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In this episode of Growing With Proficiency, I’m joined by my friends and fellow educators Annabelle Williamson (La Maestra Loca) and Elissa McLean to share our biggest takeaways from Conference in the Cloud.

We talk about simple, high-impact strategies to help you use more target language in your classroom without adding stress:

• Routines that make Spanish (or any language) the default from day one
• Playful moments that spark joy and engagement—like the Platos game from Will Adams’s Chinese class and Martha Ruiz Yedinak’s What’s in Your Pocket? student job
• Star Student Interviews with tips to keep them fresh, personal, and comprehensible all year long
• Why slowing down, adding repetitions, and remembering what it’s like to be a beginner matters

📚 Resources & Mentions

• Conference in the Cloud — use code CLAUDIA to register
• More about routines here
• Class Jobs with Annabelle Williamson and John Seifer
• Star Student Interview
• TPT Store with Star Student Interview questions for each month
• Growing With Proficiency Blog
• Growing With Proficiency The Spanish Teacher Academy Waitlist
  
  

🎧 Listen now to hear the full conversation, plus practical tips you can try tomorrow to increase target language time, build community, and keep your classes joyful and connected.

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How do we move from teaching about a language to using it to communicate—authentically, meaningfully, and joyfully?

In this special live episode of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast, I sit down with two powerhouses in the world of language acquisition—Dr. Karen Lichtman and Jason Fritze—to answer a BIG question:

👉 What does it actually mean to teach for acquisition?

We explore what the research says, what this looks like in real classrooms, and the three core teaching skills that every language educator needs to make acquisition-driven instruction work.

Whether you’re brand new to CI or have been doing this for years, this episode is packed with insights, encouragement, and strategies you can try mañana in your own classroom.

What We Talk About:

• What teaching for acquisition really means (and what it doesn’t)
• The difference between communication and display questions
• Why teacher use of the target language—not student output—is what matters most for acquisition
• 3 core teaching skills for every CI-based classroom:
  • Comprehensible Input – speak in the TL in a way students can understand
  • Purposeful Questioning – real, meaningful questions that spark conversation
  • Adapting Content – tailor topics, resources, and stories to your students
• How to start small (even if you’re still required to follow a textbook)

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Dr. Florencia Henshaw on authentic materials
• Donato & Glisan's Enacting the Work of Language Instruction
• Dr. Karen Lichtman research

🔗 Want more support?

Check out my blog

Check out my TPT Store 👉 Explore all the resources here

Check out my FB Group Growing With CI 📘 Facebook: Growing With CI Community

Sign up for the wait list of GWP The Spanish Teacher Academy

https://growingwithproficiency.com/academy

💌 Loved this episode? Leave a review and tag me on Instagram @growingwithproficiency—I’d love to hear your biggest takeaway!

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Planning for acquisition isn’t about perfection—it’s about intention. In this powerful episode, I sit down with Dr. Diane Neubauer and Dr. Reed Riggs for one of the most meaningful conversations I’ve ever had about lesson planning in the world language classroom.

We explore what it means to plan with purpose—centering curiosity, communication, and student connection instead of rigid structures or vocabulary lists.

✨ Key takeaways:

• Why essential questions can guide your unit better than word banks
• How to stay flexible with language goals (because students don’t always know what we think they know)
• The power of interpretive communication—why listening and reading matter just as much (or more!) than speaking
• How routines and student responses can lead the way
• Why language is the vehicle, not the destination

Whether you’re new to acquisition-driven instruction or looking to refine your approach, this episode will inspire and ground your planning process.

🛠️ Mentioned in the episode:

Neubauer, D. (2022). Chinese Language Instruction with Novice Learners: Target Language Topic Development, Engagement, and Comprehension in Online and Hybrid Classrooms: The University of Iowa.

Jacknick, C. M. (2021). Multimodal participation and engagement: Social interaction in the classroom. Edinburgh University Press.

Hiver, P., Al-Hoorie, A. H., & Mercer, S. (2020). Student engagement in the language classroom. Multilingual Matters.

Diane’s YouTube channel

Diane’s Language teaching blog

New eBook: Comprehension-based Chinese, published by Cheng & Tsui

Reed’s Blog: http://www.reedriggs.com/#/

Conversations About Language: https://conversationsaboutlanguage.buzzsprout.com/

More Resources:

🌐 Connect with Claudia:

Instagram: @growingwithproficiency

Website: www.growingwithproficiency.com

TpT Back to School Sale! 🗓️ August 5–6 — Use code BTS25
👉 Explore all the resources here