A place where we express our opinions, perspectives, and understandings. A blog on language teaching and learning.

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A Blog on Language Teaching and Learning

  • Students Move Forward: Proficiency in the World Language Class
    Move forward, the theme for the month, was inspired by a question I have been pondering a lot lately;  How might a proficiency-based curriculum approach help students move forward in their language acquisition?  There is a huge difference in an educational setting between noticing…
  • Motivating and Inspiring Through Music in Language Lessons
    by Maria Martinez (LTL Contributor) Looking back at what motivated me as a learner when I was a child and I started learning English, brings back memories from my primary school years in a small village in the south of Spain. Back then foreign…
  • Con las cosas serias no se juega… ¿o sí? (in Spanish)
    by Ramón Clavijo (LTL Contributor) El diccionario de la RAE define serio/-a como real, verdadero y sincero, sin engaño o burla, doblez o disimulo. Teniendo en cuenta esta definición, no nos equivocamos si decimos que la enseñanza del español es una cosa muy seria. Nosotros nos la…
  • Chatbots in Your Classrooms
    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…
  • Make it Happen! #GoalsProject in Spanish Class
    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…
  • Visible and Invisible – Teaching Identity in World Languages
    As the new year started, I thought about what is important to me. To keep my line of thoughts, I brainstormed a phrase for each month. So far, I came up with ‘collecting moments’ for January, and I chose ‘doing more of what you…
  • La banda sonora de nuestras vidas (in Spanish)
    by Ramón Clavijo (LTL Contributor) Decía Chaikovski (o tal vez solo dijo, o quizás nunca llegó a decir, pero eso ahora no importa) que si no fuera por la música 🎶, habría más razones para volverse loco 🤪. No sabemos si estaríamos más locos o no, pero…
  • Literacy Strategies in the Language Classroom
    “Picking up word meanings through reading is ten times faster than intensive vocabulary instruction.” – Stephen Krashen by Noemí Rodríguez (LTL Contributor) We all know and understand that READING is a fundamental practice to acquire vocabulary in context and understand how target structures function.…
  • Una sesión de película (in Spanish)
    by Ramón Clavijo with Academia Iria Flavia (LTL Contributor) Cuando hablamos de llevar el cine al aula de ELE, no podemos pensar solo en “poner películas”, sino que debemos aprovechar al máximo todos los elementos que el séptimo arte pone a nuestra disposición 🎞🥰.…
  • Gratitude and New Year’s Resolutions in the Classrooms (English and Spanish)
    by Maria Martinez (LTL Contributor) As 2023 approaches its end, I would like to start by expressing my gratitude to Language Teaching Lab for giving me the opportunity to share my experience and resources here and also to all of you who follow and…
  • Una lengua con cuerpo II (in Spanish)
    by Ramón Clavijo (LTL Contributor) No queremos que tus estudiantes te echen en cara que no les has enseñado suficientes modismos relacionados con las partes del cuerpo, así que hoy te traemos una nueva entrega, la segunda de Una lengua con cuerpo. Te traemos también una…
  • Prompts and Resources to use AI in World Language Class
    Let’s see some prompts and resources for AI use to get you started. It is easy to get excited with AI! It is everywhere for us teachers to learn and use. In the context of AI, the phrase ‘Building adapting students’ caught my attention…
  • Una lengua con cuerpo (in Spanish)
    by Ramón Clavijo (LTL Contributor) Cuando un estudiante está con el agua al cuello 👤💧🔝, necesita que le eches una mano 🫳❤️. Si confía en tu capacidad como profesor o profesora, si entre vosotros se establece una relación de lealtad, estamos seguros de que acabará poniendo la mano en el…
  • Teaching and Celebrating International Days in World Language Classes
    Teaching and celebrating international days in World Language classes helps students see the power of learning languages. The International Days in September are particularly special to me. They help me set the tone of what is important in class, they help expand students’ global…
  • Esto va a ser la junta de la trócola (in Spanish)
    by Ramón Clavijo with Academia Iria Flavia (LTL Contributor) The content provides information about the origin of the expression “la junta de la trócola” and suggests teaching students the names of common car parts in Spanish. It also includes an infographic for reference. En…
  • El poder de cambiar… significados (in Spanish)
    by Ramón Clavijo (LTL Contributor) En otra entrada anterior hacíamos referencia a esos elementos de la lengua aparentemente caprichosos llamados preposiciones 🤪. Y finalizábamos aludiendo a un superpoder 🦸‍♀️🦸‍♂️: el de cambiar el significado de los verbos a los que acompañan. Vamos a dar…
  • De física cuántica, arqueología… y amor (in Spanish)
    by Ramón Clavijo (LTL Contributor) Las preposiciones son “personajes” particulares a la hora de aprender un idioma. De pequeños nos aprendíamos la retahíla en orden alfabético y la recitábamos con orgullo en clase. Pero ya de mayores llega el problema de aprenderlas en otras…
  • Collaboration within a World Languages Department
    I work at a school where there are lots of possibilities to develop professionally. I have attended conferences, workshops, and summer institutes to keep on learning, help improve my teaching, and become aware of the latest trends in language teaching and learning. Also, at…
  • ¡Con coma, por favor! (in Spanish)
    by Ramón Clavijo (LTL Contributor) Entre los personajes del mundo hispano que contribuyen a exportar la lengua española encontramos mujeres y hombres procedentes del mundo del arte 🎨 (por ejemplo, Frida Kahlo o Salvador Dalí), de la literatura 📚 (tales como Cervantes o García Márquez), de…
  • 11 Tips for Raising Bilingual/Multilingual Children -English and Spanish
    by Maria Martinez (LTL Contributor) Hello! My name is María Martínez and I am the creator of the channel BILINGUAL CEREBROS. I am also a former MFL Coordinator, Spanish and primary teacher with over 24 years of teaching experience, almost 20 of them in…
  • 𝐄l Camino hacia el Subjuntivo (in Spanish)
    by Ramón Clavijo Que el Camino de Santiago es una experiencia vital de gran importancia es algo con lo que muchas personas están de acuerdo 🙋🏾‍♀️🙋, y así lo vemos reflejado en los rostros de los peregrinos que pueblan y dan color a la…
  • How do you use videos in a World Language class?
    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…
  • The Important Role of Reading in Language Acquisition
    by María Martinez Having passion for reading is something that should be instilled in our students at a very early age. Today it is not so easy. Previous generations had fewer ‘distractions.’ There were not as many channels with such a variety of programs;…