Category: Professional Development - Talia Block

5 Top Tips For Picking Professional Development

9/17/2018

We all know that professional development (PD) is important to our practice and that without it, we cannot continue to grow and learn. Picking the right PD, however, can be daunting and a bit frustrating. No one wants to spend money on a session that doesn’t spark ideas or build knowledge. No one wants to write sub plans only to find out the PD wasn’t worth the time. But how do you determine what PD is worthwhile?

Set goals
What is your professional goal for the year? What do you want to bring to your students and what do you want them to leave with at the end of the year? It is always important to set goals to help guide your practice, but these goals can also help guide your choice of professional development. Many of us have what my friend, Pauline (@PaulineZD) would dub “Shiny Object Syndrome”. We hear about new theories and/or practices and we throw ourselves into them without a thought as to whether they really help us meet our goals or not. Think about deepening your knowledge in one area as opposed to knowing a little bit about everything.

Attending a conference? Pick sessions that are directly connected to your goal. Plan your time to maximize the PD potential from the sessions. Even better, team up with a friend to double the amount of sessions you can attend.

17 for '17

1/5/2017

A friend of mine mentioned a post by Adam Dovico with 17 goals for 2017 and also shared with me her goals for the year. This got me thinking about the opportunity a new year brings to make changes and to see things differently. 2016 was a big year for me with the birth of my first child. I always knew that having a child would change my life, but I didn’t realize in what way. So after some reflection, here are my 17 in ’17:

Patience from understanding. While patience for everyone in every situation is a hefty goal, I think it is important to begin to tackle it, especially in the classroom. No one is perfect and we all get frustrated with students sometimes, but patience from understanding means taking a step back, taking a breath and assessing whether frustration or exasperation is really the best reaction. Showing a bit of patience may be the difference for a successful day in the classroom for both the students and me.
Accept the things I cannot change. Logically, this is an easy one. I know I can only change my behavior and how I interact with people, but sometimes the emotion overpowers the logic. Both personally and professionally, this goal will create less tension and negativity, making things flow more easily.
Positivity reigns. It can be so easy to get into a cycle of negativity, especially with colleagues in the lunchroom. Once the negativity starts, it can be so difficult to break the cycle. I’d like to have just one day, to start, where I focus on the positive. Once I tackle a day, then a week. I can only imaging what a difference focusing on the positive will make for me.
Not every day is an A day. I try to give my all each and every day I am at work. Sometimes this results in an A day and sometimes it is nothing more than a B or B+. . If I didn’t quite bring it one day, there is always the next day.
Be a better mentor. My colleague moved from full time at the middle school to half and half with the elementary school. I wasn’t there to support her move as I was away on leave. While she has done a great job, I want to be more available to her. It's a huge transition – I still remember the challenge when I moved 6 years ago – which is made even more difficult when you have to face it alone. Now that I am settled, I want to give her the attention she deserves to help make the rest of the year even better.
Jump back in. Before my maternity leave, I felt I was in a sweet spot. I was connecting with my PLN through Twitter, presenting at conferences, and feeling like I was helping lead the pack - at least within my district and area. Now that I'm back from leave, it's time to get back on track and to jump in head first. I want to participate in #langchat at least once a month and tweet what is going on in the classroom at least once a week.
Say “yes”…selectively. I’ve never been one to say no. I am always volunteering for extras at school and to take on more responsibility. While this isn’t always a bad thing, I have to learn to take a step back and participate in only those things that I really enjoy. This goes for my personal life too – not every family function is a must-attend event!
Get more involved in the "right" opportunities. Saying "yes" less doesn't mean not participating. I want to be more involved in my local language organization. Doing so connects me to a greater network of colleagues, opens me to more opportunities, and keeps me learning from others in my profession.
Attend conferences with purpose. I've always attended PD with some idea of what I want to learn, but I want to have more focus. Conferences afford the opportunity to see and learn so much that it can be overwhelming. For this years' conference, I want to focus on the strand of community, to help students see how learning a language has purpose outside the four walls of the classroom and that language can be a way in which to connect with other communities and people across the world.
Present on a new topic. I am slated to present at a conference this March, which is awesome, but I want to do more! I love sharing what I know, because I often learn so much at the same time. I tend to keep my presentations within a certain range of topics, but it is time to explore a new avenue of my work and to build a presentation around that topic.
Blog more. It seems silly to make blogging a goal as I write this post, but I want to write 3 posts a month. Whether my audience is big or small, writing posts helps me reflect on what works and what doesn't. Writing helps me reassess my lessons and build and improve.
Play more! Play is good for everyone. Whether it is playing games in class, having students use their imagination, or just enjoying time together. We get so caught up in the work itself, that we often forget that play can be a great way to engage with the language. Playing a game does not mean the students aren’t learning, but rather that I, as the teacher, need to ensure the students can engage with the target language while playing.
Go digital. (I’m jumping on Dovico’s bandwagon with this one.) We are 1-to-1 at our school. There is so much that can be done on the iPads that it isn’t too difficult to jump to the digital. While I believe in the power of writing and its’ connection to the brain remembering, so much of our learning is conversation based. Moving forward, if writing is not required, my goal is to have it on the iPad.
Seize opportunity. There is always so much going on in the world and so much of it is related to the things we study in class. A parent sent me an e-mail over the break about how her daughters and their friends have not stopped singing the song Bumboleo by the Gypsy Kings ever since they saw the movie Sing! This is a great opportunity to make a connection between the classroom and the real world. By bringing the use of Spanish to the students’ attention, they begin to see that the language is not just for the classroom.
Travel. Before baby, travel was a given in our house. Whether we went for the weekend or a few weeks, we knew we would go on at least a few trips a year. Travel is a time for my husband and I to spend time together without worrying about other commitments. Although the destinations may change – I’m not quite brave enough for a long flight with a 6 month old – the idea is still the same. Anything we can do to get some quality family time is worth it.
Train. This is not your typical “work out more” resolution, but rather that I want to train with a purpose. My long-term goal is to complete a triathlon sprint this summer, but in the meantime, I want to find something to work toward. This keeps me focused on what I need to do and helps me push myself toward my limit.
Find balance. Finding a life-work balance is always a struggle, especially with a baby in the house. I love my work and want to be the best teacher and colleague I can be, but I also want to give my family the attention they need and deserve. Right now, I want to get a quick workout in after school and pick my little one up by 4:30 at the latest. I want to participate in school events, but I will limit the events to the ones where my family can join me. When I'm at work, my focus is on flushing out any ideas or changes I want to make, but the paperwork stays at school. As the little guy grows and changes, so too will my definition of balance. The important thing is to constantly reassess and adapt to make it work.

What are your 17 for ’17?

Lip Sync Battle

5/9/2016

Who doesn’t love a good lip sync? It takes me back to my days at summer camp, but lately, lip sync battles are all the rage. So why not bring it into the classroom. Not only is it a great way to introduce students to popular music in Spanish, but also a chance for me to catch up on the latest and greatest while throwing in some of my favorites! (Plus it was a chance to watch Jimmy Fallon’s lip sync battles gratuitously.)

Students have access to the set of music videos they can choose from before we begin the battle. At home, they listen to as many of the songs as they like and come to class with an idea of their top video. Based on their video choice, they are put in groups. If there are multiple groups that choose the same video, it is up to the group to make their performance standout.

Once in groups, students get to work on the studying the song lyrics, and especially the chorus. As this is 5th grade, students are only responsible for truly lip syncing the chorus. In order to impress the judges (a few teachers I roped in and me), they can learn more. Students get to practicing the lyrics while they listen and dividing the work amongst the group. Students perform no more than 2 minutes of the song for the sake of time (we only have a 30 minute class).

Next comes the dance moves. No one wants to watch you standing still for 2 minutes! Students choreograph a dance to the part on which they will focus. It’s really fun to watch the students get into their dance moves. You never know who’s been hiding their talents all year!

Groups go against each other in pairs. The winner of each pair advances to the next round. Students are judged on their creativity, the clarity of the lip sync during the chorus, and group dynamics.

While this is a great way to wind down the school year, it is also a fun way to introduce new music to the students. It opens their eyes to culturally appropriate artists and genres, as well as provides input in the target language. Hearing different accents and voices broadens students’ ability to interpret the target language and make use of it. This activity can also be connected to their music classes, adding another layer to its’ purpose.

Next year, I’d love to pair the songs for our lip sync battle with a Music Madness tournament in March, a la Carrie Toth and @Spanishplans. I would introduce these songs/videos in March and get the students geared up and listening. By May, they wouldn’t even need the lyrics to study!

Central States Conference 2016 Reflections and takeaways

3/19/2016

Just a week out from Central States Conference 2016, and I think I'm finally ready to put what I've learned into words. As I reflected on my time at the conference, I realized that aside from the classroom and student focused takeaways, there are some big picture ideas that really stuck with me. My growth and learning came to more than buzzwords and targeted practices, but also in the importance of sharing time with colleagues and learning from those colleagues. We may not all be experts in anything, but we have a passion for language and teaching and we want what is best for our students. The presentations and conversations at Central States made this very clear. So here’s some stuff I picked up:

Everyone is doing their best to make learning better for their students.
No matter where my colleagues are in their career or in the process of writing or rewriting curriculum, we are all working hard to take the baby steps necessary to make huge changes. The way we teach language has changed drastically over the past years and there is a lot to take in and learn. It isn't just about what and how to implement ideas, but an incredible shift in the way we view language teaching. Just accepting this shift is a huge accomplishment. Diving in and making those changes is just a part of the process. Each time we take a small step, we really can't have a big impact on the students learning. Just the small steps can lead us to where we want to go with her teaching to where we want our students to go. It doesn't have to happen overnight and we, As teachers, have to be OK with making one change at a time to reach our bigger goal.

Sometimes all we need is a spark.
As I started the weekend at Central states, I was feeling a little lost as to what I really wanted to get out of the conference. I feel really good about where we are in our curriculum as a district, but it just isn't enough. I really couldn't decide what it was I wanted to focus on. After Amy Lenord's presentation on ditching the vocabulary list, however, I realize that I wasn't looking for a solution, but a spark. Just one idea can have a huge impact in changing the way we think about curriculum and how we teach. Why was I picking vocabulary (seemingly out of thin air) when I could use my authentic resources to dictate? Add this to Laura Terrill's idea of starting with culture and content and the pieces begin to come together. Neither one had the whole answer, but each of pieces begin to fit together to help solve the puzzle of how to push students to higher language proficiency.

Don't forget the conversation
The amount and variation in the sessions offered at Central states was incredible. But sometimes conversation after and between sessions is more valuable than attending twice as many sessions. Not only is it a time to continue the learning from the session, but to brainstorm ideas and connect with other colleagues. The more connections we make, the more potential there is for sharing and collaborating down the road. I am a person that likes to process information with other people; I like to talk it out to help formulate ideas and thoughts. Without these conversations, I’m not sure I would necessarily come to the same ideas or conclusions that I do when sharing and brainstorming with others. Not only do they have different perspectives and come from a wide variety of educational backgrounds and situations, but also they have differing experiences that lead to seeing material in distinctive ways.

Social media isn’t just a distraction
Despite constant commentary about millennials and technology, Twitter played an extremely important role in Central States for me. Not only is it impossible to attend all of the sessions, but it is also impossible to take everything in over the three day conference. The backchannel Twitter conversation provides an archive of thoughts, ideas, conversation and more that occurred during, between, and after sessions. Days, weeks, and months later, I can return to that “archive” under the #CSCTFL16 and review these ideas or moments to spark a new idea. Not only that, it is a great way to process ideas and have conversation even if you aren’t sitting next to the person in that moment. The amount of sessions I was able to “attend” was expanded just by virtue of reading the ideas or thoughts of others. Moreover, everyone hears the information differently, even if they are in the same room. The ability to read another perspective opens my mind to greater possibilities.

Central States this year didn't really feel like a regional conference. It was amazing to hear from some of the top people in the field and to connect with those who are facing the same everyday struggle to make language learning more effective and authentic for our students. Looking forward to next year in Chicago!

Why Failure IS important

3/7/2016

No one ever wants to fail. Ever. But the truth is, periodic failure offers much more than perfection. If you are perfect (and who can really say they are?!?!) then there is no room to learn and grow.

As a teacher, I feel like I often spend hours crafting what I hope is the most amazing and exciting lesson or activity. I think I’ve considered all angles, worked through giving the directions, thought about the vocabulary my students need, etc.; I’ve got this lesson in the bag. And then – EPIC FAIL!!

https://chrishildrew.wordpress.com/2014/03/21/becoming-a-growth-mindset-school/

But is it really a failure? Or is it only a failure if you never learn and grow? We ask our students to learn from their mistakes, so shouldn’t we, as teachers, model that behavior for them? Taking a failed lesson and reflecting and working through it to make it better is really no longer a failure. Not only is the lesson better, but also you as a teacher are better. Growth mindset is the current buzzword in education, but it is more than that, it is a choice to look at and reflect on your teaching to make it better for you and for your students.

Reflecting on failure has a benefit for our students as well. Imagine a teacher that never tried new ideas and always played it safe. Not only might the class be a bit boring, but also she sends the message to her students that risk-taking and change are not important. A teacher who looks for new opportunities and ideas, however, demonstrates the importance of taking risks. We constantly encourage our students, especially World Language students, to take risks and put their language use out there. If we don’t model that behavior with our teaching, why should they believe us?

It isn’t, however, just the risk-taking that we model. When an assignment or activity doesn’t work quite right, it is important that we model the reflection process with our students as well. Including them in the reflection not only provides us as teachers with a different perspective, but also teaches students that mistakes are great, but reflecting and improving is even better!

Failure provides that real-life, teachable moment. So grab your epic fails by the horns and reflect and change to make the failure worthwhile.

Top 5 Reason Language Teachers Should Travel

1/4/2016

Winter break is over and it’s back to work, but this year, the first day back is a bit different. I spent the past two weeks in Panama, living the culture and the language. Other than having a great time and enjoying the warm weather, it made me realize how important travel is for a language teacher.

Travel is fun. It can be relaxing, educational, inspiring and more! For language teachers, however, travel can be much, much more. For many language teachers, the opportunities to practice their target language (TL), is rare. While many of us may have chance to use our TL in our everyday lives, it is often at a surface level. Travel, on the other hand, opens us to a world of possibility to learning and practice, which we bring back to our classrooms in both planned and unplanned ways.

1. Brush up on your language.
Whether or not you use language in the classroom every day, I would imagine your TL could use a bit of a brush-up. Speaking classroom language to 8 years old (in my case) is not ensuring I maintain my language skills. Many of our classroom conversations are limited; travel expands the topics of conversation, challenges our language negotiation skills, and often pushes us out of our comfort zone. It is also a great reminder of what our students go through everyday as we acclimate to new vocabulary and situations.

Top tips for Getting the Most out of Professional Conferences

12/4/2015

It's been just a week since I've returned home from #ACTFL15, but my brain is still buzzing with everything I learned. Not only was the conference held in the gorgeous San Diego, but also it has been a while since I’ve attended a conference of this size. It was a whirlwind of learning, connecting, and sharing. At such a large conference, it can be extremely difficult to make the most of your time. There are so many sessions and so many workshops, that it can feel impossible to choose, and you certainly cannot make it to them all. To make the most of any conference, whether big or small, here are a few tips:

1. Plan ahead.
Before you go, it is essential to determine your goals. What do you need to work on the most? What are you hoping to achieve from the conference? Once you determine your goal, spend some time going over the conference guide and decide on sessions that could help you meet that goal. By focusing your attention on those sessions, you are sure to walk away with ideas and activities that support your needs. As you read over the session descriptions, search for keywords and phrases such as: activities, ready to use, and tricks and tips. Spend some time looking at the presenters. Do you teach elementary school? If so, university presenter probably won't be your best bet. It's not to say that their presentation won't be good, but rather that they may not have the boots-on-the-ground experience you're looking for.

2. Don't be afraid to meet new people.
One of the best parts about attending a conference is meeting other professionals like you. These attendees are looking for the same things you are; that's why they're there! Pick their brains, share information, and ask lots of questions! Other attendees may have suggestions on sessions to attend, great websites and blogs to follow, or, they may just provide you with great conversation. It never hurts to broaden your professional learning community (PLC).

3. Connect with social media
Many conferences these days use Twitter as a way to connect attendees and cull information. This is a great way to share information from sessions you’ve attended and gain insights from those you couldn’t make. Further, Twitter gives a platform to reread highlights and re-explore ideas. By using Twitter during the conference, you also expand your PLC, which helps extend your learning beyond the few days spent at the conference. With so many attendees and so many points of view, the Twitter cache is sure to have tips and ideas you missed during your session.

4. Take time to process.
Attending a conference does not necessarily mean attending a session at every time slot. While sessions are a must, so is conversation and processing time; there is only so much you can take in at one time. Attending more sessions does not necessarily guarantee taking more back to your classroom. Some of my best learning and creating, in fact, takes place between sessions or at lunch. Focus on a few ideas that truly stood out to you and spend some time thinking them through. What will the idea look like in your classroom? How can you adapt it for your students? Look back at your notes and annotate with how these ideas connect to your classroom.

Taking time to process on your own is important, but so is conversation with colleagues. Invite a new friend to lunch or to grab coffee between a session you just attended together. Take the time to not only get to know them, but to process the workshop together. The back and forth can lead to bigger and better ideas, and to ways to begin implementing ideas on Monday when you return.

Attending a conference can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. With these quick tips, you can make the most of your time and create a scenario for continued learning and improving even once you return home.

You Have More Time Than you think...To update Curriculum

9/16/2015

As the school year begins, we often wonder where the summer went. Time just seems to get away from us. Is it that there isn’t enough time to do the things we enjoy or that we are giving our time to tasks that are unimportant or unnecessary? In 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam, time is the focus. Vanderkam begins the book with the idea of looking at our time in 168 hours, a week’s worth of time, versus 24 hours, which allows us more flexibility with time. Each hour (or half hour) block, essentially, acts as a piece of a mosaic. When looking at the entire week instead of only a day, it is easy to see there is more time than you think. (See below for a downloadable table).

Why is this important in the classroom? Over the past few years, there has been a shift in the best practice of teaching world language. Our more traditional, grammar-based lessons have been shoved over for language that is conversation-focused and authentic. While it sounds fabulous, overhauling curriculum takes time! Over the past 5+ years, my district has worked to change EVERYTHING we teach to focus on “Can Do” statements and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language’s (ACTFL’s) proficiency guidelines. While the work is arduous at times, we have seen results.

All of this work, of course, requires time. Whether summer work, after school meetings, or searching resources at home, this curriculum shift cannot be accomplished without time. But how does Vanderkam’s book apply to this? Vanderkam suggests creating a log for the 168 hours in the week; take a close look at how you are actually spending your time. Every person and every family situation is different, but we all have some hidden time in our schedules. Whether it is time spent venting to colleagues at work or checking e-mails and Facebook, there are hidden time sucks in every schedule. Finding these unproductive times and turning them into work-focused time can create a huge difference in what you accomplish.

Keeping it in the target language from day 1 to 180

8/10/2015

As a language teacher, I know my students need large amounts of input in order to be successful. I am also aware that the only place they truly receive that input is the 30 minutes a day they are in my classroom. With such a small window of opportunity, it is essential I use every minute to the fullest and fill their nimble minds with as much target language (TL) as possible. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL, 2015) recommends “language educators and their students use the target language as exclusively as possible (90% plus) at all levels of instruction.” Our goal is to set up them for success in travel and interaction with speakers of the TL, so it only makes sense to surround them with language in the classroom.

If you are new to the 90/10 model, it can be daunting at first. I couldn’t imagine how teaching elementary school students in the TL from day one; they would have a melt down! Our students, however, are extremely receptive if you approach the use of language in context and with plenty of support. Here are a few ideas for getting your year started off right at any level:

Use classroom decorations that double as input
While we don’t want to overwhelm our students, there are plenty of decorations that do double duty. Signs with essential phrases, such as “Can I go to the bathroom?” or “I have a question.” are a must! If you post classroom rules, make them bilingual so you don’t have to translate as you go. By mid-year, the first language side can be removed and you can continue to refer to the rules in the TL only. Keep the rules simple and easy to understand.

As presented by Moeller, A.J. & Roberts, A. at Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Language, 2014.

Top 3 Reasons to Attend Conferences

3/14/2015

I guess it seems a bit obvious to say that attending conferences, or any professional development (PD), is important. Without PD, how can we continue to grow as educators? How can we expand our practice? Attending a conference, however, is more than just PD, it is a larger view of what is happening in education across our state, region or nation. Although they are often costly, attending just once conference a year can provide benefits that are priceless.

The top reasons to attend a conference:

Multiple sessions - Attending day-long PD sessions is important, but a full day on one topic can be overwhelming and tiring. A 3-day conference provides sessions over a longer time period, allowing attendees to have time off between sessions to reflect on the information. Furthermore, a wider range of topics provides attendees choice that fits their needs. Multiple presentations on the same topic also allow for different perspectives to consider. I love taking bits and pieces from each presentation to build my personal ideal that best fits my students and classroom.