Elevating Intermediate Learners with CI – Authentic Resources, Grammar, Writing, and Feedback (Part 3)

This week’s episode 122 of Growing with Proficiency The Podcast is packed with actionable insights to help you simplify and strengthen your classroom practices. It is the final installment of our three-part series, Elevating Intermediate Learners with Comprehensible Input. We’re tackling the questions YOU asked from authentic resources to grammar instruction, writing support, and feedback. 

I’ll highlight these topics in this post, but to hear all of the details, listen above or here. 

Sustainable Teaching

I started the discussion by sharing an article that I was reading this weekend from Edutopia about hours and how much work educators in general are doing. You can find the link in the resource section below. 

It says that 84% of teachers say that there are not enough hours in the day. Then, it continued with the fact that teachers, on average, are working 57 hours! What really surprised me was that less than half of those 57 hours are dedicated to classroom instruction. So, that means that we’re doing a lot outside the hours that we’re teaching, and it’s less than half the time that we’re diverting for classroom instruction. 

That means that more and more teachers are taking work home. More and more teachers are staying in the classroom longer than we’re supposed to stay. Teaching has become or has overcome our lives, and it’s taking from our personal lives. Last year, I recorded a series of episodes, and they’re starting from Episode 60 and they go to 66 where I talk to many incredible educators about the answer to this question, “How can we make it sustainable?” Find the links below. 

I stress in episode 122 that it’s important to not be reactive in the classroom and to find strategies that can be repeated for different levels to save time and energy.

Using Authentic Resources

The first question I address is, “How can I use authentic resources if most of the authentic resources are not going to be comprehensible for my students?” I suggest creating simplified versions.

When we’re reading with authentic resources, we’re really going to develop a cultural proficiency because it’s going to give us the opportunity to expose our students to products and practices, points of view, and perspectives that if it’s a simple text created in a textbook, maybe it will not have that impact. However, I think that many teachers are creating incredible resources for their classes, and they do have natural and authentic language. And yes, it’s simplified because it has to meet our learners.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. I think that everywhere we adjust text to meet our audience. So, can you create that article in a way that your students comprehend that article? You also want to ask yourself, “What is the goal that I have with this resource?”  and “Is this an effective use of my time?” There’s also the importance of preparing students for standardized tests like the AP and IB exams by incorporating authentic resources in specific sections of the class. Listen to my discussion on this here. 

Grammar Instruction

Next, I addressed questions from teachers about how to incorporate grammar instruction into their classes. I think teaching grammar for the sake of teaching grammar is pointless. I don’t think it will help anyone. I believe grammar has to serve communication. That means that the moment that grammar becomes relevant in our classes or so important that we spend some time talking about it or explaining a concept, it’s because we needed to understand a text better or to express some meaning.

In episode 122, I share examples from my own teaching, showing how grammar can be taught in context and how students can discover grammar features through reading and discussion. Listen above. 

There are some strategies or protocols to teach grammar. I also discuss three strategies for teaching grammar in this episode: structure input activities, the PACE model, and pop-up grammar. In episode 41 of the podcast, I talk more about structure input activities. Find the link below. But, hear about these strategies here. 

Writing Support

I read this quote, and I don’t remember who was the author, but the quote is: “Reading is like the breathing in, writing is the breathing out.” This highlights the importance of reading for writing.

We should be focusing on the process of writing rather than just the final product. In episode 122, I describe a detailed writing process I used with my Spanish 3 class, involving brainstorming connectors, vocabulary, and writing in teams. Listen above or here. This process helped students improve their writing skills through collaboration and multiple drafts.

Effective Feedback

Next, I talked about more research from Edutopia that said that feedback given before a grade is more effective than feedback given after. That makes sense because when we give a student a grade and then we give feedback, most of our students are going to ignore the feedback. I linked the article in the resource section below. 

In episode 122, I also share my own experience of providing oral feedback during the writing process, which was more impactful than detailed written feedback. I also mention a strategy from Meredith White: asking students what type of feedback they want to receive. It’s important to give students opportunities to produce their best work and provide feedback that helps them improve.

Tool of the Week

This week, I’ve started a new segment at the end of each one of my episodes, and it’s called the tool or activity of the week. In this segment, I will share with you one tool or one activity that blew my mind, and it’s going to be a short one that you can incorporate and use in your class the next day. 

This week’s tool or activity is sponsored by the Mitten CI Language Conference. There is a link below so that you can learn more about this great conference. This week is a tool, and it’s a platform for games and assessment. Quizlet AI is a platform that allows teachers to create assessments and games using AI-generated questions.

In episode 122, I explain the process of creating an assessment with Quizlet AI, including selecting the output language and the depth of knowledge. Some of the benefits of Quizlet AI: saving time, creating engaging activities, and exporting worksheets and flashcards. Let me know if you try it.

Thank you for being part of this series. Don’t forget to revisit parts 1 and 2 to explore how comprehensible input can transform your intermediate learners’ experience. ¡Sí se puede! 🎉