Author Archives: Cardinal Editor

Cheryl Johnson, OFLA Immediate Past PresidentInstructional Technologist for the Dept of Modern Languages, Denison University What is social annotation? As defined by Cornell’s Center for Teaching Innovation, “social annotation is reading and thinking together. It brings the age-old process of … Continue reading →

SpanishPlans.Org Lisa Howie, OFLA Executive TreasurerSpanish Teacher, Smithville High School I learned about this activity, like so many others I use, at an OFLA conference several years ago. Actually, I believe my colleague first showed me one in German and … Continue reading →

Beth Hanlon, OFLA Executive Recorder and Editor of The CardinalSpanish Teacher, Oberlin High School I want to first state that I realize how unbelievably late to the Pear Deck scene I am.  As a Xennial, I grew up as the … Continue reading →

Antiracism in the world language classroom and the importance of having difficult conversations Milton Alan Turner, OFLA Editor for Electronic MediaFrench Teacher, Saint Ignatius High School The recent Disney film Encanto tells the story of the Madrigal family whose members … Continue reading →

Marianela Serrano, OFLA Professional Development ChairSpanish Teacher, Hathaway Brown School This school year, I made one of my goals to redefine my assessments.  In the unprecedented circumstances of the last few years, research about language acquisition and teaching has revealed … Continue reading →

Kirsten Halling, OFLA Public Relations and Advocacy ChairProfessor, Wright State University Advocacy comes naturally to language instructors, who are constantly faced with questions like, “What can you do with a language besides travel and teaching?” or, “Why learn a language … Continue reading →

Teri Wiechart, OFLA Membership ChairRetired French Teacher, Delphos Jefferson High School The main goal of a world language classroom is for students to become proficient enough in another language to be able to communicate in culturally appropriate ways with other … Continue reading →

A reflection from an exhausted but hopeful teacher Megan Brady, OFLA Beginning Teacher Chair Spanish Teacher, Northwest High School The past few years have been difficult for all of us both in and outside the educational field.  While things still … Continue reading →

Julia Thomas, OFLA Early Language Learning ChairSpanish Teacher, Oberlin City Schools Imagine being a bilingual parent, sending your child to elementary school knowing that they have been exposed to a second language and have a proclivity for language learning, yet … Continue reading →

On the Roles of Geography and Global Citizenship in World Language Education Lauren Racela, OFLA Technology Integration Committee ChairFrench Teacher, Milford High School  But why is geography important, and why specifically to the world language classroom? Many world language teachers … Continue reading →