And the Stars Align… Combining AI + CI

Posted on by Vicky Masson

By Noemí Rodríguez (LTL Contributor)  

If you are a language teacher, then you are probably using comprehensible input teaching methods (repeat, recycle, repeat) or have heard about them – it is not a surprise that by adjusting language strategically and providing input (either spoken or written) that is tiered to only include words, phrases and structures that students comprehend – students will be able to make meaning of the language and in fact, acquire. Which is how and why Acquisition Driven Instruction works so well. Our goal as language educators is to fill our student’s minds with lots of useful language, so they can USE the language in the future in their presentational and interpersonal communication. This is also why I believe WE (the people who use languages) keep the languages alive- and languages do in fact change and evolve over time, thanks to all of us!

As Generative AI begins to take over how we “do” our day to day tasks – let me attend that meeting but have my AI assistant take notes, let me figure out what is for dinner tonight or let me write that important letter of recommendation – it also makes sense to look at how this incredible technology can assist language teachers with designing resources and activities with comprehensible input at the heart of the design. And, in addition to a CI lens, can we also harness the power of Generative AI to focus on true intercultural aspects of the target language (products, perspectives & practices) AND design lessons that meet ALL of our student’s needs? My friends – the answer is YES!

Let’s begin with THE PROMPT!

The most important part of using any Generative AI tool is how descriptive you are with writing your prompt. Chat GPT is continuing to learn YOU and understand who you ARE – and as a result, you must specify with your language, level, proficiency target(s), students (general information*), content, delivery of content and potential modifications in mind.

I’ve designed the below guide to assist language teachers create a well designed prompt, with the intentionality of having the “export” align with your expectations. I’ve also created a collaborative prompt library for language educators, which is one of the many perks in joining the AI Tools for Language Educators Institute community. When designing your prompt, consider all of the different important elements that you would like to include. A simple rule of thumb is understanding the better the prompt provided, the better the output. Chat GPT or other LLMs of preference can truly serve as your thought partner, brainstorming buddy, content creator or my favorite role- your new personal assistant. Consider the possibilities!

AI @team_lologramos

So, how do we merge the world of AI with CI?

It all goes back to your well designed prompt! By specifying the type of language instruction model you are using, reference using cognates in your language (hopefully they exist!), frequently used words from the target language and specific targeted vocabulary (not sheltering grammar & treating expressions as vocabulary words) – the content created by Generative AI will align to your ADI expectations. And don’t forget to lead with culture in your CI lessons!

Plug the following prompt into your LLM and see what it can do!

Be sure to change the language and/or information that is underlined to make the prompt specific to you and your language class.

You are an acquisition driven instruction teacher of Spanish, which means you focus on delivering comprehensible input and making language easy to understand and comprehend for beginning language learners. You teach a group of 7th grade students in a suburban middle school and they are currently discussing their school schedules and day to day activities using Novice Mid or A1 language. Can you write a paragraph (no more than 150 words each) in Spanish in comparing and contrasting a typical school day in Spain with a typical school day in the United States. Include information about schedules, subjects, and extracurricular activities. Repeat and reuse the following vocabulary expressions at least three times in this paragraph: tiene, empieza, termina, es aburrido, es interesante. In addition to cognates and the vocabulary provided, use ONLY the most frequently used vocabulary in the Spanish language. You can reference this website for the top 100 frequently used words in Spanish to assist you with your development of this reading passage: https://spanishforyourjob.com/commonwords/, use cognates frequently. For this paragraph, create at least five follow up comprehension questions based on this paragraph in Spanish and one open-ended prompt for beginning level language learners to respond. Create a simple table with a typical school schedule with start/end times using military time and specific classes at each time in both countries, in Spanish. And design a simple dialogue between a teenager from Spain and a teenager from U.S.A. discussing the key information from the paragraph about their school days.

Tools to use AI

I used Gemini (Google’s LLM) and it provided the following Google Doc ( *asked if I could export the schedule/table into a Google spreadsheet as well). The fascinating part is that designing this initial resource for me took a matter of seconds. And of course, I can look at this “School Life” reading as an initial draft and go in to make modifications to further customize it, understanding that my students should comprehend at least 90% of this reading. I can also have the LLM create “tiered” versions of this text, further simplifying it or making it a bit more challenging, to allow for students to read the text at their individual reading level. And – to take this reading passage and use an AI tool to design a slideshow export – head over to Diffit.me and copy/paste your text into the third section labeled “Any text or excerpt” and let the magic happen! Diffit.me can also export into Google Docs, Google Forms, pptx or PDF files.

Another great way to merge the world of AI with CI is with chatbot design and providing a low-stakes environment for interpersonal practice! I had previously blogged about using chatbots in the language classroom as conversational partners. Remember, your chatbot can be ANYONE! So who would you like your students to chat with? Someone famous? An artist? A musician? An athlete? And the same goes with WHAT your students are chatting about with their chatbots – you can ask your chatbot to target specific vocabulary and adhere to the provided conversational rules. Similarly to those reading passages, you have to set the specific parameters with language use and level to ensure that the chatbot adheres to your expectations and truly becomes a great language practice partner for your students!

One more tip considering how a CI-focused teacher can leverage the power of AI tools – Generative AI can also design images, change backgrounds and create videos for you! So, if you have a fun story that you were never really able to locate the right pictures to match the storyline – check out Canva, Magic Design and see what image(s) or video can be generated for you. Here are some neat images that I generated this afternoon while working with a fantastic group of language teachers!

Canva also now has Dall-E (OpenAI’s Image Generator) and as teachers, we receive premium access to this incredible platform. Canva has so many neat capabilities, I continue to enjoy exploring and experimenting- check out their “AI-powered” apps!

Looking to dive in deeper with AI?

Here is where I would love to continue to help support your journey as a language teacher! I have designed an asynchronous course as mentioned before: The AI Tools Institute for Language Classrooms (with monthly support built in*), host free-virtual meetings often for the Team Lo Logramos FB community, and will present a two-part webinar series in May with the incredible Joe Dale (@joedale) ! Please also do follow @team_lologramos to stay connected!

I hope this post has given you some great ideas on how to leverage Generative AI with a CI focus in the future

LoLogramos – Get a $5 off discount when you use the code LTL5 at checkout, exceptions may apply

Chatbots in Your Classrooms

Posted on by Vicky Masson

by Noemí Rodríguez (LTL Contributor)

After several months of highlighting different Generative AI Tools for the language classroom, the most exciting has been using conversational chatbots. The idea that students can practice their language skills in a low-stakes, non-judgmental way, available at any time and personalized to fit their language level is quite revolutionary. AI has the power to enhance our students’ language learning experience and also provide limitless opportunities to practice speaking in the target language.

As with any AI tool, educators must design prompts that are specific to the task and adhere to the intended learning outcome. Within your prompt design, it is important to share who the chatbot IS, the language students are learning, language proficiency targets and specific key phrases/vocabulary you would like the chatbot to use. You can also set up your chat bot to be engaging, kind, funny, creative, etc. For example, with your novice learners, tell the chatbot to limit the questions and responses to a certain number of words for a student who is learning another language, repeat & recycle high frequency vocabulary and be supportive & helpful in the replies provided.

In what ways can our students practice their language learning? Here are a few scenarios, prompts and a Chatbot Choice Board for you to copy and share with your language colleagues (or students!).

Chatbot Uses & Sample Prompts

Language Tutor – Consider designing a tutor for your students to practice their conversational skills or be provided with direct feedback given your language class, level and current unit of study.

Sample Prompt – You are a friendly Spanish tutor, ‘Srta Bot’. Engage the student in a simple dialogue in Spanish and discuss what the student is like, characteristics about themselves, family members, basic greetings, foods, preferences in activities, clothing items and weather conditions. Limit your questions and responses to simplistic, no more than 30 words. Repeat and recycle frequently used vocabulary in Spanish. Be funny and engaging. 

Role Play – A chatbot can be anyone….no, really….ANYONE! Who would your students like to speak in the target language with? Anyone from the past, present or even future can “come to life” as an interactive chatbot. Or how about a particular professional to interact with like a nutritionist, an astronaut or a climate change activist? You can also transform your chatbots into animals – imagine what your dog may say to you if they could?

Sample Prompt – You are Greta Thunberg, climate activist, engaging in a discussion about the Amazon rainforest’s climate crisis with a novice French learner / student. Use simple sentences and questions to discuss the climate change effects on the rainforest and its inhabitants. Repeat and recycle cognates from the Spanish language related to the Amazon rainforest such as desforestation, climate change, animals.

Debate Partner – Having students engage in a lively discussion about a topic that is relevant to your unit of study can be exciting and the chatbot can point out some important points that students may have not considered before!

Sample Prompt – You are engaged in a debate about education. You will play the part of a debater who supports the opinion: not everyone should have access to public education. The student, who is learning Spanish, will play the part of a debater who supports the opposite opinion: everyone should have access to education regardless of age or gender. State your opinion and ask simple follow up questions, limit your questions and answers to an A2 or Novice High proficiency level.

Design A Story! – Students can work one on one with a chatbot to come up with a story together! A creative way for language learners to design a story about any topic of study, create an engaging story for an intended audience and consider questions as well – to design their own adventure within a story!

Sample Prompt – You are co-writing a narrative story with a student who is learning the Spanish language and has an A1 or Novice Mid proficiency level. The story involves three to four characters, a plot, conflict, rising and falling action and a conclusion that resolves the conflict. Be creative and original in storytelling. Provide helpful feedback to help correct grammar and/or spelling mistakes.

Assessment Prep/AP Lang Practice – Before an upcoming performance assessment, design a chatbot to serve as a conversational buddy to review essential questions and unit performance objectives.

Sample Prompt – You are a teacher of Spanish who is assisting a student practice their language skills before an upcoming integrated performance assessment. You review the following essential questions by engaging in a dialogue to help the student practice respond and share their thoughts about: What makes up a balanced lifestyle? How do you define wellness in your community? What routines, habits and foods contribute to healthy living? Be sure to keep the conversation all about a balanced lifestyle and how we maintain wellness in our daily lives. Repeat and recycle key vocabulary that involve cognates from the Spanish language. Be supportive and provide feedback related to the student’s use of grammar and spelling when appropriate.

With these different chatbot uses in mind, there are two current platforms that I have used which allow language teachers to generate these bots for students and they do not require any identifiable personal information from the student, such as emails or full names. The student is an anonymous participant but perhaps uses their initials only or an assigned numerical code, so the teacher can later review the conversation on their end once completed.

Chatbot Design Platforms & Resources

Mizou – It allows teachers to design their own chatbots, search within a community of available chatbots, set their own to “public” or “private” and students are provided with a link to access the session, once the teacher has made it “live”. You can view tutorials on their site.

SchoolAI – This AI tool has MANY capabilities, as they are considered an “all-in-one” platform for educators. The site has “spaces” available for teachers to set up for students to practice their language skills.

*For both of the above tools and many others, I have created and shared simple five minute or less tutorial videos on the Lo Logramos Youtube Channel, be sure to subscribe to stay connected to future AI Tools tutorial videos for language educators & language instruction!

*To learn more about how to transform your language classroom with AI, you can check out my newly launched asynchronous course: The AI Tools Institute for Language Classrooms to assist language teachers of any language! A seven session journey with guiding slideshows, resources, guides, helpful reflective questions and many videos, all in one space!

Chatbot Choice Board

To receive your own copy of the handy Chatbot Choice Board, please head over to the private Team Lo Logramos Facebook Community. There you will be able to request to join our community and later, access the Chatbot Choice Board for use in your language department or with your language students!

Thank you for reading! I hope that you keep experimenting, sharing and learning about how Generative AI can help transform your language classroom and your students’ language learning experience! I do hope we stay connected and feel free to reach out with any questions, wonderings or comments! @team_lologramos

LoLogramos – Get a $5 off discount when you use the code LTL5 at checkout, exceptions may apply

Make it Happen! #GoalsProject in Spanish Class

Posted on by Vicky Masson

It has been great to focus on one goal a month since the beginning of 2024. So many times we start school strong to find ourselves drifting as the months go bye. So far, in 2024, we have concentrated in collecting moments and doing more of what we love. So, in March, we will continue with … Make it Happen!

To me, to ‘make it happen’ is to accomplish what you dream of or desire by doing what is best for you and your students. It does not mean that it is easy or that it is a quick fix. It will probably require effort to solve problems and face different challenges. Thus, I want to encourage you to take the first step, take action, and make it happen!

It was the end of January and I remember thinking: What do I want to accomplish? How am I going to do it? Then, I learned about the #GoalsProject through social media and I signed up as soon as I got the green light from my school.

#GoalsProject – Make it Happen!

The #GoalsProject is done by students all around the world based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (I wrote about the SDGs in What Do You Do When You Learn Something New?). The UN SDGs are the solutions to world problems and a call to action to make it happen.

The #GoalsProject is a richly infused 6-week global collaboration project based on the SDGs to promote taking action in the classroom. It requires students to practice 21st century skills: learning skills, literacy skills, and life skills, which are essential for students to succeed in life. As a world language educator, this was exactly what I envisioned for my students!

The #GoalsProject also encompasses most of the principles of Powerful Learning. And what better way to provide voice and agency to my students than through taking action for the SDGs.

To introduce the project, students talked about the SDGs and learned about their importance and how crucial it is to help in achieving these goals by 2030. This year, students dug deeper into SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production. 

Middle school was given 3 SDGs to choose from, and SDG 12 was the one we picked for sixth grade Spanish. I chose SDG 12 because it relates directly to the work we do at school with TerraCycle ‘to recycle the unrecyclable.’ 

Activities and Tasks: Make it Happen!

Some of the activities we did and some tasks my 6th-graders performed in Spanish class during their participation in this program are these:

  • Participating in a Virtual School Assembly  
  • Responding to Youth Ambassadors 
  • Having a video-conference with students in the Dominican Republic 
  • Completing a KWHLAQ graphic organizer 
  • Listening to videos about the ‘Circular Economy’ 
  • Completing a Systems Thinking Compass 
  • Creating a poster for Fact-ivist! 
  • Brainstorming solutions to problems related to SDG 12 

Let me share a little bit about these tasks below. There are links to the sources used as well. 

Participating in a Virtual School Assembly

The Virtual School Assembly was a webinar in which my students participated with thousands of other students in the world. It showed students the scope of the project and gave purpose to what they were doing.

Responding to Youth Ambassadors 

After listening to what Youth Ambassadors from all over the world did towards the SDGs and why, my students found inspiration to start their contribution to helping achieve the SDGs. Their responses in the Padlet showed how impacted students were by the Youth Ambassadors speeches/ presentations to a personal level. 

Having a video conference with students in the Dominican Republic 

Connecting with students their age from another country in Spanish and learning about their projects was a highlight for most of my students. 

Completing a KWHLAQ graphic organizer 

To show students’ thinking we used the KWHLAQ graphic organizer which is based on six questions:

  • K – What do we think we know about this topic? 
  • W – What do we need to find out? 
  • H – How will we find out the answers to our questions? 
  • L – What are we learning and what have we learned? 
  • A – What action will we take? 
  • Q – What new questions do we have? 

Using the KWHLAQ helped me see what students learned and what their interests were.

Listening to videos about the ‘Circular Economy’ 

The Ellen MaCarthur Foundation is all about the circular economy, which is key in achieving SDG12, Responsible Consumption and Production. We listened to some videos on this topic and discussed them. 

Completing a Systems Thinking Compass 

I loved having students complete the Systems Thinking Compass because it is a tool that helps students see the interdependence of any system.

The Systems Thinking Compass is easy to understand as it uses the four points of the regular compass but renaming them. So the N for North, becomes the N for Nature. The E for  East becomes the E for Economy. The S for South becomes the S for Society, and the  W for West becomes the W for Wellbeing. 

For example, having the SDG 12 in the center and thinking about the impact of consumption and production from the lens of Nature, Economy, Society, and Wellbeing helped students identify the issues and then connect their commonalities.  It was probably the most difficult activity we did as it required them to think in systems, make connections, and then present their ideas to the class.

Creating a poster for Fact-ivist!  

Researching data related to the SDG12 in Latin America was challenging as they had to find reliable sources. Students did their research starting from a simple Google or Bing search and narrowed it down to relevant sources like the World Bank, UN.org, Paho, Agenda2030lac, IDB, etc. In the end, students were able to identify data related to the SDG 12 that was interesting to them and complete their assignment of creating a poster using data.

At the beginning, data such as the amount of food that is wasted, was surprising to them, but it made this SDG real! Then, they created a poster to represent the data found using a digital art tool like Canva. The cherry on top was publishing their poster for the world to see. You can check them out in the Fact-ivist Gallery. 

Brainstorming solutions to problems related to SDG 12 

Using a storyboard, students sketched their possible solutions to problems related to SDG 12, from recycling to creating innovative ways to wasting less food. They came up with such great solutions! Then, they wrote a sentence or two about their sketches. 

Make it Happen!

In a fun way, students learned about the SDGs while having the opportunity to think about the world’s needs and contribute with their different perspectives to make a change. This experience was very powerful as it showed students what they can do to help the Earth and that they can do it.

I am happy to have made it happen for my students!

How do you use videos in a World Language class?

Posted on by Vicky Masson

There are many edtech tools and videos to help students with their Interpretive Listening skills. Sites such as EdPuzzle and Lyrics Training and other edutech resources like Forms (Google and Microsoft) are some of my go-to resources. I have also used Bilingual Cerebros, Señor Wooly, and Rockalingua, to name some, to help students expand their vocabulary and language structures.

Videos as Authentic Resources

What first comes to my mind when I hear ‘videos’ is authentic and organic ways of teaching and learning. I use a lot of music videos when teaching. Previously, I talked about using songs as Interpretive Reading tasks. Now, I’d like to share about one of the latest video I have used in class. 

The video “Soy Tuya” to talk about Puerto Rico is what I used. I adapted a plan that I had created to fit my novice-mid level students. Students would discover Puerto Rico in a different way … and it worked! Before we started, I asked them what they knew about Puerto Rico and we used OneNote to record their answers. Only then I played the video “Soy Tuya”. They watched it several times, but each time, they had to focus on a particular aspect. This is what I had my student do when watching this video:

  • Talk about what surprises and/ or impacts you
  • Name the objects that you recognize
  • Name things related to nature or the environment
  • Talk about your favorite part and explain why you like it 

After watching the video and completing the tasks mentioned above, I asked them to write what they knew about Puerto Rico. They were able to write a lot and were so proud about it!

Media Literacy

Once I learned what they knew about Puerto Rico, I played the video again and paused it as I needed to focus on some landmarks and important information given in the video. Students learned a little bit of history, geography, flora and fauna, etc. We also discussed the lyrics and the story told through the song (using a little bit of Spanglish for this, I confess!).

One of my questions after watching the video together was “Did you notice what is NOT in the video”? Although at first, they were a little puzzled by my question, they started to mention a few things that were missing, such as hurricanes and their devastating impact. We briefly discussed Media Literacy Q-Tips, and we especially focused on who is not represented in the video. 

Vocabulary & Language Structures

The next class, students watched the video again and this time they listed the activities people do and then told me who does what. Students noticed many more activities than I had expected! It gave them the opportunity to practice conjugating with a purpose and in an organic way! 

Authentic and Connected

A few days later, when we had a video conference with a Puerto Rican, a dear friend and also a language teacher…my students were ready! They recognized some of the places and faces from the video in the slides she showed them, and asked good follow up questions based on their novice-mid level. 

Your Turn

I’d like to know how you use videos in your class. Please, leave a comment or email me at connect@languageteachinglab.com with questions and ideas.

BILINGUAL CEREBROS: A Community for Spanish and English Students and Teachers

Posted on by Vicky Masson

by Maria Martinez (LTL Contributor)

It all started with the pandemic and the boredom during lockdown. I have been a teacher for 23 years and creating my channel BILINGUAL CEREBROS was, especially during the pandemic, a way to motivate and support my students and keep my mind occupied. 

However, once our lives went back to normal, I decided to continue with this channel as it had grown into a large community, currently more than 7,000 subscribers from all over the world, Spanish and English students and teachers. 

My actual students have given me great feedback and encouraged me to carry on with the project as it really helps them revise the content from our lessons and even practice before exams. 

I have also received very positive feedback from independent students from all over the world, thanking me because my videos and resources help them learn and many can’t afford to pay for private lessons, so they find my channel very helpful.

Teachers from all over the world have also given fantastic feedback to the channel as the resources shared help them save planning and preparation time. I also share the PowerPoint versions from the videos shared in the channel and they are all free.

In BILINGUAL CEREBROS you can find different sections in the playlists, including: short stories and fables to reflect on, vocabulary and grammar quizzes, reading and comprehension texts including questions and answers, tasks to train listening skills, cultural texts, bilingual mindfulness, songs and some more. There are more than 240 videos with activities and links to printable resources and I upload new content weekly. You can see in the photo below a summary of the different sections in the Playlists.

I love creating and sharing resources. For me it is a real pleasure to know that my resources help not only my students but also many others, and that this help can have an impact in someone’s life and their future. As we all know, languages open many doors, and if my contribution to improve someone’s language skills can have a role in their future, that is the best feeling in the world. 

I invite you all to visit BILINGUAL CEREBROS at www.youtube.com/@bilingualcerebros

And if you need the PowerPoint or printable version from any of my videos, do not hesitate to email me at: mariamartinez1@hotmail.co.uk 

You can also follow me in my other social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/languages_sra_martinez/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LanguagesResourcesSraMartinez/ 

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bilingualcerebros 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LanguagesSra

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-martinez-5bb94a1a5/ 

Feel free to request topics of your interest. I will be happy to help!

Thank you for visiting and supporting BILINGUAL CEREBROS! ¡Muchas gracias! 🥰

VideoAsk: Get Almost Face-to-Face Interpersonal Speaking with Video

Posted on by Vicky Masson

by Vicky Masson

“EdTech” is a column of Language Teaching Lab where we highlight the use of educational technology in the world language class

What is VideoAsk?

VideoAsk allows you to build stronger relationships with students by getting a personal almost face-to-face response from them. A wonderful way of capturing all your students’ thoughts and ideas at once, in video! Start video asking with your students right away. 

Why is it essential for language teaching and learning?

The VideoAsk widget lets you get a personal almost face-to-face response from students on day one and keep on building it. With VideoAsk you welcome students every day, every week, or every semester. It allows you to start an authentic dialogue with each student and add a more personal touch to any assignment. It engages your students with its welcoming and easy to use interface. Students get to know YOU better as well. 

Best of all, students do not need an account to answer your questions or give you feedback. In one click, they respond to your video and you get their answers by video, audio, or in writing. You decide. As an added value, you can organize the answers in different folders, name the folder and the video response and much more.

VideoAsk

How could VideoAsk be used in a language class?

There are many ways that you can use VideoAsk in a language class. The following are some ideas to get you started.

  • Respond to questions and ask questions, building connections from day one, even before your course starts
  • Use interactive video to communicate with your students in a personalized way. It’s almost like you’re face-to-face
  • Record your questions and share them with students so that they receive them on their own devices.
  • Evaluate students’ responses and track their progress.
  • Customize to only accept video, audio or text as an answer to your questions. You can also add a multiple choice option
  • Embed your VideoAsk on any web page and bring more life to your assignments
  • Connect VideoAsk to many apps you are already using 
  • Use VideoAsk in your own language with Multi-language support
  • Download your students’ videos and have them include them in their portfolios
  • Choose which steps go to which student. VideoAsk allows branching
  • Show students different follow-up videos based on their answers
  • Reply to your students from the VideoAsk inbox
  • Personalize instruction! Convert into text all video/audio recordings to find key points

If you want to have an almost face-to-face interpersonal speaking with your students, try VideoAsk. Connect, build relationships and trust!

Empowering Language Learners with Powerful Learning

Posted on by Vicky Masson

by Vicky Masson

‘What’s in a framework?’ is a column of Language Teaching Lab. A framework informs our teaching and it shows a unique philosophy.  It gives us a shared language and purpose, and it lets us see teaching and learning from diverse perspectives

What is Powerful Learning?

Powerful Learning empowers all students to work towards a better world providing voice, agency, and time to reflect on their learning journey, all while using technology with a purpose.

Powerful Learning

As an  #HP Teaching Fellow, I am part of the #ReinventTheClassroom program, which is a collaboration with HP, Microsoft, Intel, and Digital PromiseI, and I am a teacher ambassador and an advocate for Powerful Learning.

Essential Questions in Language Classes and Powerful Learning

Essential questions are key in all disciplines and help maintain the focus of what we do. Language essential questions might read:

-How might learning a language expand my worldview to understand and value perspectives, to connect and collaborate in multicultural environments, and to become a global citizen?

-How might learning information, concepts, and ideas in another language challenge and invite deeper thinking, and help develop an inquisitive mind, all while reflecting and taking action?

-How can I best use the language I am learning to express myself and gain understanding in authentic contexts, in person and online?

These essential questions align with the eight principles of Powerful Learning to engage students’ hearts and minds 

  • Personal and Accessible
  • Authentic and Challenging
  • Collaborative and Connected
  • Inquisitive and Reflective

Personal and Accessible

In short, Personal indicates that every student has a unique learning profile. We should rethink learning styles, standards, and averages as Jessica Jackson Practitioner Partnerships Director at the Learning Variability Project explains. She describes the factors that influence learning and how to put into practice some strategies that work for student learning in the GWATFL TIPS Learner Variability video. 

It is Accessible when educators remove barriers and provide structures and supports, such as those related to the pedagogy educators use, the use of technology, and the design of a learning environment conducive to learning. Digital Promise Research-Based Design Certified Products verify products that are Accessible. I have used many of them in my language class, such as ‘Actively Learn,’ ‘BrainPop,’ ‘Newsela,’ ‘Microsoft,’ and ‘Quizlet,’ and I would like to explore more.

Authentic and Challenging

Students need an Authentic purpose for learning, relevant learning experiences, and a real audience. The following student generated questions in Innovate Inside the Box: Empowering Learners Through UDL and the Innovator’s Mindset should be at the centre of our teaching:

  • Why is this important?
  • How will I use it?
  • How does this connect with something I already know? 

Real World is a Digital Promise resource that guides you through the steps of the process of finding authenticity in your teaching. Give it a try! 

The Challenging principle brings in students’ strengths, setting high expectations, all while supporting students actively by making it a productive struggle. 

I used the Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) framework as well as the app ‘Need a nudge?’ with my Spanish Club, a Spanish Chapter for the AATSP Sociedad Hispánica de Amistad. In the Engage phase, students worked on our Big Idea which was Connections, our Essential Question “How do we invite people from our community to speak Spanish with us?” and the Challenge, which was to design learning experiences to connect with Spanish-speakers in our community. Students went on to the Investigate phase and then the Act phase, all along reflecting and documenting their findings. Awesome learning happened!

Collaborative and Connected

It is Collaborative when students work together to solve problems, learn from and teach each other, collaborate and communicate to create.

This is one of my favorite Collaborative projects ever! The No.More.Plastic project involved more than 416 schools globally across 68 countries, covering six continents. During 3 weeks students focused on the problem, solutions, and how to take action. Students learned about the UN Sustainable Development Goals first. My students created a chant to raise awareness about the use of plastic. They presented their chant at the school cafeteria as they felt it was the place they needed to start reducing the use of plastic the most. It was a moving experience!

It is Connected when students use technology purposefully, connect with their community and across the globe, and educators become co-creators in the process. 

My students participated in a global and collaborative project, #SingleVoicesGlobalChoices, opened to Middle School and High School students. We are located near Washington, DC and the other class was located in Barcelona, Spain. Both classes worked on creating Blackout Poems to celebrate National Poetry Day. We used a variety of EdTech tools such as Newsela, OneNote, Flipgrid and Padlet. My students loved the project!

Inquisitive and Reflective

In the Inquisitive principle, inquiry is a vehicle for understanding and it can be empowering. Learners ask questions, seek answers, and seek new questions. Being inquisitive helps making connections. 

In the Design it Yourself! Mini-Exhibit by the Cooper Hewitt museum students had to design their mini-exhibit using items found at home.

Students reflected on their work by answering questions such as,

–Has this project transformed the way you see the world?

–What did you learn about yourself?

In the Reflective principle, reflection supports deeper learning in context, it helps with the synthesis of new ideas and to better understand yourself and the world. 

When assessing Interpersonal Speaking, I generally use T. A. L. K. (from The Keys to Planning for Learning) an acronym where the T stands for Talk/Time, the A for accuracy in content and form, the L stands for Listening, and the K for Kindness. To me this last is the one that helps students reflect the most when they ask themselves ‘How can I help someone else achieve?’ They are putting on somebody’s shoes and being empathetic.

Challenges of Implementing Powerful Learning

Implementing Powerful Learning may be challenging. Consider these tips when you start this journey:

  • Put one principle into practice and grow from there
  • Align to the work you are already doing 
  • Consider your “why”
  • Keep students at the centre of all decision making processes 

Quoting Digital Promise, “Powerful Learning … provide[s] opportunities for students to deeply engage in their learning while using technology in ways that contribute to closing the Digital Learning Gap.”

Are you using Powerful Learning in your language classes?

Resources

Challenges of Teaching in a Pandemic Solved with Kami

Posted on by Vicky Masson

by Marcela Velikovsky

“EdTech” is a column of Language Teaching Lab where we highlight the use of educational technology in the world language class

To say that teaching with COVID-19 in 2020 was challenging is an understatement!

Whether you had to teach 100% virtually or a hybrid combination of online and in person, the challenge in the world language classes was how to address all modes of communication fairly equally. The Google Meet breakout rooms were okay, but I couldn’t get the whole conversation if I wanted to listen to all my students. Sometimes they would see me join the breakout room and become nervous so I felt I was disrupting their conversation.  I wasn’t sure how to get my students to do interpersonal speaking in real time, listen to them, give them feedback, and assess them without spending all my waking hours on the computer. I was becoming crazy with all the different tabs I needed open on my laptop in order to plan and teach my lesson.

One day, my prayers were answered. The Director of Innovation and Educational Technology at my school introduced us to Kami. My challenges were solved with Kami.

https://www.kamiapp.com/

What is Kami?

Kami is a digital classroom tool that helps teachers create flexible and collaborative learning environments. I just couldn’t believe my eyes when I tried it and discovered all I could accomplish with only one tool! It was amazing! Kami Interacts with any documents; it creates, sends, and grades assignments all from one place, it works online or offline, and enables students to interact with teachers, resources, and each other by using text, freehand, audio, voice-typing, or video.

https://www.kamiapp.com/

I’m including their video so you can learn a bit more about it.

How I Use Kami

For Interpersonal Speaking Assessments

First, I would create a document with the directions and prompts to assess interpersonal speaking and give it to the student-partners. One of the partners made a copy and shared it with his classmate so they could work together while maintaining the safe 6-feet-apart distance if both were at school and also if one partner was at school and the other was at home. Taking turns, they would use the voice feature to record themselves and complete the conversation. They shared it with me and I would give them feedback inserting an image of the rubric and using either the voice or text message to focus on their strengths and areas for growth.

Interpersonal Speaking Rubric

For Reading Aloud

I also use Kami as a practice tool for reading aloud. I can open any PDF text with Kami and I record my own reading aloud to model and then have students read aloud while they record themselves. This way I can see how they decode the text and what sounds give them the most trouble. In my feedback, I can share some strategies on how to articulate and connect sounds so the listener can understand what they say.

For Interpretive Reading and Annotation

When we read novellas in class, I use a digital copy of the chapter to project on my screen. This way, students can see when I highlight, underline and write as we read along so they do it in their own text. The writing tool allows me to write new vocabulary, but also to verbalize our thinking as we read and make connections to the text. Students write annotations in sticky notes that add to the pages in their book. This is an example of Brandon Brown quiere un perro, by Carol Gaab:

For Presentational and Collaborative Writing

I can open my students’ projects and see who wrote what and when. This helps me know exactly how I can better support them depending on their needs. I can also make a copy for each partner so each student receives individual feedback.

Why I like Kami

Being a language teacher, I design lessons that include all modes of communication, so having such a versatile tool that allows me to interact and use what I already have in one platform is my dream come true! In addition, I always have lots of feedback for my students and time does not allow me to conference with them in person as I’d like. So another perk of this fantastic tool is that it allows me to give them feedback right away and directly on the assignment that they virtually hand-in. I can underline or circle things in their writing at the same time I record or write my explanation.

This is an example of how I used Kami with my novice students

And you? How have you used Kami? If you haven’t used it yet, are you ready to try?

Credits and Resources

-https://www.kamiapp.com/

–Brandon Brown quiere un perro by Carol Gaab

Wonder.me in a World Language Class

Posted on by Vicky Masson

“EdTech” is a column of Language Teaching Lab where we highlight the use of educational technology in the world language class

by Vicky Masson

Wonder.me is the next Zoom/Teams?

I had the opportunity to attend the #HPTeachingFellow Summer Convening where I experienced Wonder.me first hand. I loved how I could easily navigate this site, forever changing the way I saw online meetings. I am looking forward to using Wonder.me in my language classes.

What is Wonder.me?

Wonder.me is a platform to connect with other people. This connection can take the form of virtual networking, virtual gatherings, and virtual spaces.This platform is simple to navigate and it gives you the freedom to move from one space to another by moving your avatar to another area or circle. Does it sound complicated? Watch this short video to see how Wonder.me works and what it looks like

Wonder.me Introduction

How does it differ from Zoom/Teams?

Zoom and Teams are great and they have their own purpose. I have used both of them when teaching, and depending on what I am planning to do I would choose one or the other.  My premise is to choose the best edtech tool for my students to thrive, and Wonder.me gives me another option to connect my students among themselves and to the world.

What do you need to do?

To use Wonder.me in a language class, you need to create an account with Wonder.me, which is free, and you need to become a host – you can also have co-hosts. That way you can invite guests to join your students and you to Wonder.me.

As a host, you set up different areas, decide the content for each area, and plan how students will interact. You decide how much autonomy you want to give your students and you also have the option of talking to all the groups/circles/areas by making announcements when needed. You can decide what background to choose depending on the unit of study. As a host you can include a question that everybody has to answer to join your Wonder.me space and much more!

This 5 minute video gives you an idea of what a host can do and how it is done.

When can Wonder.me be used in language teaching and learning?

Wonder.me’s mission, “to give the world a space where groups can meet and talk” goes hand in hand with the nature of a language class: to have students think in another language and communicate their ideas orally and in writing with others –the chat feature works great for this. 

As you can see, there are many possibilities to be explored in a language class using Wonder.me. Here are two examples of how I would use Wonder.me in a language class:

Book circles:

This applies when reading books in your own class or with a classroom partner 

  • When reading the same novel, have students choose or assign students to join different circles for each character in a book
  • When reading different books, each circle hosts students that are reading the same book

Collaboration Spaces:

This applies to groups in your own class or with groups between your class and a classroom partner. Students navigate to a circle in order to…

  • discuss topics
  • solve a problem 
  • provide definitions of their own
  • create a story
  • analyze an image using a PZ Thinking Routine
  • investigate and research 
  • prepare for an interview
  • Interview other students

One of the features that I like the most about Wonder.me is that you can see where every student is at any given time. That, to me, is precious!.

Do you have a favorite edtech tool to use in your language classes?