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Growing With Proficiency The Podcast
Welcome to Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast! Are you a World Language teacher who is looking for ideas, strategies, activities, and inspiration to create a World Language class where you and your students enjoy using the language to learn about the world and each other? Do you want to transform your class into an acquisition-driven instruction space where you intentionally provide a ton of comprehensible input?
If you are, you're in the right place.
Let's start this journey together. Head over to IG, and send me a DM @claudiamelliott to let me know what topics you would like me to cover in an upcoming episode.Join my free Facebook community, Growing With C. Also, check out my blog to start discovering some of these ideas and strategies at growingwithproficiency.com
Growing With Proficiency The Podcast
Episode 90: Talking Student Engagement with Dr. Diane Neubauer and AnneMarie Chase
In this in-person episode from the CI Mitten conference, Dr. Diane Neubauer and AnneMarie Chase joined me to talk about the multifaceted concept of student engagement in the world language classroom.
We uncover and challenge traditional views of engagement, offering innovative strategies and real-life applications that will inspire and empower educators.
**Show Notes:**
What is engagement?
- Diane Newbauer discusses her PhD research, providing a nuanced definition of engagement that includes cognitive, emotional, social, and behavioral dimensions.
- Discussion on recognizing various forms of student engagement, supported by real classroom anecdotes.
Innovative Strategies for Engagement:
- Anne Marie Chase shares effective techniques for increasing student involvement, including physical activities, gamification, and novel games tailored for end-of-year excitement.
- Introduction of "Centric Circles" for oral assessment and a great way to celebrate progress, fostering a low-stress environment where students can express themselves freely.
Practical Ideas for the End of the Year:
- Explanation of a scavenger hunt activity that utilizes picture talks from the year, enhancing review and comprehension through an engaging, interactive format.
- Discussion of "Movie Talk," a strategy to enhance comprehension and engagement through narrated movie scenes, ideal for end-of-year learning.
Reflection:
- Reflective conversation on the importance of adapting teaching approaches to meet the diverse needs of students.
- Encouragement for educators to experiment with new methods, especially towards the end of the school year, to rejuvenate their classrooms and celebrate student progress.
This episode serves as a toolkit for educators aiming to enhance engagement in their classrooms through thoughtful, innovative, and practical strategies that resonate with both students and teachers alike.
Resources:
Dr. Diane Neubauer’s Podcast: Conversations about Language Teaching
Audio: https://conversationsaboutlanguage.buzzsprout.com/
Video: https://www.youtube.com/@ConversationsaboutLanguage
Hiver, P., Al-Hoorie, A. H., & Mercer, S. (2020). Student engagement in the language classroom. Multilingual Matters.
Jacknick, C. M. (2021). Multimodal participation and engagement: Social interaction in the classroom. Edinburgh University Press.
Neubauer, D. (2022). Chinese Language Instruction with Novice Learners: Target Language Topic Development, Engagement, and Comprehension in Online and Hybrid Classrooms. The University of Iowa.
More resources:
Teacher Guide: How to Shift to A Comprehensible and Communicative Teaching Approach
Free stories for Spanish teachers
🎙️ Do your students love animals?
Yeah… I already know the answer.
Because if there’s one thing that gets every single one of my students to say “aww” or light up with a smile… it’s animals. 🐶🐱🐘
Now imagine combining that universal love with a real-world topic like natural disasters—and boom 💥—you’ve got a compelling, ready-to-use lesson that sparks curiosity and builds empathy.
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