Language Lounge

See All Language Lounge Episodes In this episode of The Language Lounge, Michelle Olah and Lisa McHargue discuss the psychological and practical aspects of starting anew in the new year. They explore the importance of digital organization, the impact of chaos on mental space, and how to define productivity in a way that works for individuals. Lisa shares insights on reframing self-judgment, the si...

See All Language Lounge Episodes Summary In this enlightening episode of The Language Lounge, Michelle Olah and Gina Lanfranchi-Grubbs delve into the complexities of classroom management. Gina shares her personal journey as a teacher, highlighting the challenges she faced in creating a welcoming environment for her students. They discuss the importance of understanding emotional responses, buildin...

Teaching is not easy, and becoming an amazing teacher does not happen overnight. It takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears, times  of vulnerability and others of failure. Join Language Lounge host Michelle Olah and her guest Wesley Wood as they discuss the idea of acceptance. Acceptance of ourselves, of failure, of the vulnerability that comes from  continuously learning and growing on the imperfec...

Join teachers Kristin Archambault, Amy Marshall, and host Michelle Olah as they discuss what they do to set themselves us for a successful school year. Kristin and Amy share the importance creating a well-ordered environment of routines, procedures and expectations which in turn build a sense of community and trust within their classrooms. And don't forget to take care of you… Bio Kristin Arch...

Going back to school is a stressful, emotional roller coaster, you know what it's going to be like, and you've got to get yourself prepared. Join Rebecca Aubrey and Michelle Olah as they discuss the struggles and anxieties in heading back to school and how you can set boundaries to alleviate the mental and physical toll that teaching demands.    Bio   Rebecca Aubrey has over 20 years of te...

Do you want to get your students excited and passionate about learning? Spark your students' curiosity and get them motivated to learn by using inquiry-based learning which allows your students to explore what's interesting to them. Here's how you can get started. Bio Dagoberto Polanco was inspired by his own language-learning journey upon arriving to the United States from the Dominic...

What is structural competency? Hint: It's not about teaching grammar. It's about what is and isn't culture. Listen to this week's episode of the Language Lounge and come away with a new way to address culture with your students; what shapes our own culture and fostering a respectful curiosity about why certain cultural practices exist in our own communities and others. Bio Peggy Ma...

STaRLT, pronounced Star Light, is the brain child of Shannon Borum. Born of her frustration as a small town rural language teacher, this group has blossomed into an amazing support group for teachers in Georgia. It's a place to learn, to grow and belong. Join Shannon and host, Michelle Olah, as they discuss the origins, benefits and future of this unique and valuable community of teachers. Bio...

Rachel Benson joins Language Lounge host, Michelle Olah to discuss her journey from classroom teacher to district language coordinator, supporting teachers during online teaching. Rachel made the decision to return to the classroom for the 23-24 school year and shares her unique perspective on life in the modern day classroom and resuming her role as a teacher leader in the upcoming school year. B...

If advocacy is building excitement, then Amy Rill is an advocate non-pareil. Listen as she and host, Michelle Olah, discuss the little and big ways to advocate for your program, whether it's in your classroom, your school, or your community. Listen and get some ideas for ways to build excitement and get that energy about learning languages out of your classroom and into the world. Bio Amy Rill...

Does your curriculum bring you joy? Does it spark joy in your students? If your answer is no, then it might be time to think about SPARKing some joy in your classes. Amanda Minnillo has some great practical advice for creating a Safe, Purposeful, Attention getting, Reflective, environment to Keep student engagement high. Bio Dr. Amanda Hajji Minnillo is the President-Elect of SCOLT and a Professio...

The ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines have been revised. How are they same? How are they different? Language Lounge host, Michelle Olah and Dr. Meg Malone, Director of Assessment and Research at ACTFL discuss the changes. Bio Margaret E. (Meg) Malone (Ph. D., Georgetown University) is Director of Assessment and Research at ACTFL. She has published extensively on language assessment, standards and langu...

Classroom management. It's tough. Enter Jon Cowart. He's an expert in classroom management and can help you develop the skill set that you need to succeed no matter your teaching style. It's not magic, it's a skill and you can develop and hone it so that your classes run the way you always wished they could. Bio Jon taught high school and middle school Spanish for 10 years in Memph...

Have you ever thought about presenting at a conference but just don't know how to get started? It's conference proposal submission season and your state and regional organizations want to hear from you. No really, they do. Guest Albert Fernandez and host Michelle Olah discuss everything you need to know about presenting from soup to nuts. Listen, get inspired and get cracking on YOUR prese...

Whether you've been following the work of Thomas Sauer for most of the past 40 years, or you're new to his work you are going to LOVE this episode. Join Thomas Sauer and host of the Language Lounge, Michelle Olah as they discuss exciting new developments with the TELL framework and PEARLL. For every teacher who has ever wished for someone to just tell them what to do to be the best teacher...

Meredith White, host of the EdTech World podcast, returns to the show to discuss how and when to make educational technology work for you. Bio For 16 years, Meredith White taught Spanish in both Tennessee and Georgia. Focused on novices, her work with students ingrained proficiency-based teaching, comprehensible input, technology, and helping make learning Spanish fun. In March of 2023, she transi...

Intimidated by AI? Excited about AI? Want to get started with AI but don't know where to begin? Join guest Maureen Lamb and host Michelle Olah as they discuss the latest and greatest in AI technology and what it can do for you and your students. Bio Maureen Gassert Lamb is a Latin Teacher, Dean of Faculty, and Dean of Academic Technology and Innovative Pedagogy at The Ethel Walker School in Si...

Whether you are advocating for special education students to be included in world language classrooms or not, chances are they are already there. Dr. Danja Mahoney returns to the Language Lounge to discuss strategies teachers can use to help these students be successful in the world language classroom. Bio Dr. Danja Mahoney is a language educator with more than 25 years experience teaching in publ...

According to UNESCO, learning a second language is human right but too often special education students are left out of world language classrooms. In part one of this two part series, Danja Mahoney explains why special education students need to be in world language classrooms and how to advocate to get them there and how proficiency-based instruction is opening new doors for all students. Bio Dr....

Restorative circles can be a powerful tool for setting classroom norms, building community, addressing behaviors that are impeding teaching and learning or a way to gather feedback about how students are feeling about learning. In this episode of the Language Lounge, guest Mike Farkas discusses the importance of restorative circles in his teaching and gives tips on how you can get started. Bio Mic...

Join Kelly Jones and Language Lounge host, Michelle Olah, as they discuss integrated performance projects. Kelly has a creative approach that empowers students to take control of their learning and provides more realistic contexts in which students can use language. You'll get some great ideas about projects, how you can avoid grading meaningless homework assignments and make your classroom fu...

Abelardo Almazan Vazquez is passionate about gender neutral language, gender inclusivity and asking questions around gender roles, consent, respect and how cultures can perpetuate stereotypes or be changed to make everyone feel seen, heard and valued. It's a beautiful and uplifting conversation about the impact that our words and actions have on others and creating more empathetic humans. Bio...

IPA, is it a beer or an assessment? Not sure? Listen to this episode of the Language Lounge featuring Lisa Shepard. She and host, Michelle Olah, cover the whys and hows of IPAs. Whether your new to IPAs or just need a refresher this episode has everything you need to get started, build your confidence or confirm that you are doing it right. So go ahead and multi-task, grab an IPA while you find ou...

French teachers can be a lonely bunch. But that doesn't mean they aren't part of a community of Francophones (and Francophiles) here in the US and abroad. As French teachers everywhere are gearing up for French week (November 1-8) join guest Terri Hammatt as she talks about the myriad of ways that French teachers can promote their programs and stay connected to the Francophone world, even...

Matt Russoniello loves TPR. He also loves SATs, NUTs and TCOL. He's a sucker for a good role play scenario and has lots ways to get students excited and engaged and thinking with a growth mindset. Find out how he teaches language, create community and has fun while doing it. Visit the Language Lounge on Twitter - https://twitter.com/langloungepod Connect with Michelle - https://twitter.com/mic...