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.
Many times, students’ output does not align with our expectations, leading to frustration, stress, and even anxiety for both students and teachers. That’s why understanding the true role of output in language development is crucial.
In Episode 138 of Growing with Proficiency The Podcast, we dive deep into this topic, exploring:
✔️ The role of output in language acquisition.
✔️ The importance of realistic expectations and appropriate support for student output.
✔️ Carefully structured activities that support output without forcing it.
✔️ Two powerful classroom activities shared by Esther Galo and Christina Margiore inside the Winter Conference of Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy.
Understanding the Role of Output in Developing Proficiency
Output plays a role in developing proficiency, but it is not the driver of language acquisition—input is.
As Susan Gross famously said, “Input precedes output by a mile.” Students need comprehensible input (listening and reading) before they are ready to produce language (speaking and writing) with confidence.
According to Common Ground by Dr. Florencia Henshaw and Maris Hawkins, the role of output is to help students access the linguistic system that has been built through input. Output alone does not build the linguistic system—it allows learners to tap into what they have already acquired.
However, many textbooks start their units with output and their evaluations are more focused on output than input. This can have serious negative effects, including:
⚠️ Increased stress and anxiety, making students hesitant to participate.
⚠️ Demotivation, as they feel they are not “competent” to express themselves.
⚠️ Inauthentic production, where students resort to memorization rather than meaningful communication.
Instead of pressuring students to produce language, we should support and encourage output, understanding what it does, and setting realistic expectations.
For example, recognizing that a novice-level student may only be able to produce isolated words or memorized phrases, while intermediate learners can handle more complex, sentence-level responses, helps us tailor output activities appropriately.
For a deeper understanding of ACTFL proficiency levels, check out Episode 131 of Growing With Proficiency The Podcast with Maris Hawkins, where we discuss the new ACTFL descriptors and what they mean for classroom practice.
With a strong foundation of input and well-structured output tasks, students can feel excited rather than overwhelmed when using the target language.
Creating Supportive Output Activities
Successful output does not happen spontaneously—it must be scaffolded, structured, and purpose-driven. Below are two highly effective classroom activities that encourage output in meaningful, low-stress ways.
1. Color-Coded Collaborative Writing
(Shared by Esther Galo)
This structured writing activity provides students with the guidance, scaffolding, and support they need to write with confidence while engaging in a collaborative process.
How It Works:
✅ Students receive a writing prompt tied to a real-world task, such as drafting an email, composing a short article, or sharing about their weekend plans.
✅ The prompt includes guiding questions to help students organize their thoughts and ensure relevance and detail in their responses.
✅ To further support their writing, students receive structured scaffolds, such as:
- Key vocabulary lists
- Sentence starters to guide their phrasing
- Sentence frames to help them structure their ideas
✅ Before beginning their writing, students use graphic organizers to visually map out their ideas, making the transition to writing smoother and more structured.
The Magic of Color Coding:
Once students have analyzed the prompt and organized their ideas, they begin the writing process collaboratively using color coding as a visual aid to structure their response.
How color coding enhances writing:
🟢 Each section of the writing (e.g., greeting, main ideas, supporting details, closing) is assigned a specific color to help students see the logical flow of their writing.
🟡 As students write collaboratively in small groups, they use color coding to differentiate and organize different sections of the text.
🔵 Teachers can ask students to highlight key elements, such as connectors, idiomatic expressions, and essential vocabulary, to encourage richer language use and more natural expression.
Why It Works:
✔️ Provides structure and reduces anxiety, allowing students to focus on content rather than struggling with organization.
✔️ Encourages collaborative learning, where students support each other in developing their writing skills.
✔️ Helps students visually see the text structure, reinforcing the organization of written language.
✔️ Adaptable for all proficiency levels—teachers can adjust complexity based on student needs.
This method not only makes writing more engaging and manageable but also empowers students to approach writing with confidence while developing their proficiency step by step.
2. Interpersonal Communication with Bingo Cards
(Shared by Christina Margiore)
Speaking activities can be stressful, but this personalized Bingo activity structure the conversation in a way that makes students feel more conformatble and competent.
How It Works:
🔹 Teachers create Bingo cards filled with personalized questions (e.g., Did you go to the movies this weekend? / Do you play a sport?).
🔹 Students move around the room, asking classmates the questions in the target language to fill their Bingo card.
🔹 Once they complete their cards, they collaborate in small groups to summarize findings in writing.
Why It Works:
✔️ Gamifies the speaking process, making it fun and stress-free.
✔️ Encourages real interpersonal communication without putting students on the spot.
✔️ Builds confidence and fluency in a natural, interactive way.
Supporting Authentic and Realistic Output
To ensure that output activities set students up for success, teachers should ask:
✅ Have my students received enough input to complete this task?
✅ What scaffolding can I provide (sentence starters, vocabulary lists, visual aids)?
✅ Is the activity appropriate for their proficiency level?
Additionally, the goal of output tasks should not be mere grammar practice—but authentic self-expression.
For example, instead of asking students to talk about their weekend just to practice past tense, frame it as a class survey to discover the most popular weekend activities. This shift in purpose makes output feel more meaningful and engaging.
Final Thoughts: The Reality About Output
Encouraging output in a language classroom requires thoughtfulness, patience, and creativity, but the rewards are immense.
By implementing structured and engaging activities like color-coded collaborative writing or personalized Bingo, teachers support student output in ways that feel natural, effective, and motivating.
🎧 For more strategies and insights, visit Growing With Proficiency’s website or check out:
📢 Episode 56 & 57 – Where Dr. Florencia Henshaw shares key insights about output and proficiency development.
💡 Additional resources:
🔹 AP Spanish Language and Culture Free Response Questions Support
🔹 Bingo Card Template for Weekend Chat
How do you scaffold and support output in your classroom? Let’s continue the conversation! 🎙️💬
