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, I sat down with Dr. Karen Lichtman and Jason Fritze to unpack what it really means to teach for acquisition—and the three key skills we all need to make that happen.
Grab your cafecito ☕ and let’s break it down.
First, What Is “Teaching for Acquisition”?
Dr. Karen Lichtman explained it so clearly: Teaching for acquisition means helping students develop procedural knowledge of language—the kind of knowledge that becomes automatic, just like in their first language.
It’s not about conscious study or memorization. It’s about implicit learning—using the brain’s natural capacity for language.
In short? We’re not creating grammar experts. We’re developing communicators.
Skill #1: Keep It Comprehensible
If we want students to acquire language, we have to speak the language to them—and make sure they actually understand it.
Both Karen and Jason emphasized this again and again: comprehensibility is non-negotiable.
That means:
- Using gestures, visuals, facial expressions, and realia
- Limiting vocabulary (especially at the beginning)
- Repeating, circling, rephrasing, and checking for understanding
- Using high-frequency words and staying concrete
Jason gave the perfect reminder: “If you can talk to a toddler, you can talk to a novice learner.”
Even when you’re teaching upper levels like AP or IB, if the conversation isn’t landing with your students, it’s okay to shift.
To read more about how to keep it comprehensible, check out this and this prior blog posts about this topic.
Skill #2: Ask Purposeful Questions
Jason said it best: “Communication should feel like a conversation—not like an academic class.”
This means asking real questions that lead to real answers.
Karen defined communication simply: it’s about exchanging unknown information. That means moving away from display questions (e.g., “What’s this?” “A pencil.”) and into curiosity-driven conversation (e.g., “Who has the most pencils?” or “What should we name this unicorn?”).
Karen’s tip for beginners: Start with yes/no and either/or questions. They’re easier to answer, easier to recycle, and keep the conversation in the target language.
And remember—if students don’t answer in Spanish, it’s okay. You can still keep the conversation in the language by paraphrasing or narrating their response.
In Episode 54 of Growing With Proficiency The Podcast, Paulino Brener talked to us about the Art of Asking questions. Read and listen here
Skill #3: Adapt to Your Students
The magic happens when we tailor our lessons to the students in front of us.
That means adapting resources, questions, topics—even cultural content—to make it engaging and relevant.
Jason reminded us that classroom communication is authentic. If you’re finding out what your students like, telling jokes in Spanish, or building a class mascot story together… that’s real communication.
And if you want to know more about the term authentic, check out this video from Unpacking Language Pedagogy
Karen added, “Your class is a culture.” And that culture grows differently in every group, every year.
Instead of clinging to pre-set units or trying to “get through” a textbook chapter, we can use student interests and reactions as our guide.
Yes, it’s a little unpredictable.
Yes, it takes practice.
And yes, it’s worth it.
So Where Do You Start?
Let’s be real—this can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re coming from a traditional background, a textbook-heavy curriculum, or if you’re brand new to acquisition-driven instruction.
But here’s the good news: you don’t need to throw everything out. You just need to start where you are.
If you’re wondering what’s the first step to take, both Karen and Jason offered practical, approachable ideas:
Start with a daily chat. Karen suggests adding a consistent “chat” time in your class routine. It could be a simple:
- Weekend chat
- Calendar talk
- Special person interview
- “This or that” question of the day
The goal? Start using the language to connect. Focus on teacher talk that’s comprehensible and purposeful—even if your students respond in English at first.
And here’s the research Karen shared:
What most influences students’ language growth isn’t how much they speak the target language—it’s how much they hear it from the teacher in ways they understand.
In other words, you are the language model. If you’re speaking in the TL consistently and in a way they can understand, you’re already building the path for acquisition.
Challenge yourself to use more TL each week.
Jason put it beautifully: “If I can help my students acquire Spanish with only 25 hours per year, so can you.”
You don’t have to hit 90% right away. But what if you bumped up your TL use just a little each day? Start by:
- Rephrasing instructions in Spanish with visual support
- Narrating classroom routines (e.g., “Vamos a escribir,” “Busca tu lápiz,” etc.)
- Asking one more question in Spanish than you usually would
Every little moment of input counts.
Final Thoughts: You Can Do This
Teaching for acquisition is not about perfection—it’s about progress. If you’re starting this journey, begin with these 3 key skills:
- Speak in the target language as much as possible—but make it comprehensible.
- Ask real, meaningful questions—start with yes/no or either/or and build from there.
- Adapt your stories, examples, and conversations to match your students and your classroom culture.
Start small. Keep it simple. Trust that every conversation, every gesture, every story you share in the language is building something powerful.
You’ve got this, profe.
