Language Latte: A Podcast for World Language Teachers

In this episode we are looking at the growing number of opportunities for teachers – and students- of learning and teaching languages online. We are discussing the advantages and disadvantages, how to be a successful online teacher, and the most popular platforms right now. Then we speak with T’helah Ben-Dan, who shares her thoughts on teaching Hebrew on-line, plus her best tips for teachers.

What do research findings indicate about world language study and students with learning disabilities? Which strategies, instructional methods, and adaptations can we employ as language teachers to help all students reach their goals and achieve competence? After an introduction to current research, I speak with Dr. Irene Konyndyk, author of Foreign Languages for Everyone, who shares 8 really effective approaches for world language teachers to boost language learning for kids with learning differences.

The United Nations has declared 2019 the International Year of Indigenous Languages. It’s the perfect opportunity to look at the prevalence of indigenous languages around the world, plus best practices to overcome common hurdles. Then we speak with Quechua instructor Américo Mendoza-Mori, who describes the history of Quechua education, and how it is being taught today.

As language teachers, we know that if students aren’t interested in the language we’re teaching, their progress will be stagnant, and their attitudes will affect the entire mood of the class. Motivation is at least as important as aptitude in language acquisition. We examine motivation, and how we can apply it to get kids interested and inspired in class. I talk to Australian teacher Simone Baluch, who shares tips and activities she uses to get her learners excited, curious, and attentive in class.

In this episode we are looking at the importance of teacher-students relationships, how they affect learning, and what the research says about community building in class. Then we speak with John Bracey, who shares activities he uses to build community, and how they have even helped with classroom management and behavior.

Teachers around the world are getting creative and producing clips to use with their students. We’ll examine 10 different platforms and methods to mix audio, images, and videos for our learners, and then we will speak with Angie Torre, who’s going to share how she recorded conversations for her students to learn from.

In this episode we are discussing the use of media in our classrooms. Photos and videos are excellent authentic resources, whether as curiosity-inducing speaking/writing prompts, a look into cultural insights, an introduction of vocabulary, or as a source of comprehensible input. We look at why and how media is effective in engaging students in class, and then you are going to love the 6 activities that Sarah Breckley shares in her interview.

Global education: integrating learning about world culture and human geography into our lessons, which leads to global competency. It is undeniable that our world is more interconnected than ever. We’ll look at what global competence means, and how world language classes offer such a clear path to competency in a new culture and a portal to understanding the wider world. Then, in my interview with Homa Tavangar, we discuss easy global education tools to get started.

In this episode we are discussing classroom management: keeping kids on task, engaged, and acquiring the language. We look at setting up the rules, expectations, and routines in class, plus introduce the Responsive Classroom, and then I interview Julie Speno is a K-4 Spanish Teacher in Maine, in her 25th year teaching languages.

We are discussing music in the world language classroom. We’ll look at the benefits of using music with our students, plus go over tons of ideas of activities using music in class. I interview Elisabeth Alvarado, a Spanish teacher who transformed her classroom when she changed the way she incorporated music in her lessons. Elisabeth shares 5 ways to use music in class, with tons of example activities for different ages!

In this episode we are discussing our students, and how to keep them in our language programs through the advanced levels. We will talk a bit about what schools are doing to retain students, and then I’ll interview Casey Chon, who is studying Arabic education at Boston University. She’s going to share her ideas on keeping our student numbers up and our language programs growing.

We're talking about using IPAs (Integrated Performance Assessments) in the language classroom. IPAs are a classroom-based performance assessment model developed by ACTFL to assess the progress that language students are making towards proficiency. We'll look at the 3 tiers of an IPA, the rubrics, and how to use them in class to get an overview of students' proficiency as learners are attempting to understand, interpret, and analyze when they are reading, hearing, or seeing.

The role of reading in class, and the benefits our students get from reading in the target language: a look at how teachers are getting students to read for pleasure, reading topics of interest and books of their own choosing. Learn about the power of reading as a necessary input activity in our students’ journey towards proficiency. We talk about classroom libraries, and engaging activities. I also interview A. C. Quintero, a Spanish teacher who has authored multiple books for language learners.

What are the key action items new teachers can do to relieve stress, and have a manageable work-life balance? What is the role schools play in supporting new teachers, and the best types of support we can offer our new colleagues? Looking at attrition rates- why is this support important and necessary? Let’s first look at what the research says about supporting new teachers, plus best practices, and then I’ll interview Diego Ojeda- a teacher with 30 years of experience in classrooms from Colombia to the

How- and why- should world language teachers incorporate the diverse cultures that speak the languages we are teaching? Does social justice play a role in language classrooms? A look at the current research on culturally inclusive classrooms, and how teachers can show our students that their experiences, and their voices matter. Dr Hines-Gaither helps us examine how we can reach the students we teach, and how we can diversify the content we use.