Tag Archives: proficiency

License to speak

Posted on July 17, 2019 by SpanishPlans

In the past we’ve used the analogy of acquiring languages as being like learning to swim. Is it best to jump in the deep end of the pool with no support? Is it practical to learn the techniques and physics … Continue reading →

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Leveling up

Posted on January 31, 2019 by SpanishPlans

When a gamer beats a level of a game and moves on to the next level, it is called “Leveling up”. In certain games, you can increase your chances by earning more points, collecting coins, or obtaining specific weapons to … Continue reading →

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Proficiency Mindset Presentation

Posted on November 3, 2018 by SpanishPlans

      This past month, at the Illinois Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ICTFL) annual fall conference, I gave my first presentation in a session titled “Proficiency Mindset”. To view the presentation click: http://bit.ly/ProfMindset Let me know … Continue reading →

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Get a scoop of Proficiency

Posted on September 6, 2016 by SpanishPlans

Since adopting an ice cream metaphor to talk about  performance and proficiency with my students, my favorite phrase to encourage students on assessments or when they are writing is:  “SCOOP IT UP!”  To go along with this theme, we have … Continue reading →

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Promoting Performance

Posted on November 25, 2015 by SpanishPlans

In a performance and proficiency based classroom, students coming from traditional classroom needs some guidance. Musicuento uses an example of a “Talking about a taco” to show the different proficiency levels. Can you use singular words to talk about a … Continue reading →

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Starting at the End

Posted on October 30, 2014 by spanishplans

If you are a language teacher, then you know the best night of the week is Thursday evening. This is when some of the best world language teachers come together to collaborative and improve themselves as educators. You don’t even … Continue reading →

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Proficiency Based Exam

Posted on November 17, 2013 by spanishplans

After finishing our recent unit and taking the proficiency-based assessment, I gave the students a short google survey to gather some feedback. I think it is important to give students a voice in their learning and let them know you … Continue reading →

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Proficiency Based Exam

Posted on November 14, 2012 by spanishplans

At the beginning of the school year we undertook a new philosophy of teaching and assessing our students. As we discussed in our Communication Rubric post, our assessments would assess what students are able to produce themselves, instead of what they … Continue reading →

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Bulletin Board 2012

Posted on September 10, 2012 by spanishplans

In conjunction with my switch to a more proficiency based classroom, I decided to dedicate one of my bulletin boards this year to proficiency levels and the four modes of communication. The main bulletin board I used for the Listening … Continue reading →

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Speaking and Writing Rubrics

Posted on August 23, 2012 by spanishplans

In our last post, we offered a short communication rubric to give to students or hang up in your classroom to motivate students to work at a higher proficiency level. Today, we are posting our Writing and Speaking rubric that … Continue reading →

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