The year is coming to a close and it has me thinking about all of the things I've learned from my incredible PLN! This was my first [half] year as a full time consultant/trainer with Seidlitz Education and I feel like I have absorbed so much during that time. I figured the best way I can say "thank you" to all of my amazing colleagues around the country is to share some highlights that I've learned, so here goes!
AI is doing amazing things for teachers (and causing headaches, too)! A quick google search of "AI lesson plans" provides a plethora of new programs designed to help teachers streamline the lesson planning process. I've played around with Curipod in particular and really liked some of the ideas it created. For world language teachers, think about using programs like Chat GPT to generate AP-aligned emails to which your students can respond. I type in a prompt such as "Write an email in Spanish at level A2 in which you describe your family and house. Embed 3 questions for the reader to respond to within the email" and I'm always surprised with what it turns out. I've found that it doesn't recognize proficiency levels from ACTFL as well as it does CEFR. You can find an infographic in the middle of the page here which explains those levels. Additionally, use Chat GPT to copy/paste your text into the program and ask it to generate comprehension questions. It can even create multiple choice options for you! Check out this infographic made by @mrsmiriamscott (and shared by @techMEWithyou) on X for ethical/unethical use of AI in schools.
When it comes to academic language, actual communciation is KEY to acquisition. I adore this poster that @Joycetovar4 created for her students to stretch their sentences, which encourages them to use brick AND mortar words throughout their writing and speaking. For world language students, this type of elaboration and detail is essential to move along the proficiency continuum (especially from novice to intermediate). As students write or read, consider having them annotate their own work with different color highlighters or symbols to show these components of their work (who/what/where/when/why) and PROVE their language growth!
Active reading is a MUST. I was the queen of the "hunt-and-peck" strategy during reading comprehension activities as a student. I read the question and scanned the text to see if I could possibly match a multiple-choice answer without even really reading at all. I may have gotten all of the answers right, but more often than not, I had no idea what the text was about. Whether it's annotation, highlighting, or note-taking, students should be showing you what they're thinking while they're reading. This also pairs nicely with the idea of discourse being what makes invisibile thinking visible. Students need to speak and write in order to show us what they are processing and understanding, just like they need to show their work in math! If we aren't seeing the processing, we don't know where the mistakes are until the assessment or final product. With programs like AI becoming more and more prevalent, it's so important that students are encouraged to "show their work" while learning to prove that they did indeed do it themselves! Here are a few annotation anchor charts I love!
Vocabulary acquisition is still a #1 priority of many teachers. It's simply not enough to take the path of least resistance and focus on memorizing words and definitions or words and translations. Students have to USE this vocabulary as often as possible in authentic communication about content in order to really acquire it. What does that mean? It means we have to provide exposure to the new vocabulary through speaking, reading, writing, and listening as well as connect the new words to images for students to process. Games such as Headbanz or Circumlocution Pyramid (coming soon to Seidlitz Education for world language teachers) get students talking ABOUT the words instead of just matching terms to definitions, and word walls help students make connections and quick meaning throughout class. An effective word wall grows with the students (avoid putting all of the terms up at once), contains student-created visuals, is organized, and is accessible by all students from their seats. Check out the examples below for some ideas. I especially love the word wall made on butcher paper (so easy!) and the tri-fold poster board for those of us trying to avoid the fire marshall visits ;)
Speaking of anchor charts, I can't get enough! A well-crafted anchor chart provides key vocabulary and essential (limited) information in a color-coded and organized poster. It can provide comprehensible input for content or it can provide sentence stems that students can use as they speak and write! Click here for some anchor charts that provide sentence stems at a variety of levels and for a variety of classes! See below for a post of a view gorgeous anchor chart I saw at Davis Elementary School in Dallas, TX!
Don't forget about QSSSA! This tried-and-true strategy is winning over hearts all over the country for good reason. Students are usually not the best passive learners and it's important to let them verbally process information throughout a lesson. One thing I love doing when I'm coaching teachers is making a QSSSA board with them (see below for an example from @AlyAveritt in North Carolina). If you make laminated/magnetic buttons for ready responses (such as thumbs up/stand up), sharing systems (such as shoulder partner/away partner), and randomization (such as popsicle sticks/numbers), you can easily switch those out throughout class and quickly write a content question and sentence stem or sentence frame as needed. Additionally, QSSSA flows seamlessly into writing! As students share responses in the "assessment," write a bulleted list of their ideas. Then, ask that students write a few sentences using their classmates' responses using the question as the prompt. If they aren't quite ready to write (or you're seeing they need some more support), write a paragraph as a class and use it as a model text later on! P.S. Seidlitz is putting out a QSSSA book in February! If you're in TX, come check out the What's Working Conference on February 1 in Plano and receive a copy of the new book!
This year I've had the most incredible opportunity to help school districts around the state with writing world language curriculum. Even though we all prepare for the same AP test, every district uses different textbooks, comprehensible input readers, and materials. When working with districts, I'm focusing on proficiency benchmarks and indicators from ACTFL paired with AP themes and the most common topics from AP tests over the past 8 years to create a well-balanced curriculum that can easily incorporate any textbook or CI program while still targeting authentic communication and appropriate outcomes based on the level of the students. This type of curriculum can be language-agnostic (meaning ANY language can use it), or it can be specific to certain languages or programs (such as a native/heritage speaker program). Whether I'm creating the curriculum myself or I'm working with a team of teachers to do so, it has been a tremendous experience that I adore! If this is something you're interested in, please reach out to me at sally@seidlitzeducation.com and I will get you the information!
Some exciting things are coming from Seidlitz Education in 2024 including new products (like a book all about QSSSA), new trainings, and lots of new content for world language teachers in particular! Subscribe to the blog here for more info!
You can catch me at SCOLT (Southern Conference on Language Teaching) March 7 - 9 in Atlanta, GA and at NABE (National Association of Bilingual Education) in New Orleans, LA March 28 - 30. Of course, I'll be at TFLA (Texas Foreign Language Association) in October as well. I'm so excited for all of the leading and learning to be done in 2024!
