Since writing Tips To Prepare Students For National Foreign Language Exams a little over a month ago, I received this year’s results to the National Spanish Exam, which I administered to my level 01 and level 1 students in March. As I mentioned in my article, I wanted to help students achieve higher scores, so I generated a plan of action that I implemented … [Read more...] about Article Follow Up: Tips To Prepare Students For National Foreign Language Exams
Webinar Review: Michael Erard Talks About Hyperpolyglots on LiveMocha
Roughly two weeks ago, after a particularly exhausting day of teaching, I returned to my cubicle and collapsed into my desk chair. Too tired to do anything active, I decided to plug my Earbuds into my MacBook and passively earn some professional development time for the remaining hour of the work day. I tuned into the replay of a webinar that I had missed … [Read more...] about Webinar Review: Michael Erard Talks About Hyperpolyglots on LiveMocha
Tips To Prepare Students For National Foreign Language Exams
I think it’s safe to say that most of us in the U.S. have heard the expression March Madness, but if you haven’t, then imagine a month of utter craziness as sixteen NCAA basketball teams and their rowdy fans battle one another in order to clinch the championship title. It is truly a time of unnerving, exasperating and exhausting excitement. … [Read more...] about Tips To Prepare Students For National Foreign Language Exams
Ten Great Ideas To Celebrate National Foreign Language Week In The Twenty-First Century
In the nineties, when I began my teaching career, I worked in a public high school whose World Language department celebrated National Foreign Language Week each year. As the newbie in the department, I didn't really know what to expect during my first year celebration. I imagined that the kids would spruce up our painfully drab building with bright, … [Read more...] about Ten Great Ideas To Celebrate National Foreign Language Week In The Twenty-First Century
An Argument For World Language Education In The Twenty-First Century
When I decided to move from Connecticut to Tennessee nearly five years ago, I had already spent a little more than a decade as a public school Spanish teacher. During the first several years, I taught in secondary school, while the remaining years I worked in two other school districts where I designed and implemented Spanish language programs for their … [Read more...] about An Argument For World Language Education In The Twenty-First Century
Into the 21st Century: The Evolution of World Language Textbooks: Part I
A few weeks ago, I was purging books from my overgrown personal library when I encountered an Italian-English textbook that my mother gifted to me nearly two decades ago. Bound in red linen, embossed with black ink and copyrighted 1921, this treasured relic once belonged to my great grandfather, a burly yet gentle Italian who emigrated to the US around the … [Read more...] about Into the 21st Century: The Evolution of World Language Textbooks: Part I