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When Life Hands You Covid… Rethink and Redesign: Two Educators Share Their Journey
Friday the 13th, March 2020. Fear of the unknown hung heavily in the air. News of a dangerous and deadly new virus circulated for weeks, seeming distant at first and then spreading closer to home with increasing velocity. At 2:33 p.m., eight minutes before dismissal for the weekend, our principal’s calm voice broke through the […]
Continue ReadingHow to Establish a Strong Community in an Online Course
One of the most common questions we hear from instructors who are first moving to an online teaching environment is, “How do I build community in an online class?” Read more…
Continue ReadingWorld Language Advocacy-Seeking a Seat at the (Virtual) Table
What will the new academic year bring? No one can predict the immediate future of education, but we know that very much of what we took for granted in the past will be changed. However, we can be sure that advocacy for the teaching and learning of world languages must be a vital component in any […]
Continue ReadingStudents Leading with Languages
Let’s get to know our outstanding students! This new feature, Leading with Languages in Wisconsin, was launched in our March issue of the eVoice. This is a quick and easy way to recognize a student who continually “exceeds expectations” in his or her language learning journey. The short time takes to complete the documents will […]
Continue ReadingWhen it isn’t an emergency: Planning for Fall 2020
It’s certainly been an interesting spring with emergency remote instruction, figuring out where the weaknesses in our system lie, and just how many people in our state don’t have access, despite the fact that we are in the year 2020. I thought it might be useful to share some ideas about purposeful planning for online […]
Continue ReadingIntroducing: Wisconsin Students Lead with Language
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 […]
Continue ReadingWhat to Expect from the Unexpected…
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 […]
Continue ReadingHAVE YOU EVER ….. ?
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 […]
Continue ReadingAmerica’s Languages Caucus is Congress’s New Language Policy Forum
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 […]
Continue ReadingDifferentiating Language Instruction
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 […]
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