Language Lounge

In a world obsessed with instant gratification and hurry up mentality, Stephany Sipes reminds us, "to go slow so we can go fast." As she begins her second year in a new district, Stephanie and host of the Language Lounge, Michelle Olah, discuss how she is bringing together and motivating the World Language teachers in her district. Drop everything, listen and dust off your resume. You're going to...

In this episode of the Language Lounge, Alexis Buschert talks with host Michelle Olah about how to make IPA's more manageable. Alexis has great tips and tricks for saving you time, energy and your mental health. Did you know you don't have to grade everything?   Visit the Language Lounge on Twitter - https://twitter.com/langloungepod Connect with Michelle - https://twitter.com/michelleolah Ha...

Social Emotional Learning might not be what you think. In this episode, Bertha Delgadillo speaks with Language Lounge host Michelle Olah about Social Emotional Learning. Bertha gives great concrete examples. You'll be surprised. You might already be doing it.   Visit the Language Lounge on Twitter - https://twitter.com/langloungepod Connect with Michelle - https://twitter.com/michelleolah Hav...

Maris Hawkins speaks with Michelle about how to navigate conferences,  why it's important to attend your local, state, regional and national conferences, how to choose which sessions to attend and the importance of attending pre-conference workshops. She also doles out tips on how to reach out to others, the magic of attending an unconference and how conference organizers can design conferenc...

Mentor relationships come in all shapes and sizes.  In this episode, Michelle talks with Liz Matchett, about the importance of being a mentor and finding mentors so we can find ways to grow professionally and as a human being.   Visit the Language Lounge on Twitter - https://twitter.com/langloungepod Connect with Michelle - https://twitter.com/michelleolah Have a comment or question? Lea...

In this episode of the language lounge, Diego Ojeda talks about his experiences of Hispanic Heritage Month as an immigrant and how language teachers can go beyond "celebrating" Hispanic Heritage Month, and honor the Hispanic people in our communities.  Visit the Language Lounge on Twitter - https://twitter.com/langloungepod Connect with Michelle - https://twitter.com/michelleolah Have a comme...

Stephanie Carbonneau loves to learn and that's evident in her eclectic approach to teaching.  As the school year gets started, she's been thinking about how she can rely on her strengths so she can focus on learning and growing her teaching. She states, "There is no mold for a perfect teacher. Imposter Syndrome is REAL. Teacher should do more of what they are good at and less of what they are...

At the beginning of this school year,  Amy Lenord posted on Twitter, "This school year is special, it feels so different, but I am also so different." In this episode of the Language Lounge, Michelle Olah talks with Amy about her very personal journey in coming to terms with a difficult time in her life and how that struggle has impacted her life and her teaching. Visit the Language Lounge on...

In this episode of the Language Lounge, Michelle talks with elementary French teacher and president of NYSAFLT, Jenny Delfini. Using 90% target language as an example, Jenny and Michelle talk about how teachers can set goals at the start of the school year and actually keep them!   Visit the Language Lounge on Twitter - https://twitter.com/langloungepod Connect with Michelle - https://twitter...

In this episode Michelle talks with Denise Wagstaff, 20-year veteran French teacher about her journey to teaching for proficiency – what she has learned and is still learning about her students, her profession and herself.  We talk about everything from setting realistic expectations for student language learning to conversations about the role of grammar to Denise’s recent deeper dive into g...

In this episode of the Language Lounge, Michelle talks with Samara Spielberg about the importance of positive well-being for students, and teachers, by fostering empathy, recognizing stress points, creating a safe space for learning and recognizing external elements outside of the classroom.  Visit the Language Lounge on Twitter - https://twitter.com/langloungepod Connect with Michelle - http...

In this episode of the Language Lounge, Michelle talks with Matt Coss about one of the challenges that language teachers face in simultaneously addressing students’ differential level of language development with cognitive maturity. Matt talks about how language classrooms can provide opportunities for critical thinking and fully engage our students’ brains as well as their language development.&n...

In this special episode of the Language Lounge, Michelle Olah talks with Valerie Rossi about how to create learning environments where ALL students can learn and produce language. Valerie describes her journey using differentiation in her language classrooms and the impact it has had on her students, as well as offers tips and examples for teachers who want to differentiate but aren’t sure where t...

Michelle talks about the magic of music with Glenda De Hoyos in this episode of the Language Lounge. Glenda shares her “greatest hits” of using music in the early language classroom – using music for routines and transitions, to promote understanding of vocabulary, as an authentic resource, for brain breaks and more! There are ideas for incorporating music in ANY world language classroom.  Vi...

Meredith White looks back at her school year and discusses some of the biggest wins and failures. She reflects on what she wants to intentionally bring forward into next year, and what she is going to leave behind.  Visit the Language Lounge on Twitter - https://twitter.com/langloungepod Connect with Michelle - https://twitter.com/michelleolah Connect with Meredith White - https://twitter.com...

In this episode of the Language Lounge, Tim Eagan shares both the research and his personal experiences working with teachers and students, on effective use of feedback to facilitate language proficiency. Topics include feedback, formative assessments and comprehension checks, rubrics, and grades. Visit the Language Lounge on Twitter @langloungepod - https://twitter.com/langloungepod Connect with...

In this episode of the Language Lounge, Michelle talks with Claudia Elliot, FFLA (Florida Foreign Language Association) and SCOLT (Southern Conference on Language Teaching) Teacher of the Year, about her 3 pillars for teaching language – Connection, Communication and Comprehensibility. Claudia tells us about her journey of growing with proficiency and how this journey has impacted her students. Vi...

For Neurodiversity Celebration Month, Michelle and Maureen Lamb discuss practical tips to support neurodiverse learners in language classrooms. And when a variety of supports are provided for more learners, everyone benefits! Tips include communication strategies that make expectations clear, organizational structures to support all learners, and bringing more choice and flexibility to learning ta...

In this episode of the Language Lounge, Michelle talks with 2021 FLAME (Foreign Language Association of Maine) Teacher of the year, and creator of Mundo de Pepita early language resources, Julie Speno. Julie talks about how she has been rethinking her learning goals for her elementary Spanish classes, so they are aligned with a greater purpose that reflect community and core values. Julie talks ab...

In the last episode of our series on Minimalism in Teaching, Michelle Olah talks with Thomas Sauer about decluttering our curriculum and initiatives by examining our teaching practices and questioning if those practices are serving us or our students. He also gives us a preview into the redesigned TELL Project (Teacher Effectiveness for Language Learning) Framework that will be coming out soon.&nb...

In the second episode of a three-part series on minimalist in teaching, Michelle talks with minimalist Spanish teacher, Lisa McHargue, about how and why she applied minimalist principles to her teaching practice. Lisa offers tips and advice for world language teachers who want to declutter their physical and digital environments, so that they can determine what things and ideas serve them best and...

In this episode Michelle Olah talks with the authors of The Minimalist Teacher, Tammy Musiowsky Bornemon and Christine Arnold about how teachers can renew their joy of teaching, avoid burnout, and get back to their “why” by decluttering classroom spaces, curriculum, and initiatives in order to focus on what really matters in teaching and learning.  This is the first of a three-part series. Vi...

Michelle Olah talks with Tim Eagan about high leverage teaching practices and mindsets that positively effect student learning outcomes including providing manageable and actionable feedback to learners, using backward design to build effective lessons, units, curricula, and programs, and setting high expectations for all learners. Visit the Language Lounge on Twitter @langloungepod - https://twit...

International Francophonie Day is observed within the International Organization of La Francophonie's 77 member states every March 20 to celebrate the French language and Francophone culture. There are over 369 million French speakers on Earth. On this episode Terri Hammatt talks with French teacher Christine Renaud Merchant, who shares experiences and ideas on teaching French for over 40 years to...

In this episode of the Language Lounge, Michelle Olah talks with Tennessee Spanish teacher Paul Jennemann about how he connects language learning with important “21st Century Skills” like creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking to engage and motivate students.  Visit the Language Lounge on Twitter @langloungepod - https://twitter.com/langloungepod Connect with Michelle @michelleolah...