My new favorite weekly Professional Development is the podcast Tea With BVP. I have had 13 hours of free, engaging and informative PD with Bill, Angelika and Walter, mostly while I have been running. (I have a hard time sitting and listening to a podcast!)This week's episode "There's no such thing anymore as "methods"" not only informed me, but also provided a lot of validation about what I am doing in the classroom. Something I don't always get from those around me (excluding in my digital space :) ).
Some of the things that BVP mentioned this week:
- Engagement - By using lots of authentic resources (such as music, music videos, commercials, infographics, and movies) and other visual resources, I feel I am engaging my students.
- Personalization - La Estrella del Día has been the best way to personalize my classroom and I am loving doing that 2-4 times a week!
- Using a movie as the "textbook" - BVP mentioned that he is doing that for one of his classes. This made me think of what I am doing with the movie Canela and with El Internado. These are much more engaging than a textbook and filled with lots more culture. I am hoping to do something with another movie as well.
- Teachers need to be proficient in order to provide lots of CI - This made me think of Carrie Toth's latest blog post: Improving Teacher Language Proficiency. I, like her, started teaching when I was in the intermediate range (as are many language teachers). Reading, listening, traveling, and speaking are the best way to improve proficiency! In Carrie's blog post, she shares a wonderful opportunity for Spanish Teachers. I wish I could go, but I will be headed to Costa Rica around the same time.
- Teachers need to learn about SLA - I have already learned a ton from this show and that is why I am posting about it. So if you haven't started listening, I highly recommend it! Click here to go to their site.
