#171
How do your students engage with culture in your classroom? One way to approach cultural topics is to look specifically at Cultural Products, Practices and Perspectives. Focusing on these cultural aspects helps students develop intercultural competence, which will then make language learning more meaningful and relevant to them. It also allows students to see beyond language and understand the people who speak it. In this episode I share practical strategies to engage students in understanding Cultural Products Practices and Perspectives.

Topics in this Episode:

• High Leverage Teaching Practices from Enacting the Work of Language Instruction by Eileen Glisan and Richard Donato
  • Episode 160: Create a Classroom Where Students Use the Target Language Confidently
  • Episode 162: Facilitating Target Language Comprehensibility
  • Episode 164: Teach Grammar in a Communicative Context
  • Episode 167: Guiding Learners to Interpret and Discuss Authentic Texts
• Cultural Products: Tangible and intangible items created by a culture, such as art, literature, music, food and traditions.
• Cultural Practices: The patterns of behavior accepted by a society, including customs, rituals, and routines.
• Cultural Perspectives: The underlying values, beliefs, and attitudes that shape how a culture views the world.
• Cultural Value Dimensions
• 5 Strategies for engaging students in Cultural Products, Practices and Perspectives
  • Selecting Authentic Cultural Materials
  • Contextualizing Cultural Practices
  • Facilitating Communicative Interactions around Cultural Products, Practices and Perspectives
  • Reflecting on Cultural Perspectives
    
    
  • Integrating Cultural Learning with Language Skills

**Be sure to download the The CI Toolbox. 15 Comprehensible Input (CI) activities for your language classroom to support comprehension and authentic engagement. These suggestions are a compilation of ideas shared on the World Language Classroom Podcast by me and many guests.

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community:

• wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district? Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
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Sign up for Talking Points to get tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
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Join Joshua for a Leveling Up C

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#170
What do you know about calendar talks? Maybe you have tried them yourself and maybe you’re hearing about them for the first time. In today’s episode I speak with John Sifert, a Spanish teacher in Iowa. John, aka Padre de Cinco, walks us through the many benefits of using calendar talk activities, along with actionable suggestions for engaging students in speaking about a variety of topics that go beyond simply saying the date. Whether calendar talks are new to you, or if you're looking for some ways to enhance how you are already doing it , you will walk from this episode with actionable tips and suggestions.

Topics in this Episode:

• what Calendar Talk is and how it goes beyond just discussing the calendar
• how Calendar Talk can be adapted to suit different proficiency levels and keep all students engaged
• specific topics and activities that teachers can incorporate into Calendar Talk to make it more interactive and meaningful for students
• examples where Calendar Talk has significantly enhanced students' language learning and classroom interaction in John classroom
• practical steps and strategies that can teachers take to implement Calendar Talk in their classrooms to maximize its effectiveness and student participation

Connect with John Sifert:

• YouTube
• Facebook
• Website
• Newsletter
• Email: john@padredecinco.com
• Instagram

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community:

• wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district? Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
______________________________
Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode on the podcast.

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#169
What role does student choice have in your classroom? We know that when students have some ownership over their learning that they are more intrinsically motivated and this leads to real agency in their learning. Today’s episode is a Leveling Up episode, where I coach Jen, a Spanish teacher in Missouri. Providing students with regular and authentic choices in her classroom is the area where wants to level up her teaching practice. So let's start the conversation.

Suggestions:

• Create choice boards that offer a variety of activities aligned with the same learning objectives. Students can select activities based on their interests and preferred learning styles.
• Allow students to choose from a list of project topics or propose their own, giving them the autonomy to explore areas of interest while still meeting curriculum standards.
• For certain activities, allow students to pick their groups based on interest or comfort. You can also mix it up by having students form groups around different themes or tasks they want to work on.
• Offer multiple assessment options that cater to different learning styles and strengths.
• Make the input and output compelling for students

Action Plan:

This Week:

• Create a simple choice board with nine activities related to the current unit.Observe and take notes on student engagement and preferences.

The Coming Weeks:

• Plan a project-based unit, providing a list of potential topics and formats for final products. Encourage students to present their projects in various formats (e.g., presentation, report, digital creation).
• Design multiple assessment options for an upcoming unit. Ensure each assessment option aligns with the learning objectives and create a consistent rubric.

You can also be a part of Leveling Up coaching episode if there is an area of your teaching that you like to improve or enhance. Join me on the podcast for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode.

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community:

• wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district? Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.