#216

Are your assessments really capturing what your students can do with the language? Or are they just measuring memorization and correctness? In today’s episode, we’re diving into what it looks like to assess for performance and proficiency. I’ll share tips for aligning tasks to the modes of communication, using Can Do Statements to drive growth, and giving feedback that supports risk-taking rather than only focusing on what is not completely accurate.

Topics in this Episode:

• Assessment and feedback are teaching tools, not just measurement tools
• Questions to consider when looking at feedback and assessments in your classroom:
  • Do Your Assessments Reflect Performance & Communication?
  • Do Assessments inInclude the 3 Modes of Communication
  • Do Students Understand How They’re Being Assessed?
  • Does the Feedback Encourage Growth?
• Assessment doesn’t have to feel like a judgment. It can be an opportunity to motivate by showing what was done well and guidance on improving on that.
• Let your assessments and feedback tell students: ‘You can do this—and here’s what’s next.

A Few Ways We Can Work Together:

• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual Teachers
• On-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language Departments
• Self-Paced Program for For Language Departments

Connect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:

• Website: wlclassrom.com
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook Group: World Language Classroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• LinkedIn: Joshua Cabral
• Bluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.socia
• X (Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#215

Do your students freeze up during partner conversations? Rely on memorized phrases? Default to English? It’s not just your students, I assure you, and the issue isn’t their ability, it’s the way we structure the speaking task. In this episode, I’ll show you how to get students talking, really communicating, no matter their proficiency level. You’ll learn how to design interpersonal speaking tasks that are spontaneous and supported, with strategies you can right away. Whether your students are Novice Low or headed toward Intermediate High, you’ll leave with a clear framework to make unscripted speaking feel safe, doable, and fun.

Topics in this Episode:

• how to increase real, unscripted student talk without overwhelming them
• students don’t need more vocabulary lists or more scripted dialogues, they need support for real-time interaction.
• spontaneous speaking doesn’t mean unprepared. It means unscripted
• we often think of “spontaneous” speaking as something students either can do or can’t do. But just like writing or reading, it can be taught and scaffolded.
• classroom strategies:
  • frame the Conversation with Can-Do Statements
  • use a repeatable framework: Set the Purpose, Prep the Language, Create the Conditions, Reflect and Repeat
• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD Course: Boost Interpersonal Speaking at All Levels

A Few Ways We Can Work Together:

• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual Teachers
• On-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language Departments
• Self-Paced Program for For Language Departments

Connect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:

• Website: wlclassrom.com
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook Group: World Language Classroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• LinkedIn: Joshua Cabral
• Bluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.socia
• X (Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#214

Do your lessons ever feel like a mix of good activities that just don’t quite connect? You’re not alone—and it’s frustrating when all your effort doesn’t lead to real language growth. In this episode, we talk about how planning intentionally from the first input to the final assessment so everything works together to build proficiency. You’ll get practical ideas, a clear framework, and a fresh approach that makes planning easier and more effective. So, let's jump in.

Topics in this Episode:

• We have to start planning with the end goal of communication in mind, not the content, not the textbook unit, not even the grammar point. But communication.
• When we think about what students need to be able to do with language—what they’ll say, write, listen to, and read—and then work backwards from there, everything starts to click into place.
• This is the foundation of backward design and intentional planning.
• Classroom startegies:
  • Start with the “I Can” Statements
  • Align the Input, Tasks, and Assessment
• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD Course: Intentional Planning for Proficiency: From Input to Assessment.

A Few Ways We Can Work Together:

• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual Teachers
• On-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language Departments
• Self-Paced Program for For Language Departments

Connect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:

• Website: wlclassrom.com
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook Group: World Language Classroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• LinkedIn: Joshua Cabral
• Bluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.socia
• X (Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.