Your movement and posture can set the tone of your teaching without your changing anything else. If the post on body location and variation felt a tad intricate, I bet you’ll find this one simple, practical, and encouraging! (This post is the fourth in a series on tricks and techniques that observers in my classes at this […]
Your Teaching Body, pt 1: Location & Variation
Do you think of your body as an instrument for teaching? Your physical self is so incredibly versatile and valuable that I have planned no fewer than FIVE POSTS on making the most of it and taking care of it! Here’s a little overview: (This post is itself the third in a series on tricks […]
Your VOICE: a simple, powerful teaching tool
I often invite observers or members of my classes to list things they’ve seen me do that boosted their understanding of the language and their sense of being part of a language-learning community. I do this to help identify a bunch of techniques and skills that are highly learnable and coachable–without highlighting such skills, it’s […]
Cell Phone Retell + Tricks for Centuple Exposure
Back from blogging exile, I’m itching to share a series on tricks and techniques that observers in my classes at this summer’s iFLT and Express Fluency conferences found especially memorable! I’m especially excited to offer an expansive collection of voice and body techniques for joyful, successful teaching. See also: techniques highlighted after Express Fluency ‘17, including […]
Image Imitation (VIDEO) – Brain Break, Buildup, or Freestanding Activity
Yes, this blog is still rolling! I’ve simply just returned from trip number seventeen this calendar year, covering fifteen states and three countries, so my blogging has been more like blah-ging. During those trips I got to learn and try lots of fun and useful things, one of which is the subject of this post, […]
That Thing You Used to Do (#EdMarchSanity 3)
March is over, but, like March Madness, #EdMarchSanity continues into April! A simple way to refresh your classes without needing to learn or do a bunch of new stuff is to dust off a task or routine that you haven’t done in a while. This may seem obvious, but I’m amazed when I think of […]
Energy from a New Pastime (#EdMarchSanity 2)
Not half an hour ago, an online student of mine remarked, “Isn’t it amazing how invigorating even the idea of starting a new book is?” The comment confirmed my plan for this second installment of #EdMarchSanity. (Here is the first, featuring eight zero prep activities.) This advice is paradoxical, but, if you want a major […]
ZERO PREP Smorgasbord (#EdMarchSanity 1)
Could you use some ZERO PREP routines and activities during this long month? Following French teacher Rebecca Blouwolff’s inspiring lead, I’m putting out several posts in March and beyond with simple ideas for peace, balance, joy, and success. After brainstorming four or five #EdMarchSanity topics, I remembered that this whole blog is basically about learning and […]
New Latin Events in Boston and Dallas
I’m excited to share two new Latin events for teachers and enthusiasts! Even if you are neither of these, please consider spreading the word or referring a colleague. Living Room Latin is an entirely new type of shindig that I’ve been eager to pilot for a long time. It will feature the activities and techniques that have […]
3 New Quirky Scripts
Quirky Scripts is a lesson requiring almost no prep that can be used repeatedly all year, at every level. It’s also a way for students to acquire “advanced” language really early on with minimal effort. Skim the how-to or scroll down for three scripts and a dozen reasons these Quirky Scripts are so useful. Read this post’s predecessor, Quirky […]