We know these students! They are the ones who have discovered the joy of communicating with others in the language(s) they are learning.  They may report that they had a meaningful conversation with a customer or co-worker at their part-time job, or that they communicated with someone from another country as they competed in an […]

Under the circumstances of living during a pandemic and knowing that just in the last week some crazy stuff is happening throughout the state, CSC shut down early, schools closing, and who knows what is yet to come. I thought it would be appropriate to address the concerns with some starter resources. For those of […]

One great way to get intermediate and upper level students engaged and curious about an upcoming book or film is to ask them questions pertaining to its plot before they begin. This not only activates students’ brains and imaginations as they consider what might be ahead, but it also provides a “back door” opportunity to […]

The America’s Languages Caucus  Co-Chairs, Representatives David Price (NC) and Don Young (AK), established the America’s Languages Caucus in November 2019 in order to develop a national strategy to raise awareness about the importance of world language learning and international education, particularly as it relates to our nation’s economic and national security. The core of the Caucus’ mission […]

Each unit we teach has a certain set of learning outcomes that the instructor helps every student to achieve. Once those outcomes are identified and the assessments created, the instructor must make a series of tasks to prepare students to meet those outcomes and perform to the best of their ability in the assessments. Then […]

“Take the adventure, heed the call, now ere the irrevocable moment passes! ‘Tis but a banging of the door behind you, a blithesome step forward, and you are out of your old life and into the new!”  — Kenneth Grahame, The Wind In The Willows  It is likely that you can speak from your own […]

As the new academic year gets underway many of us take a look at the past as we design what we will do in the future. How will we improve that lesson from last year? Did our students reach the expected outcomes? What can be done differently? How are national and state trends impacting instruction? […]

Sixteen years ago, the Linda/Cathy show made its debut and we have not been the same since. Our friendship and professional relationship was in no way hindered by the fact that we teach two different languages.  As we say in all of the presentations we are fortunate to do together, our teaching has been transformed […]

As the school year winds down and we all begin to breathe again, we look forward to a refresh over the summer. Perhaps that is a glass of lemonade, a cold beer, or an opportunity to finally update all those apps on your phone and laptop without having to worry about losing that important data […]

Do you have a story about mentoring that you’d like to share? Please consider submitting yours to: mentor@waflt. If you are interested in finding or being a mentor, please visit WAFLT’s mentoring page. All mentoring participants and mentoring story contributors will receive a “Great Thought A Day” notepad!  Mentoring models are varied and dynamic, changing with our […]