There are lots of misconceptions about teaching grammar. There are also opinions about whether or not there is a place for teaching grammar in a proficiency-based classroom. In this episode, Catherine Ritz and Mike Travers, authors of Proficiency-Based Instruction: Teaching GRAMMAR for Proficiency, join me to talk about the place of grammar in a proficiency-based classroom.  And yes, there is a place for it.

Topics in this Episode:

  • Misconceptions around teaching grammar and how Catherine and Mike’s book, Teaching GRAMMAR for Proficiency,  addresses them
  • What it looks like to teach grammar in a way that truly supports communication and proficiency, rather than just memorization and drills
  • In a proficiency-based vertical curriculum, how (or should) we incorporate grammar  Should specific grammar structures be explicitly planned for, or should they emerge more organically based on themes and student needs?
  • Examples of an activities and strategies that effectively integrates grammar while keeping communication at the center of learning
  • First steps to take when shifting toward a proficiency-based approach
  • Get your copy of Proficiency-Based Instruction: Teaching GRAMMAR for ProficiencyUse the code ACTFL15OFF to get 15% off the cost of the book.

Connect with Catherine Ritz and Mike Travers:

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.

194: Global Connections and Service Learning with Chris Howell from the Pulsera Project


Where do you find opportunities for exploring language and culture beyond the classroom? Have you found ways to involve your students in service learning projects? In this episode, I have the privilege of speaking with Chris Howell who is the co-founder of the Pulsera Project. This is an organization that supports artisans in Guatemala and Nicaragua through direct connections with schools and students in the United States. My school, Tower School in Marblehead, MA has partnered with Chris and the Pulsera Project. I have so much respect for the work that he and his organization do that I had to have him on the podcast to share all about it.

Topics in this Episode:

  • what the Pulsera Project is and what inspired Chris  to co-found the organization
  • how the mission has evolved since 2009
  • how the Pulsera Project fosters meaningful connections between U.S. students and artisans
  • educating students on Fair Trade
  • success stories of artisans and communities that has been positively impacted by the Pulsera Project
  • advice for language teachers who want to incorporate service learning and global citizenship into their classrooms

Connect with Chris Howell and the Pulsera Project:

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.

193: 15 Ways to Engage Students with Task Cards


Do you use task cards? How can we get the most out of them in our language classrooms? Task cards are useful tools for building engagement, supporting proficiency, and adding variety to your routines. In this episode, we’re looking at 15 creative ways to use task cards. You might already have a few that you like to use, and after this episode you have lots more.

Blog Post with all 15 ways to use task cards in your language classroom.

Topics in this Episode:

  • what task cards are
  • what to put on task cards
  • 15 ways to use task cards in the language classroom
    • Warm-Ups (Do Nows)
    • Fast Finishers
    • Exit Ticket
    • Station Activity
    • Scoot
    • Differentiation
    • Back to Back
    • Traditional Board Games
    • Quiz Games
    • Interactive Bulletin Board
    • Scavenger Hunt
    • Individual Boards
    • Sub Activity
    • Binder Sheets
    • Assessments

Blog Post with all 15 ways to use task cards in your language classroom.

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.

192: CI When Required to Use a Textbook with Ashley Mikkelsen


How much flexibility or autonomy do you have over your curriculum? Are you able to integrate CI techniques and procedures? This can be a bit challenging if our curriculum is aligned with chapters in a textbook or prescribed units.  Today I speak with Ashley Mikkelsen, a Spanish teacher in North Dakota.  Ashley talks us through her personal journey and experience integrating CI activities into her textbook-aligned curriculum that also includes common assessments.  And these assessments are not always proficiency-based. Is this possible? Ashley shows us how with her quintessential realistic lens.

Topics in this Episode:

  • challenges teachers face when trying to incorporate Comprehensible Input (CI) within a textbook-driven curriculum
  • strategies and techniques for blending CI with the requirements of a textbook curriculum
  • specific examples of successfully integrating CI into a textbook lesson
  • how teachers can make sure that their use of CI aligns with the learning objectives and assessments outlined in the textbook
  • recommendations for teachers who are new to CI but are required to follow a textbook curriculum
  • Ep 86: Lots of Activities for Any Reading with Ashley Mikkelsen

Connect with Ashley Mikkelsen:

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.