This is episode 4 in my 2026 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 31st, you will see new episodes with exciting new topics every Monday. For today we take a look back at CI Activities in episodes 218, 222, 228, 231 and 232.
This is episode 3 in my 2026 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 31st, you will see new episodes with exciting new topics every Monday. For today we take a look back at ACTFL 2025 in episode 225.
This is episode 2 in my 2026 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 31st, you will see new episodes with exciting new topics every Monday. For today we take a look back at Sustainable Teaching in episodes 230 and 250.
This is episode 1 in my 2026 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 31st, you will see new episodes with exciting new topics every Monday. For today we take a look back at Student Motivation in episodes 235 and 237.
As the school year winds down and we go into summer mode, hopefully your schedule begins to open up a bit and you have an opportunity to reflect with a little more space and a little less urgency. This is the perfect time to get into what I call your “summer headspace.” What do I mean by that? It’s about taking some time to perhaps revisit episodes from the past year in a fresh way that can spark new insights. So, let’s jump in.
When was the last time you had enough time to actually think about your teaching instead of just keeping up with it? If you’re like most language teachers, the school year is a constant cycle of planning lessons, grading, answering emails, attending meetings, and preparing for the next day. Summer offers something different: space. Space to reflect, learn, create, and prepare for the kind of teaching you want to do next year. But I also know that summer doesn’t look the same for everyone. In this episode, I’m sharing five ways language teachers can use whatever time they have this summer to grow professionally without sacrificing the rest and balance they deserve.
Topics in this Episode:
summer is one of the few opportunities teachers have to work on their teaching instead of simply surviving their teaching
five things language teachers can do during the summer that are genuinely difficult to find time for during the school year.
reflect on what actually worked this year
earn one new teaching skill deeply instead of ten superficially
explore ideas you’ve been curious about all year
start next year feeling prepared instead of panicked
What if your students could use the language they’re learning to build real relationships with peers across the globe? In this episode French teacher Heidi Trude joins me to explore how authentic global connections can transform language learning. Heidi shares how a partnership that began with a simple idea grew into meaningful collaborations that deepen students’ language proficiency, cultural understanding, and confidence. We talk about virtual exchanges, international partnerships, practical starting points, sustainability, and the role of technology in making it all possible.
Topics in this Episode:
Heidi’s initial spark for building global connections and moving from “this would be nice” to actually making it happen
the benefits of global connections for students and the teacher and some unexpected benefits that Heidi has seen
the various types of global connections (virtual connections, in-country visits) and what it looks like in practice
a few realistic entry points for a teacher who wants to create authentic global connections
making these connections sustainable
tech tools for global collaborations and ensuring the technology enhances communication rather than distract from it
Have you ever wondered whether your tests, quizzes or assessments truly measure what your students can do with the language, or are they just looking at what students can memorize or explain about the language? In this episode we’re diving into Integrated Performance Assessments, or IPAs, an effective way to assess how students are actually able to use the grammar, vocabulary and cultural understanding. An IPA assesses how students engage with the language through the interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational modes. If you’ve been working toward proficiency-based instruction and looking for assessments that align with those goals, this episode will help you with that.
Topics in this Episode:
Many teachers are moving toward proficiency-based instruction, but assessment often remains disconnected from communication goals.
If our goal is communication, then assessment should provide opportunities for students to communicate.
What is an Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA)? IPAs assess students through the three modes of communication: Interpretive, Interpersonal, Presentational
The three tasks are connected rather than separate activities.
Students move through a sequence that mirrors real-world communication: Receive information, Discuss information, Share information
An IPA focuses on what students can do with language rather than how many grammar rules they can identify.
Have you ever felt like you’re not allowed to say this out loud? That Comprehensible Input works beautifully with novices… but something feels different at Intermediate High and Advanced? That maybe your students plateau, avoid complex structures, or fossilize errors and you quietly wonder if you’re doing something wrong? What if the issue isn’t you… and it isn’t your students… but the choice we’ve created between CI or explicit instruction?
Topics in this Episode:
The tension around CI and explicit instruction: CI has become dominant; Some spaces treat explicit instruction as regression; Teachers feel pressure to claim “pure CI;” Meanwhile, many quietly supplement.
Most SLA studies focus on novice/intermediate learners; there simply aren’t many rigorous studies examining how advanced learners.
When you attend CI workshops or read CI literature, the vast majority of examples, materials, and strategies target novice learners. This isn’t because CI can’t work at higher levels. It’s because we haven’t developed robust models for what it looks like there.
The ‘bandwagon effect’: CI has achieved near-ideological status in some circles. Teachers feel pressure to claim ‘pure CI’ success even when they’re supplementing with explicit instruction.
The research does NOT support abandoning CI at advanced levels. It DOES support integrating strategic explicit instruction, particularly for complex features that are infrequent or non-salient in input.
If you’ve been teaching with proficiency in mind, you’ve probably asked yourself an important question: How do I assess communication in a way that reflects what students can actually do with the language?
Traditional quizzes and tests often measure vocabulary memorization or grammar knowledge in isolation. While those skills have their place, they don’t always show whether students can use the language to interpret messages, interact with others, and share ideas. That’s where Integrated Performance Assessments (IPAs) come in.
What Is an Integrated Performance Assessment?
An Integrated Performance Assessment is a proficiency-focused assessment that evaluates students through the three modes of communication:
Interpretive Communication
Interpersonal Communication
Presentational Communication
Rather than treating these modes as separate and unrelated tasks, an IPA connects them through a common theme or context. Students begin by interpreting authentic language, then use information from that experience to interact with others, and finally create a presentational product. The assessment mirrors how communication happens in the real world. We listen, read, discuss, and share information in connected ways.
The Three Parts of an IPA
1. Interpretive Communication
Students engage with an authentic resource such as a text, video, audio recording, infographic, advertisement, or social media post. Their task is not to translate every word. Instead, they demonstrate comprehension by identifying key ideas, supporting details, and cultural perspectives. The interpretive task provides the foundation for everything that follows.
2. Interpersonal Communication
After working with the authentic resource, students engage in communication with another person. This may take the form of a conversation, discussion, interview, problem-solving task, or collaborative decision-making activity. Students use information gathered during the interpretive phase to exchange ideas and negotiate meaning.
3. Presentational Communication
Finally, students create a product that communicates information, opinions, or recommendations to an audience. Depending on the level and context, this could be spoken, written, or multimedia in nature. The presentational task builds directly from the previous two stages, allowing students to synthesize what they have learned and communicated.
Why IPAs Matter
One of the biggest strengths of an IPA is that it measures language use rather than isolated language knowledge. Instead of asking students whether they know a grammar rule, an IPA asks them to use language to accomplish a purpose. When students complete an IPA, they demonstrate what they can actually do with the language.
Well-designed IPAs:
Align with proficiency goals
Reflect real-world communication
Encourage meaningful language use
Connect learning and assessment
Provide a clearer picture of student performance
Common Misconceptions About IPAs
Many teachers assume that IPAs must be large, complicated projects that take weeks to complete. In reality, IPAs can be scaled to fit different levels, schedules, and instructional goals.
Another misconception is that every IPA requires extensive preparation or lengthy authentic resources. Effective IPAs focus on purposeful communication, not complexity. The key is designing tasks that naturally connect the three modes of communication while remaining appropriate for your students’ proficiency levels.
Getting Started
If you’re new to IPAs, begin by identifying a theme or essential question that fits your current unit. Then consider how students might:
Interpret information from an authentic source.
Discuss or exchange ideas about that information.
Present their own message to an audience.
Keeping the assessment connected across all three modes is what makes it an integrated performance assessment. Remember that assessment should reflect communication. IPAs help us move beyond testing what students know about the language and toward measuring what they can do with it.
Ready to Learn More?
Designing effective IPAs becomes much easier when you have a clear planning process, examples, templates, and proficiency-aligned task models.
In my Integrated Performance Assessments (IPA) Quick Win Course, I walk through the entire process of creating meaningful, proficiency-focused assessments that align with the three modes of communication. You’ll learn how to design connected tasks, create effective rubrics, and adapt IPAs for different proficiency levels.
