Rethinking Language Instruction:
Learn. Let go. Leap.
Bring an inservice to your school
Educator in Service workshops are unique. Jan’s innovative combination of teaching nonfiction interdisciplinary culture topics in the target language using comprehensible input and other natural language acquisition principles is not found anywhere else.
It’s time to rethink the standard world language curriculum. Typical early levels focus on students talking about themselves and learning to become global tourists. It’s time for a shift to developing students as global citizens. They need more knowledge about the world and how it works. Building background knowledge in geography, history, biography, and global issues starting in the beginning levels gives students what they need to understand more complex cultural topics at the upper levels and as lifelong learners.
Contact Jan to bring personalized professional development to your school/city.
Inservice Series
Day 1) Comprehensible Input: Rethinking HOW We Teach Language
Day 2) Content: Rethinking WHAT we Teach in Language Class
Day 3) Tailor-Made Teaching Skills Training and Coaching
Day 4) Curriculum Consultation: Building Content & Language Units, Courses, and Programs
Inservices are tailored to meet district needs and goals!
Teachers will learn how to:
- Develop a world language curriculum based on interdisciplinary culture topics neglected in the US education system: cultural comparisons, global geography, world history, biographies, international perspectives on current events, etc.
- Reach all learners by applying the principles of how the brain acquires language
- Accelerate language proficiency development by using interactive narratives
- Conduct class in comprehensible target language, even with novice learners
- Engage and motivate learners through active participation
- Break free from the grammar-based syllabus used for the past 50+ years (and still the scope and sequence of texts from major publishers), to establish a language-acquisition rich environment that allows students to acquire naturally
Testimonial
“Your presentations were inspirational and informative, relevant and useful. Your presentation skills are world-class…Your workshops were well prepared, exposing us to a range of research, strategies and ideas…Your enthusiasm was boundless and you are a wonderfully talented entertainer…You made us laugh, you made us think and you made us learn some Swedish!”
Association of Chinese and Mongolian International Schools
Contact Jan to bring an inservice to your school/city.
Specialty Inservices available: FLES We Can! (for K-8 teachers) and Submersion or Immersion? (for immersion teachers of any language)