Tag Archives: special person interviews

218: 6 Activities for Interaction and Discussion in the Language Classroom


This is the first of 3 episodes in a series on CI Strategies.  There will be an episode on Story Telling and Narrative techniques, one on Reading and Writing procedures and today’s episode on Interaction and Discussion.  In this episode, we look at six comprehensible input strategies that foster real interaction and personalized discussion. From Picture Talk to Calendar, I’ll share detailed examples, differentiation tips, and practical ways to make your classroom a space for meaningful communication, no matter your students’ proficiency level.

Topics in this Episode:

  • Students are technically “participating,” but are then truly communicating? This has led me to rethink how I define interaction in a language classroom and to find activities that center personal connection and comprehensible input.
  • Six activities from my “CI Toolbox” that promote interaction and discussion adaptable for many levels, with built-in support for engagement and growth
    • Picture Talk
    • PQA (Personalized Questions and Answers)
    • Special Person Interviews
    • Card Talk
    • Weekend Chats
    • Calendar Talk
  • Get the PDF with all of the CI Toolbox Activities: 

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179: Special Person Interviews with Bryce Hedstrom


What have you heard about special person interviews in world language classes? Maybe you have tried them yourself. In today’s episode I speak with Bryce Hedstrom, a Spanish and Latin teacher in Colorado. He also does quite a bit of professional development with language teachers. Bryce walks us through the benefits of special student interviews, along with actionable suggestions for implementing in our classrooms.  Whether special student interviews are new to you, or if you’re looking for some ways to enhance how you are already using them, you will walk away from this episode inspired.

Topics in this Episode:

  • what a Special Person Interview is and how does it fit into a Comprehensible Input (CI) approach
  • the key benefits of conducting Special Person Interviews for both students and teachers
  • what a Special Person Interview looks like in practice; what the teacher does and what students do
  • selecting students for the interviews and preparation involved 
  • examples of questions and topics to use during these interviews to keep students engaged
  • follow up activities

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