#226

Have you ever played an audio or clip for your class, only to see blank stares and puzzled expressions? It’s not that your students aren’t listening—it’s that they need tools to know how to listen. In this episode, we’ll explore three essential strategies: prediction, summarizing, and focus tasks. These make listening more intentional, more engaging, and more effective. Whether your learners are novices or advanced, these techniques will help them process language with purpose and confidence.

Topics in this Episode:

• Listening isn’t passive, it’s active.
• When students predict what they might hear, listen with a specific purpose, and summarize afterward, they aren’t just hearing language they’re processing it in real time. This builds comprehension, retention, and confidence, no matter the proficiency level.
• We are supporting the skill in ways that won’t happen in real situations, but students are learning the skill of listening in our classrooms (with our support) that they will transfer to realistic situations where they will draw on these skills and have the confidence.
• Classroom Strategies:
  • Prediction Before Listening
  • Focus Tasks During Listening
  • Summarizing After Listening
• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD Course: Build Strong Listening Skills

A Few Ways We Can Work Together:

• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual Teachers
• On-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language Departments
• Self-Paced Program for For Language Departments

Connect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:

• Website: wlclassrom.com
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook Group: World Language Classroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• LinkedIn: Joshua Cabral
• Bluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.socia
• X (Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom

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

#225

There’s something special about ACTFL. The energy, the connection, the spark that comes from being in a space filled with teachers who care deeply about students, language, culture, and each other. Whether you are listening to reflect on your conference experience, shared your own voice in this episode or were would like a window into what it's like to be part of this incredible community…this episode is for you.

A huge thank you to Klett World Languages. They invited me to set up a podcast table at their booth in the ACTFL exhibit hall, and without that collaboration, none of these conversations would have happened. It truly opened the door to gathering these voices, these reflections, and this sense of community that you’re about to hear.

Topics in this Episode:

• Hear from teachers about their personal experiences, collaborations and takeaways from ACTFL 2025 in New Orleans.
  • ACTFL Teacher of the Year Nathan Campbell
  • Navigating the many options
  • Teaching ideas
  • Representation
  • Elementary teaching
  • Making connections
  • Inspiration

A Few Ways We Can Work Together:

• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual Teachers
• On-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language Departments
• Self-Paced Program for For Language Departments

Connect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:

• Website: wlclassrom.com
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook Group: World Language Classroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• LinkedIn: Joshua Cabral
• Bluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.socia
• X (Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom

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

#224

How long are your classes? Do you see your students 2,3, 4 maybe 5 times a week? We all have different schedules in our schools and learn to adapt to the time that we have. Block schedules, extended class periods that meet fewer times in a given week, are becoming more common in many schools and districts. In this episode, we are talking about teaching in this format. Marilyn Pichardo, a Spanish teacher in New Jersey, joins me to talk about teaching in a block schedule for over 2 decades. Lots to learn about planning and class pacing whether you have 20, 40, 60 or even 85 minute classes.

Topics in this Episode:

• opportunities that block schedules open up for world language teachers that might be harder to achieve in a traditional schedule
• sustaining student focus in language classes with longer blocks.
• strategies or lesson structures that keep students engaged and actively using the target language for the full period
• balancing pace, repetition, and variety so that students continue to build proficiency in a block schedule without feeling overwhelmed or burnt out

Connect with Marilyn Pichardo:

• Instagram:@perfectspanishplansbyMarilyn
• TikTok: @perfectspanishplansbyMarilyn
• Chat Mat Membership

A Few Ways We Can Work Together:

• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual Teachers
• On-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language Departments
• Self-Paced Program for For Language Departments

Connect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:

• Website: wlclassrom.com
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook Group: World Language Classroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• LinkedIn: Joshua Cabral
• Bluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.socia
• X (Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom

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

#223

Have you ever taught a grammar concept and then watched your students completely forget it during a speaking or writing task? It can be frustrating. In this episode, we’re looking at why that disconnect happens and how to bridge it by teaching grammar in context. I’ll share manageable, beginner-friendly steps you can take to make grammar more meaningful, communicative, and effective without rewriting your whole curriculum.

Topics in this Episode:

• Teaching grammar in context makes sense in theory, but putting it into practice often feels messy.
• We’ll look at some practical first steps and scaffolds that make grammar instruction more natural and effective so students build accuracy while staying focused on communication.
• Grammar instruction should be anchored in communication, not separated from it.
• When students learn grammar in the context of meaningful input and purposeful output, it becomes more than just rules. It becomes a tool. A tool they use to understand and to be understood.
• Classroom Strategies:
  • The “Grammar-First” Pathway: Use an authentic or teacher-created resource where the structure occurs naturally.
  • The “Text-First” Pathway: Choose a reading, listening, or viewing resource and highlight structures that are crucial for making sense of the text.
• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD Course: First Steps in Teaching Grammar in Context.

A Few Ways We Can Work Together:

• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual Teachers
• On-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language Departments
• Self-Paced Program for For Language Departments

Connect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:

• Website: wlclassrom.com
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook Group: World Language Classroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• LinkedIn: Joshua Cabral
• Bluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.socia
• X (Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom

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

#222

Do your reading and writing tasks feel like an afterthought or are they building blocks for language proficiency? In this second episode of the CI Toolbox series we focus on reading and writing activities that engage students through movement, visuals, collaboration, and just the right amount of challenge. I’ll share strategies to help students process and produce language in meaningful, low-stress ways.

Topics in this Episode:

• Reading and writing should feel interactive, connected to input, and in line with students' proficiency level.
• In this episode, we’re looking at six activities from my “CI Toolbox” that focus on reading and writing and are adaptable for many levels, with support for engagement and growth.
  • One Word at a Time
  • Embedded Reading
  • Volleyball Reading
  • Draw the Sentence
  • Running Dictation
  • Dictation with a Twist
• Episode 218: 6 Activities for Interaction and Discussion in the Language Classroom
• Get the PDF with all of the CI Toolbox Activities:

A Few Ways We Can Work Together:

• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual Teachers
• On-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language Departments
• Self-Paced Program for For Language Departments

Connect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:

• Website: wlclassrom.com
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook Group: World Language Classroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• LinkedIn: Joshua Cabral
• Bluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.socia
• X (Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom

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

#221

Have you ever noticed how students light up when language learning feels real, active, and connected to their world? In this episode, I’m joined by Heidi Lechner, an inspiring German teacher and instructional coach in Illinois. Heidi shares how hands-on, student-centered activities keep learners motivated, curious, and communicating authentically. We’ll talk about why teachers benefit from stepping into the learner’s shoes, how collaboration transforms language use, and strategies you can use to make your classroom come alive.

Topics in this Episode:

• activities that spark curiosity and keep students motivated in the German classroom
• Why it’s important for educators to experience activities from the student perspective and how can shift shift the way they teach
• strategies to move students beyond individual practice into authentic, communicative tasks with their peers
• examples of how to help students see themselves in the content and connect the language to real-world contexts
• Klett World Languages Sessions at ACTFL

Connect with Heidi Lechner:

• Email: heidi@heidilechner.com

A Few Ways We Can Work Together:

• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual Teachers
• On-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language Departments
• Self-Paced Program for For Language Departments

Connect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:

• Website: wlclassrom.com
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook Group: World Language Classroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• LinkedIn: Joshua Cabral
• Bluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.socia
• X (Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom

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

#220

Have you ever felt the pressure to “teach to the test” in your AP language class, only to wonder if it’s actually helping students communicate more confidently? In today’s episode, I speak with Diego Ojeda, a Spanish Teacher in Louisville, KY about how he has transformed his AP course through authentic projects that do more than prepare students for the exam, they prepare them for the real world. Diego shares how to design tasks rooted in authentic input, student voice, and cultural relevance so that learners not only perform well on the AP exam, but also connect deeply with the language.

Topics in this Episode:

• shifting the focus away from drill and test prep while still preparing students for success on the AP exam
• authentic input and real-world tasks as the foundation for meaningful assessment
• how incorporating student voice into projects changes the way students engage with the AP themes
• designing projects that align with the AP themes while still keeping the activities creative and relevant
• advice for practical project ideas that teachers can do right away that help students experience the target language in a more authentic, engaging way
• Klett World Languages Sessions at ACTFL

Connect with Diego Ojeda:

• Instagram: @Sr_Ojeda

A Few Ways We Can Work Together:

• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual Teachers
• On-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language Departments
• Self-Paced Program for For Language Departments

Connect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:

• Website: wlclassrom.com
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook Group: World Language Classroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• LinkedIn: Joshua Cabral
• Bluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.socia
• X (Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom

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

#219

You just wrapped up a fun, high-energy activity. The room was buzzing, students were laughing and moving, but now you’re wondering: Did they actually use the language? In this episode, we’re unpacking what makes an activity not just fun, but truly communicative. You’ll learn how to spot the difference, adapt your favorite games, and keep language use at the center, without losing the fun and joy.

Topics in this Episode:

• Here’s the lens I want to offer you in this episode: Just because students are participating doesn’t mean they’re communicating. With just a few tweaks, your fun activities can become communicative and support proficiency and performance objectives.
• We don’t have to throw out our favorite games or routines. We don’t need to make everything serious or structured. But, we do need to look at each activity through a new lens: Does it give students a reason to use the language with purpose?
• Classroom Strategies:
  • Add Purpose and Personalization
  • Use the “Does It Build Proficiency?” Checklist: 1. Are students using the target language to express meaning?2.Is there a real-world connection or purpose? 3. Are students interpreting, negotiating, or producing language? 4.Will this support what they’ll do on an upcoming assessment?
• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD Course: Design Activities that are Fun and Communicative

A Few Ways We Can Work Together:

• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual Teachers
• On-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language Departments
• Self-Paced Program for For Language Departments

Connect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:

• Website: wlclassrom.com
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook Group: World Language Classroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• LinkedIn: Joshua Cabral
• Bluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.socia
• X (Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom

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