Student participation can completely change the energy of a classroom. When students raise their hands, share opinions, ask questions, and react to what is happening, we feel that energy too. The conversation begins to flow, connections grow, and the language starts to feel purposeful. But when students remain silent, teaching

Your phone is probably full of screenshots. You have saved Instagram posts, podcast episodes, conference notes, activity ideas, classroom decorations, and resources you still have not opened. Every idea looked incredible when you found it. But now that the first week of school is approaching, you are trying to fit

At the beginning of the school year, many of us feel excited and ready. We have the new unit. The fresh slides. The beautiful classroom setup. The goals. The plan. We want to use more target language. We want students to understand us. We want to build community. We want

Antes de planear para el año, pensemos en esto Hay una pregunta que me he estado haciendo mucho últimamente: ¿Qué hace que una clase de español se sostenga durante todo el año escolar?  No solo en agosto, cuando tenemos ideas nuevas y energía. También en noviembre, cuando el cansancio llega.

What if some of the things we were taught about language teaching are not really how language acquisition works? That was the heart of this conversation with Dr. Bill VanPatten, which was originally livestreamed in the IFLT Facebook group as part of CI Reboot. And honestly, this conversation was such

At the end of every school year, I ask my students to complete a reflection survey. One of my favorite questions is: What activity or strategy helped you grow the most in Spanish this year? Every year, I look forward to reading their answers. Sometimes they surprise me. Sometimes they

In episode 191, I shared three things that didn’t work in my classroom this year. Then in Episode 192, I reflected on behavior, classroom culture, relationships, expectations, and some of the lessons I learned from a challenging freshman class. But reflection isn’t only about looking at what didn’t work. It’s

Hace unas semanas terminé de leer las encuestas de fin de año de mis estudiantes. Si tú también haces encuestas, sabes exactamente de lo que hablo. Hay comentarios que te hacen sentir mucho orgullo, pero hay otros que te obligan a reflexionar. Este año una de las áreas en las

📖 Estimated read time: 8 minutes Let’s normalize something: sometimes the strategies that worked for years suddenly stop working.  And that can feel really frustrating. In this episode of Growing With Proficiency The Podcast, I’m starting my end-of-year reflection series with something a little uncomfortable. Not what worked this year,

📖 Estimated read time: 7 minutes It’s the end of the school year, and if you are anything like most language teachers I know, your brain is running a highlight reel of everything you didn’t do. Maybe you are thinking: I should have used more target language. I should have

If you’ve ever introduced a novel, short story, or movie to your students and felt like the excitement just… wasn’t there, this strategy might completely change the way you launch your next unit. In episode 189 of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast, I sat down with Rita Barrett, an outstanding

As we get closer to the end of the school year, many of us are feeling it. Students are restless. Attention spans are shorter. Energy is different. And if we’re honest, teachers are tired too. The last thing most of us want right now is to spend hours creating new

As the end of the school year gets closer, many world language teachers start feeling the same thing: students are tired, attention is shorter, and even simple tasks can feel harder than they did a few months ago. If you are hearing more sighs, seeing more blank stares, and noticing

Let’s be honest, profe… the end of the school year can feel like a lot. Energy is unpredictable. Schedules are messy. Testing is everywhere. And sometimes you’re just thinking: “What should I do today?” In episode 186 of Growing With Proficiency, I sat down with Allison Wienhold (Mis Clases Locas)

It’s not a secret that interpersonal communication activities are difficult. Many times, we ask students to engage with each other, and they either don’t participate, provide one-word answers, switch to their common language, or the conversation just… dies. The truth is, interpersonal communication doesn’t just happen because we ask students

Let’s have an honest conversation. If you’re feeling exhausted trying to do everything—planning, engaging, differentiating, creating, adjusting… you are not alone. And more importantly… You are not supposed to do it all. In this episode of Growing With Proficiency, I sat down with Meredith White, Bethanie Drew, and Maris Hawkins

Let’s talk about dictation, and how it can be way more than “taking notes in the target language.” In this episode of Growing With Proficiency, I sat down with Keith Toda (Latin teacher + creator of the Toda-lly Comprehensible Latin blog) to unpack a combo that sounds a little random

If you’ve ever felt like you’re talking to a wall during class… you’re not alone. You ask a question. Silence. Or you get the classic: “I don’t know.”  In my latest podcast interview, I sat down with Sally Barnes to talk about a framework that helps teachers bring back what

There’s a moment every language teacher knows. You start a story. You’re excited. You’ve got the visuals, the gestures, the energy… and then you notice it: eyes drifting, side conversations, that one student staring into the void like they’re watching a documentary about paint drying. So what’s going on? In

If you’ve ever looked at your roster on Day 2 and thought…  “Wow. These students are not in the same place.” 😅 You’re not imagining it. In this episode, I unpack the third “basic skill” of acquisition-driven instruction: adjusting and personalizing—the skill that keeps our classes comprehensible, human, and sustainable

As world language teachers, we hear this all the time: Stay in the target language.Ask more questions.Personalize instruction.Engage every student. And if you teach block classes… do all of that for 90 minutes. No wonder it feels overwhelming. That’s why I’ve been sharing a short series focused on building foundational

How to keep input flowing when your students (and you) are tired December is my favorite month — my birthday, the holidays, the food, the music, the spirit. I love it all. What I don’t love? Being at school in December and mid-terms. 😅 You know how it goes. Students

December hits differently, doesn’t it?We’re tired. Our students are tired. We’re thinking about grades, concerts, holidays, and family… and somehow, we’re still expected to plan lessons that keep everyone engaged. But after attending ACTFL in New Orleans this year, I walked away with one powerful reminder: The most effective world

A conversation with Wesley Wood As world language teachers, we want every student to feel welcome, confident, and capable in our classrooms. But when we talk about neurodivergent learners or students with disabilities, many of us feel… uncertain. We care deeply. We want to do right by our students. But

A CONVERSATION WITH KARA JACOBS If you’ve ever wanted to bring more music into your world language classroom, you’re not alone. Music connects students to emotion, culture, and identity — it’s universal! But here’s the challenge many of us face: how do we make authentic songs comprehensible? And if you

If you’ve read my blog or listened to Growing With Proficiency, the Podcast, you already know what I say again and again — the essential ingredient for language acquisition is input. That’s it. Mainly comprehensible language that students can read, see, or listen to. But then comes the big question:

It’s that time of year… the honeymoon stage in our classrooms may have faded, and now we’re living the daily ups and downs. Our energy isn’t what it was in August, and keeping engagement high feels harder than ever. What if I told you there’s a simple routine that can

Have you ever asked a great question in class… and the room went silent?Students look down, look away, or freeze. Meanwhile you’re thinking, They should answer. They should participate. That moment is so common and frustrating. In this episode of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast, I share how to reframe

Are errors or accents really blocking communication—or is it about how we listen? That’s the question I want us to sit with. As language teachers, we often talk about communication as the ultimate goal. But how often do we confuse communication with “sounding native”? How often do we correct a

Have you ever felt like getting your students to really use the target language with each other is the hardest thing? You want them to share ideas, agree or disagree, and ask questions. But when the moment comes, silence takes over—or worse, they switch to English. I’ve been there. And

As world language teachers, we understand that comprehensible input is essential for language acquisition. Our job is to make the language comprehensible, and our students’ job is to listen with the intention to understand. When language is comprehensible and comprehended, acquisition happens. That sounds simple enough, right? But in practice,

Let’s be honest, profe—teaching a world language can feel overwhelming. Between planning lessons, grading, classroom management, and trying to stay in the target language, it’s easy to feel like you’re constantly playing catch-up. But here’s the good news: there’s one tool that can save you time, lower your stress, and

Do you ever feel like Open House is too short to really explain what happens in your classroom? At my school, I only get seven to eight minutes with parents. That’s barely enough time to breathe, let alone go over late work policies, make-up work, or rules. But here’s the

WITH ELISSA MCLEAN AND ANNABELLE WILLIAMSON This month, I sat down with my friends and amazing language educators Annabelle Williamson (La Maestra Loca) and Elissa McLean to share some of our biggest takeaways from Conference in the Cloud. In this conversation, we shared real strategies we’ve seen work in our

Featuring Dr. Karen Lichtman and Jason Fritze – Episode 157 of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast If you’ve ever wondered, “How do I stop teaching about the language and start using the language to build real communication?”, this episode is for you. Inside this special live recording from CI Reboot,

Let’s be real: lesson planning can feel like a lot. Between standards, mixed-level classes, language goals, and behavior management, it’s easy to get caught in the trap of overplanning or relying on rigid templates that don’t leave space for what matters most: our students. In this episode of Growing With

Back to School Series That first week… wow. It brings up all the feelings: excitement, butterflies, maybe even a little chaos. There’s so much we could do, and so many great ideas floating around, that it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But if I’ve learned anything, it’s this: we don’t need

If you’re anything like me, you start the school year full of excitement, ideas, and inspiration. But we also know that once we’re back in the classroom that excitement can quickly give way to overwhelm. In the last blog and in Episode 151 of Growing With Proficiency The Podcast, I

As we gear up for a new school year, many of us are filled with excitement… and stress. We’re passionate about our students, committed to using the target language in class, and constantly trying to create engaging lessons rooted in second language acquisition (SLA) research. But often, we do it

Have you ever looked around your classroom—papers everywhere, a lesson half-planned, a to-do list still untouched—and thought: “Why can’t I just get it together?” If that’s you, I want to give you a big virtual hug 🤗 and invite you into this week’s conversation on Growing With Proficiency, the Podcast.

Let’s talk about something that isn’t always included in teacher PD sessions, workshops, or newsletters—but is very real: What do you do when your school no longer feels like a safe or supportive place to teach? If you’ve ever felt like your values no longer align with your school community…If

A few years ago, when we were just trying to find our rhythm post-pandemic, I started doing something that transformed how I approach the end of each school year—and honestly, my teaching overall. That thing? The S.T.E.P. Forward Protocol. Even now in 2025, I’m still using it. And this year,

A step-by-step guide from my conversation with Dahiana Castro We’ve all been there, profe… There are moments in our classes when everyone is super tired and distracted. This is the time when we don’t need more stress—we need simple, high-impact ideas that bring life back into our classes. 🎧 In

Do your assessments reflect all the powerful things your students have experienced and accomplished this year? In this episode of Growing With Proficiency, the Podcast, I’m taking a moment to reflect on how we can make our assessments feel more connected to the reality of our classrooms—especially at the end

When we’re alone in our classrooms, it can be hard to zoom out far enough to gain perspective or find solutions. However, we all need a community—a group of colleagues we can talk with to process the challenges and joys of teaching. This post is here to help us do

As language teachers, supporting and facilitating student output can be both rewarding and challenging. We know how excited students feel when they see what they can write and say in the target language. At the same time, we often view output as evidence of acquisition—yet that’s not necessarily the case.

Between our students, curriculum demands, and everything happening in our communities, it’s easy to lose sight of the core principles that truly drive language acquisition. That’s why I’m excited to revisit my powerful conversation with Dr. Bill VanPatten. In this episode of Growing with Proficiency, the Podcast, Dr. VanPatten challenges

Have you ever handed your students a reading passage, only to watch their eyes glaze over in frustration? Or maybe you’ve heard the dreaded “This is too hard!” before they even attempt to read? You’re not alone. As language teachers, we want our students to feel confident when reading because

Teaching a language is more than grammar and vocabulary—it’s about connection, empathy, and understanding diverse cultures. In this blog, I share insights from my conversation with Cécile Lainé, a French teacher passionate about embedding culture and intercultural competence into her novice-level classrooms. If you’ve ever wondered how to teach culture

In episode 131 of Growing with Proficiency The Podcast, Maris Hawkins, an experienced language educator and co-author of Common Ground: Second Language Acquisition Theory Goes to the Classroom, helps us better understand the newly updated ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines and how they can support our teaching practices. Listen above or here

Have you ever felt disengaged with your own profession? Need something to inspire you? Do you sometimes wonder how to reconnect with the passion that initially drove you to become a teacher? Staying engaged and connected with our job requires more than just understanding teaching strategies—it demands a deep sense

Start the year grounded in what truly matters, including building connections. In episode 128 of Growing with Proficiency The Podcast, I’m sharing my first-day-back lesson plan that focuses on my three pillars: staying comprehensible, building connections, and fostering communication. These pillars keep us centered on our ultimate goal: facilitating meaningful

What if we recognized language learners as linguistically gifted individuals, rich in stories, knowledge, and potential? In episode 127 of Growing with Proficiency The Podcast, I have a powerful conversation with Juliana Urtubey, 2021 U.S. Teacher of the Year, where she shares her inspiring framework of Joy and Justice in

As the school year wraps up, there’s no better time to reflect—not just on what we think worked, but on how students experienced our class. In episode 126 of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast, I’m sharing how I use end-of-year surveys to gather meaningful feedback that helps me adjust my

Keeping students engaged and focused during the last weeks of school can feel like an impossible task. But what if you could turn this tricky time into a fun, engaging learning experience—without burning yourself out? In episode 125 of Growing with Proficiency The Podcast, I’m sharing 3 powerful strategies that

What if you could easily add more reading to your classroom to support language acquisition and cultural competence without overwhelming yourself with extra work? Research shows that reading is one of the most effective ways for students to grow in proficiency. So, how can we make time for it in

Teaching intermediate learners and upper-level Spanish learners can feel overwhelming when expectations are high, proficiency levels vary, and the curriculum demands keep piling up! In episode 119 of Growing With Proficiency, The Podcast, we’re diving into the essentials of comprehensible input (CI) for intermediate and upper-level Spanish learners.  This is