The Cardinal

Kirsten Halling, Professor of French
Wright State University

On the first day of teaching my first college class in 1987, I followed the exact instructions I had been given during my Graduate TA Orientation Week, enthusiastically implementing the Communicative Method in my teaching and respecting the goal of achieving 100% target language instruction from the very first day of elementary French. My twelve French 101 students were shocked to learn that the class would be conducted entirely in French. The warm- up, based on heavy modeling, involved students learning greetings and a short conversation in the target language. I communicated with the students through body language, gestures, cognates, writing vocabulary on the board, coaxing, and prodding until bewildered students managed to have mini-conversations with me – and then with at least five partners. It wasn’t until later, when I went over the syllabus with the students, that they learned the format of the class, my expectations, my pedagogical philosophy and the fact that those 15 minutes would be the last time they would hear me speak English. Continue reading →

James Leow, Ph.D. Candidate in Hispanic Linguistics, FLAS Fellow in Quechua
Center for Latin American Studies Program Assistant, The Ohio State University

Elvia Andia Grágeda, Quechua instructor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at The Ohio State University, recently became the first ACTFL-certified Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) Tester for Quechua. Andia, a native speaker of Quechua, is in fact the first certified OPI Tester for any American indigenous language. Continue reading →

Over 30 years of French immersion at École Kenwood

Amye R. Sukapdjo, Kindergarten Teacher, École Kenwood French Immersion

In the 1980s, the magnet school movement hit its stride. Districts across the nation began committing to alternative options ranging from math and science to the creative arts and even to world languages. Some interesting dates to note include: Continue reading →

Kimberly Clifford, Assistant Professor Educator of American Sign Language
University of Cincinnati, Clermont College

Prompts. Conversation Starters. Tasks. Rubrics. Assignments. Goals. Activities.

We strive to think of the perfect informal assessment to include in a lesson to encourage students to converse and use the vocabulary and grammatical features we’ve been learning recently.  Continue reading →

Lindsay Dollinger, Ohio AATSP President
Spanish Teacher, Jonathan Alder High School

This past summer, I took my third EF Leadership Summit trip with students from my high school. I started taking students on these tours in the off-year from my school’s Spanish language trip in 2015. The theme of this year’s trip was The Power of Communication, but past summers’ themes were the Future of Education and the Innovations of Food. Next summer’s theme (which I’m not participating in since I will accompany students to the Galapagos Islands) has to do with Sports Innovations. Regardless of the theme, my students always thoroughly enjoy the trips along with the added benefit of having a theme to concentrate on before and during the trip. Also, EF does an amazing job making the themes relevant to a variety of interests. Continue reading →

“I wasn’t born to teach. I was born to inspire others, to change people, and to never give up; even when faced with challenges that seem impossible.” -Anonymous

Klaryssa Seigley, Norterra Canyon K-8 & Norwalk High School 8-12 School city: Phoenix Arizona, Norwalk Ohio

The OFLA Beginning Teacher Committee is working hard to connect with new teachers and support them to become excellent, innovative, resourceful, and long lasting world language teachers. Our goal is to provide a network of resources, strategies and tools for new teachers. We want new teachers to know that they are not alone and that OFLA is here to help them. To this end, we will be interviewing new teachers throughout the year and highlighting them in The Cardinal. Klaryssa is currently teaching in France with the TPAF program. Continue reading →

Una búsqueda de tesoro 

Marcia Davis, Spanish Teacher, Yorktown Middle School

Our annual field trip to La Plaza Tapatía is one of my favorites. John Vincent, a fellow Spanish teacher colleague in my district, shared this brilliant idea with me several years ago. This past May, my 8th grade Spanish 1 students and I embarked on this fun-filled event.

La Plaza Tapatía is a Mexican grocery store located on the west side of Columbus that carries a wide assortment of groceries, including a butcher shop and bakery. Normally, I give my students a list of items they need to find in the store within thirty minutes. This year, I ditched the paper and decided to use the Goose Chase app for my students to capture images and video as they found items in the store. Continue reading →