The Cardinal

Mary Jane Kelley, Ohio University

Articulating goals, outcomes, and results challenges language teachers on a daily basis. On Saturday, October 29, 2016, Ohio Valley Foreign Language Alliance members benefited from Dr. Deborah W. Robinson’s expertise in meeting the challenge in a workshop she offered at OVFLA’s annual meeting on the Ohio University campus in Athens. Robinson, former World Languages Consultant at the Ohio Department of Education and current K-12 strategist and consultant to the Department of Defense’s Language Flagship, alternated information and examples with hands-on exercises in which small groups articulated can-do statements and set goals for different activities at different levels. A recurring theme that Robinson drove home was the need for us as instructors to provide opportunities for students to move up the proficiency scale by practicing skills at higher levels. Continue reading →

Angela Gardner
Spanish Teacher, Ross High School

Like many World Language teachers, I work to create a learning environment that supports my students as they work to use the target language to communicate in my classroom. For some teachers, this might mean including a handout of important or high-frequency phrases if the teacher travels. For others, it may mean adorning classroom walls with such phrases, in addition to cultural realia or other humorous anecdotes and motivational paraphernalia. In my case, I am fortunate to have a classroom in which to regularly operate and choose to decorate according to what I perceive as my learner’s needs. Continue reading →

Tim Pogačar, Associate Profesor of Russian and Chair
Department of German, Russian & EAL

The 7th annual Undergraduate Olympiada of Spoken Russian will take place on Saturday, 25 February 2016 at Bowling Green State University. Any student enrolled in first- to fifth-year Russian at a college or university in Ohio is eligible to compete. There is also a separate category for heritage speakers. Participants take part in an oral interview, commentary on a select topic, and poetry recitation. The Olympiada is sponsored by the Center for Slavic and East European Studies at the Ohio State University, and has been hosted by Ohio State (2011–12), Kent State (2015–16), and Bowling Green State University (2013–14). One of the most valuable aspects of the Olympiada has been the comradeship and sharing between students from different colleges. Those interested are invited to visit the event website or contact BGSU faculty member Irina Stakhanova.

Becky Searls

I am a Spanish teacher in Columbus, Ohio. I began my teaching at the high school level for six years, followed by three years at the middle level. As I looked ahead to starting my tenth year of teaching, I was feeling pretty burnt out.

So I put on the brakes, and I designed a traveling sabbatical that would feed and refresh me. I pitched my idea to my district: I would travel to as many countries as possible during my year away, visiting both primary and secondary schools in each destination, in order to learn more about best practices in a variety of education systems and share what I learned. Continue reading →