#254

When was the last time you had enough time to actually think about your teaching instead of just keeping up with it? If you're like most language teachers, the school year is a constant cycle of planning lessons, grading, answering emails, attending meetings, and preparing for the next day. Summer offers something different: space. Space to reflect, learn, create, and prepare for the kind of teaching you want to do next year. But I also know that summer doesn't look the same for everyone. In this episode, I'm sharing five ways language teachers can use whatever time they have this summer to grow professionally without sacrificing the rest and balance they deserve.

Topics in this Episode:

• summer is one of the few opportunities teachers have to work on their teaching instead of simply surviving their teaching
• five things language teachers can do during the summer that are genuinely difficult to find time for during the school year.
  • reflect on what actually worked this year
  • learn one new teaching skill deeply instead of ten superficially
  • explore ideas you've been curious about all year
  • start next year feeling prepared instead of panicked
• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win Course

A Few Ways We Can Work Together:

• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual Teachers
• On-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language Departments
• Self-Paced Program for For Language Departments

Connect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:

• Website: wlclassrom.com
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook Group: World Language Classroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• LinkedIn: Joshua Cabral
• Bluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.socia
• X (Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#253

What if your students could use the language they’re learning to build real relationships with peers across the globe? In this episode French teacher Heidi Trude joins me to explore how authentic global connections can transform language learning. Heidi shares how a partnership that began with a simple idea grew into meaningful collaborations that deepen students’ language proficiency, cultural understanding, and confidence. We talk about virtual exchanges, international partnerships, practical starting points, sustainability, and the role of technology in making it all possible.

Topics in this Episode:

• Heidi's initial spark for building global connections and moving from “this would be nice” to actually making it happen
• the benefits of global connections for students and the teacher and some unexpected benefits that Heidi has seen
• the various types of global connections (virtual connections, in-country visits) and what it looks like in practice
• a few realistic entry points for a teacher who wants to create authentic global connections
• making these connections sustainable
• tech tools for global collaborations and ensuring the technology enhances communication rather than distract from it
• Heidi's Resource: Making The Global Connection

Connect with Heidi Trude

• Email: techietrude@gmail.com
• Website: Tech with Trude
• Facebook: Heidi.Trude
• Instagram: @hlt2007
• X/Twitter: @htrude07

A Few Ways We Can Work Together:

• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual Teachers
• On-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language Departments
• Self-Paced Program for For Language Departments

Connect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:

• Website: wlclassrom.com
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook Group: World Language Classroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• LinkedIn: Joshua Cabral
• Bluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.socia
• X (Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#252

Have you ever wondered whether your tests, quizzes or assessments truly measure what your students can do with the language, or are they just looking at what students can memorize or explain about the language? In this episode we're diving into Integrated Performance Assessments, or IPAs, an effective way to assess how students are actually able to use the grammar, vocabulary and cultural understanding. An IPA assesses how students engage with the language through the interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational modes. If you've been working toward proficiency-based instruction and looking for assessments that align with those goals, this episode will help you with that.

Topics in this Episode:

• Many teachers are moving toward proficiency-based instruction, but assessment often remains disconnected from communication goals.
• If our goal is communication, then assessment should provide opportunities for students to communicate.
• What is an Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA)? IPAs assess students through the three modes of communication: Interpretive, Interpersonal, Presentational
• The three tasks are connected rather than separate activities.
• Students move through a sequence that mirrors real-world communication: Receive information, Discuss information, Share information
• An IPA focuses on what students can do with language rather than how many grammar rules they can identify.
• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win Course: Integrated Performance Assessments.

A Few Ways We Can Work Together:

• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual Teachers
• On-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language Departments
• Self-Paced Program for For Language Departments

Connect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:

• Website: wlclassrom.com
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook Group: World Language Classroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• LinkedIn: Joshua Cabral
• Bluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.socia
• X (Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.