3 Education-Focused Podcasts to Check Out Today By Erin E.H. Austin It feels like there are two main camps where podcasts are concerned: those who subscribe to far more podcasts than they can reasonably listen to in a single lifetime and those who have never listened to a single podcast episode. And at least in my social circles, there doesn’t seem to be much in between! I happen to fall solidly into the first camp. Whether commuting to work, walking the dog, or warming up a

HOW TO FINISH THE SCHOOL YEAR AND GET STUDENTS EXCITED FOR NEXT YEAR The end of the year is the perfect opportunity to reflect, celebrate, and plant the seeds for what’s next. So how do we wrap up the year in a way that keeps students engaged and builds excitement for what’s ahead? Here are the most important elements of a successful end-of-year plan: It gives students a chance to show off what they’ve learned in a meaningful way It includes ALL students—yes, even the quiet o

When one utters the words “linguistic diversity” in the United States, immigration is often the first thought which comes to mind. However, long before the first colonizers arrived to the Americas, it was a land rich with many diverse and complex languages. Despite the centuries of colonization and the enormous attempts to erase Indigenous languages native to the continent, well over a hundred Indigenous languages are still spoken on U.S soil today. Regardless, many of us go

Coming back from a long holiday break can be both exciting and challenging for teachers and students alike. The familiar hum of the classroom returns, but it often comes with a mix of post-holiday blues and back-to-school jitters. As foreign language teachers, we have the unique opportunity to reignite the joy of learning by focusing on meaningful reconnections that spark both enthusiasm and curiosity. The first days back are golden moments filled with potential. Start by sho

In the fall of 2023, the University of Denver’s first-year Spanish program did away with traditional exams and replaced them with a portfolio-based assessment system. Over a year later, students, instructors, and course learning outcomes are all reaping the benefits. This post will discuss why our program made the switch, what our portfolios consist of, and the benefits we have seen since adopting them. The problem with exams Our program uses a communicative, task-based

Teachers and side hustles go together like peanut butter and jelly. Like Coloradans and skiing. Like freshmen and…that unique smell. Finding a side hustle that relates to the education world can feel like striking gold. I have the good fortune of being an education grant reviewer, and it has been a rewarding--and enlightening--process! I have reviewed grant proposals that excite me, make me want to be in that teacher’s classroom, and literally say out loud, “Yes! I want to gi

Are you struggling to stick to the target language in introductory classes where students have so little knowledge? It may seem difficult, but giving your students lots of rich, meaningful input is one of the best things you can do for their language acquisition, so this post is here to help! Our goal It’s easy to think that students won’t understand us if we use words they’ve never heard before. Shouldn’t we wait to use the target language until students have memorized a co