March 31, 2025 • 47 mins
Patience trumps perfection when transitioning to proficiency-based language instruction, as veteran Spanish teacher Kia London reveals in this enlightening conversation about her journey teaching at a new school. With 19 years of experience across all grade levels K-12, Kia brings genuine wisdom about adjusting instructional pace to meet students where they are—without compromising high expectations for target language use.
Watch the interview here: https://youtu.be/eknSSQBX4xA
Connect with Kia London:
bit.ly/klondon
trailblazeintolanguagelearning.com https://www.instagram.com/clases_de_london/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/groups/culturallydiverseequitablecurriculum https://twitter.com/MaestraLondon https://www.tiktok.com/@kdl_trailblaze https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf2Rcb0xkR7R8_lLbt5dB4g
When Kia moved to her current high school (coincidentally her alma mater), she faced a significant challenge: students unaccustomed to the 90%+ target language environment she cultivates. Rather than lowering expectations, she embraced a semester-long process of scaffolding, repetition, and strategic classroom design to bring students along. Her detailed approach to creating visual supports, recognizing student feedback cues, and building a classroom culture where "I don't understand" is welcomed rather than feared provides practical takeaways for teachers at any stage of their proficiency journey.
The conversation explores the delicate balance of pushing students beyond their comfort zone while being responsive to their needs. Kia shares specific strategies that transformed initial resistance into engagement—like reducing homework load to improve quality, modeling activities before practice, and using station work to foster peer support. Most inspiring is her celebration of student growth beyond language acquisition itself, as she witnesses learners developing confidence, leadership, and problem-solving skills.
For teachers struggling with the messy middle of proficiency implementation, Kia's mantra that "consistency beats perfect" offers refreshing permission to embrace the journey rather than expect overnight transformation. Connect with Kia's wealth of resources at bitly.com/KLondon and implement her practical wisdom in your own language classroom tomorrow.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What's up?
Que lo que Et salut worldlanguage teachers.
Welcome to the PracticalProficiency Podcast, where we
make the transition toproficiency-oriented instruction
in your world language class ina way that works for you, your
unique context and teachingstyle, and doesn't sacrifice
(00:21):
your well-being along the way.
I'm your host, devon Gunning,the teacher author, conference
host, curriculum creator andconsultant behind La Libre
Language Learning.
This podcast is for thecreative world language teacher
like you who's ready to ditchthe overwhelming pressure of
switching to acquisition-driveninstruction and CI overnight.
(00:42):
You're ready to discover howusing more target language in
class can actually bring you andyour students more joy instead
of adding to your plate.
With practical, authentic anddown-to-earth strategies that
don't require reinventing thewheel or more training, we'll
work together towards the magicof a community-based, target
(01:05):
language-rich classroom, rootedin the power of community and
comprehensible input.
Let's go.
Welcome everybody.
I am so excited to welcome backa special guest.
Kia London is here with metoday on the Practical
(01:27):
Proficiency Podcast.
I'm so excited to welcome backa special guest.
Kia London is here with metoday on the Practical
Proficiency Podcast.
If you are watching orlistening, thank you so much for
being here and thank you, kia,for joining me again and being
my first repeat guest on thePractical Proficiency Podcast.
This is going to be so fun.
I'm really excited to hearabout your year teaching this
year, so tell us a little bitmore about you and what your
(01:51):
school year is like this year.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I'm super excited to be able to chat with you and,
hey y'all, what's going on?
So I have, I've been teachingfor 19 years.
It feels like yesterday,honestly, but when 2025 rolled
(02:18):
around, I was like, oh my gosh,it's been 19 years, so it goes
very, very fast.
And I've been teaching Spanish.
I've literally taught everygrade level, K through 12.
And I spent a lot of years inthe middle school.
So I want to say maybe close tolike nine years.
So middle school definitely likehas my heart.
(02:39):
There's a there's a piece of methere with middle school, and
now I'm back to high school.
There's a piece of me therewith middle school and now I'm
back to high school.
So I started my journey ofteaching at the high school
level and so now I'm back tohigh school, which has really
been good.
So, yeah, so like there's a lotof things going on.
(03:04):
I've definitely slowed the pace.
It seems as if, like the paceslowed down for me in the fall,
um, normally I'm, you know,either facilitating something,
you know, a conference, orpresenting, and so I remember
telling myself specifically thatfor the fall, I wanted to, you
know, take it easy, because I amcurrently I'm in a new school
(03:28):
community.
Um, I'm teaching at the highschool.
I graduated from um, which is,which is pretty cool, but, um,
so, yeah, so there's justthere's been a lot of change,
but we're still, we're, we're,we're still moving forward,
which is awesome been a lot ofchange, but we're still moving
forward, which is awesome.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
I admire that.
You're giving yourself the muchneeded space to move into a new
realm of life.
This is something that I neverdo and need to do more of, so
that is wonderful, becausethat's so much on your plate.
Transitioning to a new schoolas well that's something I think
that we can forget about a lotwhen we're thinking about what
it's like to be a teacher.
(04:07):
I've taught at three differentschools in a rather short career
and moved for various reasons,and every single time it is oh
wow, I'm getting used to a wholenew big system again.
So tell me a little bit aboutthat too.
You're an experienced teacher.
You know exactly what it meansto teach Spanish, but did you
experience a little bit aboutthat too?
Like you're a, you're anexperienced teacher.
Like you know exactly what itmeans to teach Spanish, but did
(04:28):
you experience a little bit ofthat going into a new school
environment, especially with?
I know you were telling me thelast time you were on here that
you were excited to be back inyour, in your old stomping
ground and your old communityyeah, um, I, I know for me like
(04:51):
going from.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
So, like I came, I came from a school where we we
had a pretty like large team andso, um, we were on a journey.
I mean, the goals were set forproficiency, like that was just
like that was the like, that wasthe expectation and that was
how we were facilitatinginstruction.
And so now I truly do want toapplaud and shout out the
(05:13):
teachers that I now work with inthe department, because they
are beginning and getting likeinto that journey.
So it's been very, it's beenreally cool, like just hearing
the conversations, like in thedepartment meetings and hearing
like their thought process about, well, what about this, and
(05:34):
maybe we can do it this way.
So that part has been really,really interesting, you know,
for for me to hear as well.
And so, coming in, you know,again, like I've I've told
people like, yeah, I went tohigh school here, but again, you
know, teaching a differentgeneration, you know a new
(05:54):
generation of students, um beingin so on our high school, in
our high school we have twocampuses.
Like our campus is like huge,and so I am.
There's a North building andthere's a South building, and so
I'm in the North building,which is where World Language is
, and so when I was there, worldLanguage was like in the South
(06:16):
building.
So it's there's a little bit ofnostalgia there, but at the
same time I think too nostalgiathere but at the same time I
think too, as far as buildingconnections and relationships
with the students, thatdefinitely helped a little bit
in my favor.
So it wasn't like you know,like well, she's just coming in
and we don't know, you know, butbeing able to say like yeah, I
(06:38):
graduated from there, oh, youdid Okay, like okay, you know,
so, um, but yeah, but there's alot.
I mean, there's a new teachercohort that I'm like a part of
and it's really there for thepurposes of providing support,
like onboarding, support forteachers that are new to the um,
(06:59):
to our school community, and sothe cohort that I'm in right
now everybody has taught before.
So, like, everybody hasexperienced, like, maybe from
like five to, you know, 10, 15years, but there's so many
things that you, you have tolearn Like there's a system and,
(07:22):
and you know, every schoolcommunity has a different
culture.
And I'll never forget theprincipal.
He said to us this was back inJuly where he just said what the
acronym was, byob, and I waslike, okay, I think we, I know
like, I think we know like whatI know, like let's go.
(07:52):
And I remember some of uschuckling like he's like no, no,
no, I'm not talking about that.
And he said bring your ownbrand.
And I thought that was reallyinteresting and it really
assured and brought you, youknow, like, some encouragement
of just like, okay, yes, I am apart of a larger department,
like we have a pretty bigdepartment, and also that
(08:14):
doesn't necessarily mean that Ineed to put away who I am as a
teacher and what I normally do.
Um, so I really appreciate youknow him for that, that the
importance of you know beingauthentic, because ultimately we
want to be authentic with ourstudents.
You know they can see throughanything, especially if we're
(08:35):
not being authentic to who weare.
So, so true, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
That's very reaffirming, too.
I like that it's got a nicecatchy tagline for a way for
teachers to explore their ownautonomy without having fear of,
you know, running up againstbarriers or boundaries with what
the school culture is.
That you can reaffirm your ownidentity and contribute to what
you're joining instead of havingto conform to what you're
(09:03):
joining.
That's a really cool way to seeit.
I'm hoping that anybody who iseither a new teacher or in the
same position as you, who'slistening or watching this, can
absorb that and say that I cantake that into my own school
culture too, that this issomething that I can be a part
of and be my OB yeah, that'sgreat.
And I'm BYOB yeah, that's great.
(09:29):
So tell me more about thisinteresting transition that you
mentioned about a change of pacewith your students.
You mentioned to me brieflybefore, when we before we
started the recording, that theschool that you came from, these
students had a different amountof Spanish before they came to
you, and now you're having tochange a lot of your pacing
(09:52):
structure and the way that youapproach Spanish class.
So tell me a little bit moreabout that and what that's
looked like.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Yeah, so in my previous school community um
again, very large departmentacross middle and upper upper
school there was.
I just even remember when Istarted there like I had to
quote, unquote, like up my gameum, from where I was coming from
, and that was like four and ahalf, four years ago, and so the
(10:33):
students there had they wereaccustomed to a level of
proficiency with hearing thetarget language at least 95, 98%
of the time.
And I remember, coming in Icame from another middle school
and I was just getting to thepoint with the students that I
taught at that previous middleschool of you know introducing
(10:53):
them to proficiency and you knowcomprehensible input strategy.
So when I started in myprevious school community I had
to like up my game, likeincredibly, and I really am
thankful for that because itreally not only not only are you
(11:14):
really able to Look at you knowthe multifaceted way as far as
like how learners are able tolike acquire the language, but
it also prepares you for anumber of different situations
like, um, in the classroom.
And so in my previous schoolcommunity a lot of the students
(11:36):
like there was a, there was anelementary Spanish program so
they had had it from if theywere enrolled, like at the
preschool level, they had had itfrom.
If they were enrolled like atthe preschool level, they had
had it all the way to preschool,all the way up to fourth grade.
And so I taught fifth and sixthgrade and you know, I remember
just thinking I was, you know,like going at a good pace and
(11:57):
they were just like no more, youknow so anyway, so fast forward
to now that I will say thatthat was my, that was my biggest
adjustment, like I had to.
I had to figure out, like OK,how can I still ensure that they
(12:18):
are getting all the input thatthey need, still staying and
again I say this for me withinthe 90 percent or more target
language and challenging them todo so, because I know that with
a lot of my students I teachfreshmen, sophomores and juniors
, and so with a lot of theincoming freshmen I don't think,
(12:43):
at least from my, quite a fewof them were not accustomed to
hearing like the target languageas much as they heard it with
me.
So that was one adjustment.
The other thing, too, was being, you know, kind of like walking
the fine line of like okay, Iwant to push you all, but at the
(13:03):
same time, I don't want you tobe discouraged if you're not
able to get it like the firsttime around.
So that was definitely, yeah,that was definitely an
adjustment.
And then, I mean, I even had afew parents that were just like,
just for lack of better words,it was like are you sure you
know what you're doing?
And I'm like you know becausefor them you know it was new too
(13:29):
, because, for all I know, youknow, their students had, you
know, spanish teachers thatapproach language you know
differently than I do.
So, um, you know that wassomething else.
But one thing I will say as faras, like, slowing the pace and,
you know, changing the pace upper se in our new teacher
(13:50):
academy we talked about cultural, responsive teaching, and this
is something that I'm, you know,chunking when it comes to.
(14:11):
Whenever you're teaching a topic, you know, rather than you know
, feel like you have to getthrough every single thing, but
like, take it apart, chunk it,scaffold IE and so forth apart,
chunk it, scaffold IE and soforth.
And so I remember first semesterwhere I I had thought that I'm
(14:32):
like, oh yeah, this is, I'mscaffolding enough, this is what
they need.
And then finding out like, okay,no, no, you need to do it, you
know, like even more Um, and sothat was a very different
process for me as far as beingpatient with that, and so I mean
the students definitely liketaught me that as a group, it's
(15:08):
worth the point where I can pileon like even a little bit more
because of being able to takethat time and being patient with
them, um, in terms of justwhere they were at and um, so,
yeah, so it's been, it's, it'sbeen good, it's definitely, you
know, been good.
And I feel like too and I'mspeaking for myself where you,
you teach somewhere for a whileand you get accustomed to like a
(15:32):
certain level of likeexpectation, you know with the
students, and so, um, when youmake a transition and then it's
like, okay, we'll wait, allright, hold on, you know.
So it's good.
I feel like that there's asense of humility that like kind
of comes with that, but alsobeing mindful that, as teachers
(15:56):
to like, we have to continue tobe flexible in any given day, in
any given, and being able tomeet, you know, our students
where they're at as well.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
Wow, there's so much there.
I'm excited to dive into this.
This feels very reaffirming toknow that patience is the number
one thing that has paid off foryou, of being patient with
yourself in this learningprocess, of understanding that
(16:32):
you're reminding me that eachtime that you work with a new
group of students, it's alearning process.
You're learning how they workand what they need, and that
it's important to be flexiblewith the stuff that you're
planning to teach, because younever know how students are
going to react to it and whatkind of timing they really need.
And your students it soundslike they and their parents too
(16:54):
sometimes were a little bitshell shocked by it.
How would you say what was thattimeline you think that it took
them?
Now we're recording this aroundthe beginning of February.
So what does that timelinelooked like for?
Because I know there's a lot ofpeople listening who are diving
into this experience themselves.
I've been talking with a lot ofmy and you've given a course
(17:14):
for them before with all yourexpertise With my members.
There's a lot of people who aretrying this whole concept of
using a lot of target languageand they're in the beginning
journeys of this.
Walk us through a little bit ofwhat did that timeline look
like for your students ofstarting to feel like oh, that
like first initial anxiety ofthis is a lot of language to
(17:35):
like.
Okay, I'm finally used to this.
What did that look like for themajority of your students
time-wise?
Speaker 2 (17:41):
I would say for the majority of my students, an
entire semester, an entiresemester, like it took the
entire semester.
And I wasn't, I wasn't reallyexpecting that.
I think I, you know, I canthink of a few, not a few, but
like a percentage of studentsthat were like, okay, yeah,
(18:03):
maybe by like November-ish orlike December, but majority as a
whole, it took an entiresemester.
Um, and I think, too, theimportant thing too is like
believing that, believing thatyour students can, you know,
(18:26):
understand and comprehend youlike in the target language, and
not not like quote unquote,like backing down, you know.
And I think that that's reallyimportant because in the
beginning, when I think of thebeginning of the year, like I
was kind of, you know, I was alittle tough, and I just
(18:47):
remember, you know a variety ofways where it's like if they
weren't able to understand me,so taking them through the
process of number one, likeusing the room, that's a huge
piece, like I, I just rememberthe beginning of the year, the
first thing I wanted to dobefore school started.
(19:09):
I was like I have to set up myroom, and it wasn't because you
know, oh, I want to, you know,have like fancy decorations.
It was because I wanted to getmy students to the place where
they were able to not onlyunderstand what I was saying,
understand what they werereading, you know, depending on
(19:30):
what the content was, but alsobeing able to communicate with
me, and being able tocommunicate with each other,
like during that talking time.
So I have things like on mywall, such as like the sweet
sixteens, you know the verbs, wehave the super sevens, the
interrogatives, as differentphrases popped up and as their
(19:52):
vocabulary grew.
I would just add more things,you know, just like on the wall,
like I mean, we have a, there'sa staff that comes in and does
like cleaning in our rooms andthe ladies, I'm sure they're
probably like I, you knowthey're like, because I always
have um signs on my whiteboardthat say don't erase.
(20:15):
It's in Spanish.
I'm like don't erase the board,you know so, um, because it's
really important.
And then I've, you know, alsogrown to see and know that.
You know they do depend on that, as like additional scaffolding
, which is perfectly fine for me, um, because they're novice
learners.
I teach novice learners, um,some of them are approaching
(20:38):
novice high, um, at this point,but mainly like novice mid, you
know, novice, low and so forth.
So it's, you know, that partwas was really important.
And then being able to like,okay, what do we say when we
have to go to the bathroom, likehaving that sign up, you know,
(20:58):
and then it's like, well, can Igo?
I'm like, and it's my y'all,like, oh, it's London.
I'm like, yeah, like it's rightthere, you can do it, you know.
And so that was huge, that waslike a huge, and then
consistently coming back to it,a lot of repetition, a lot of I
(21:21):
call it like recycling,repetition, like as we would
move forward again, go back,pick up these things with us.
So there's like a constantcycle of like, review, repeat,
going back a little bit andmoving forward.
And so that was really.
(21:44):
Those are a few tips.
Yes, those are tips that werevery, very, very helpful.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
Yeah, that is a great mantra to have in your head to
review, repeat, go back and thenmove forward.
I really like that sequence.
That's a nice way to follow it.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
Yeah, yeah, cause I, you know too, and you know this
was a discussion uh, we havelike a PLC on Wednesday mornings
and so, with our department andI was listening into just some
of the conversations and it'svery easy to get caught up into,
depending on you know, whetheror not you're using a textbook
(22:25):
or not.
I know, with our department wedon't use a textbook, um, but
it's very easy to get in thatmode of just like, okay, we did
this unit, we're going to moveon to this one and then we're
going to move on to this one,but we want to make sure that we
, you know, I understand it'slike there are certain things
that we do want our students tobe able to do and be able to
(22:48):
know, but at the same time, youalso want them to be able to be
in a place in which they areacquiring it, and so the brain
is, you know, processing, youknow certain things.
So going back, reviewing sothat they can see it in a
variety of different contexts isjust, yeah, incredibly needed.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
It's essential to be able to do, but yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
How did you adjust when you knew the pace was too
fast for students?
I, I want to say first thingreally, I mean, they really are
my feedback, like they give mefeedback.
Um, so one example that comesto mind is that we use um Google
classroom is like our LMS, ourlearning management system.
(23:53):
And so I remember, just comingin like I knew that where I was
teaching that there was anexpectation for homework.
There was an expectation, andso I was like, okay, you know,
and I remember assigning like acouple assignments a week like a
Google classroom, and numberone I got like a google
(24:14):
classroom and number one I gotlike near to like burned out
because I couldn't keep up withit.
Not that I was gradingeverything, but again, if we're,
you know, if you're givingassignments for students to
record themselves, you know inthe language, like you're
listening and you're giving themfeedback, so, um, that was
(24:37):
number one.
And then number two, like I wasgetting a very, very small
percentage of students that werejust turning it in and I was
just like, okay, so that showedme one thing that it was just
that they were not like keepingup, and there's all sorts of
reasons why.
You know it's either I havesports or I have an activity
(24:59):
after school or it's.
Well, I had to do my aphomework first, and then your
class, you know.
And so what I decided to do, umsecond quarter, was I said okay
, I said I'm going to post oneGoogle Classroom assignment a
week.
You all have three days andthen I really started being
(25:24):
mindful of the activities thatwe were doing in class, so that
I was assessing them more inclass and utilizing that
information in order to be ableto use that for, you know, as
far as like how they were doingin the gradebook.
And so I definitely saw a hugechange with that.
(25:48):
There were definitely I gotmore more students submitting
things.
There was more engagement inclass, and it was, you know, it
was.
It was definitely a wonderfulthing.
And then too, I know, with withthis group is, you know, they'll
(26:08):
go through phases where theydon't really want to talk.
You know where it's like if I'masking a question in the target
language and if I don't getlike that whole group response,
I have my you know, my littlecards, you know, and so they're
like, oh, they're like, missLondon, I'm like what?
I'm like nobody's talking, youknow, um, and so when I would
(26:33):
find that even when I went tothe cards and, you know, would
call on certain people and I wasgoing too fast or whether or
not they were definitely with me.
So there were many times whereI was just like OK, I'm like OK,
(27:06):
we're going to go back, go back, we're going to review this,
and so I really yeah, I mean,they were really and they still
are like a guide, you know, tolet me know whether or not I'm
moving too fast or if I am goinglike too slow, if we can like
(27:27):
up the pace.
So the student feedback was,was huge, it is just a huge
piece.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
Yeah, I think that perspective is really refreshing
of how much actualparticipation your students are
giving you in terms of likewho's turning in what and how
much and how often, is a form offeedback in a lot of ways, and
that there's there's a lot ofroom for adjustments, instead of
just giving up and saying thatthey're lazy or whatever it
might be, that there's there's alot of feedback to be had and
(27:59):
that your students actually likethere might be a lot more is
based off of interactions.
You're going to natch.
It feels like you have anatural feedback loop fed in
(28:19):
there and you have to just payattention to what those cues are
.
So what do you find are thecues?
So you talked about like the.
You know you're not getting alot of responses in class like
how do you tell the differencebetween like oh, they're just
not in it today I gotta pull outmy conversation cards.
Or how do you tell thedifference between like oh,
they're just not in it today Igot to pull out my conversation
cards.
Or how do you know that?
Like oh, this is, this is overtheir heads.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
I need to change the pace yeah, I know, I, you know,
I'm a big fan of, you know,being able to see, like their
body language.
Um, for example, I, this oneparticular student, I'm thinking
of, um, she, you know I lovelearner and I remember I had
(29:07):
asked a question um to a lessonI don't remember what it was and
she wasn't she, she, like shedidn't know and she wasn't able
to answer it.
And for a couple of reasons,like it was, it wasn't that she
didn't understand what I wasasking her, but it was just kind
(29:27):
of like oh gosh, I don't know,or I'm not sure I forgot.
And so for me, like, okay, that, like she's a high level
learner, like if she's not therewith me, then I need to dial it
back, cause then that meansthat the rest of them are just
like not with me at all.
(29:48):
Um, something else, um, thatI've also done too is, um,
they're very big on like thehead nods, you know, um,
typically it's like, and they'relike, no, it's.
Either no, it's no, say youknow, or either it's.
(30:12):
And then when I'm like, okay, I, you know, and I I'll get no,
and then all of a sudden we'llgo to the activity and then I
overhear, I overhear.
I don't even know what we'redoing and I'm like wait a minute
, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait,okay, I'm like you all, like any
place.
(30:32):
I'm like I just asked you, Ipregnant with us?
And no one said anything.
I'm like, so we're going to dothis again.
I'm like I pregnant with us.
They're like see, see, you know, and you know, I remember going
through that because I really Iwanted them to get to a place
of being able to.
(30:53):
If there was something that theydid not understand, I wanted
them to get to a place of I amcomfortable saying that I don't
understand.
Either I don't understand youor I don't understand what it is
we're supposed to be doing.
And I remember taking themthrough that where I would ask
like I preguntas, and they wouldit would be this or be like no,
(31:16):
no, I preguntas.
And then we would go to theactivity and then I would watch
them and nobody would move.
And then I'd be like right, andI'd be like okay, you all just
told me you didn't have anyquestions, yet no one was moving
.
I'm like, okay, so let's do we,you know.
(31:37):
And so that was a big, that wasa big learning.
You know, learning moment forme too.
And then from there, somethingelse I started doing I would
model out what exactly I wantedthem to do, and so I would ask
(32:03):
for a volunteer and I wouldmodel it out in Spanish, Um, and
then I would ask the group,like okay, and see.
And then, you know, some ofthem would get it because they
would be watching like oh yeah,okay, this is what we're going
to be doing.
And then, you know, some ofthem would get it because they
would be watching like oh yeahokay this is what we're going to
be doing.
And then you had others thatwere just like no, so then I
would do it again, and then bythat second time around I would
get a little bit more.
So then I started I said, okay,let me get creative here.
(32:23):
So at times I'll have like astudent like summarize, like
okay, what are we supposed to bedoing?
So?
And so, okay, yeah, we're gonnabe doing this.
And then it's blah, blah, blah,okay, um, so those are just you
know a few ways, you know a fewthings like I've had to try.
But yeah, yeah yeah, that is.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
That's a very helpful run through too, because I feel
like this particular area of OK, I did the whole thing, I said
all the stuff in the TL wherewe're rolling, we're rocking and
rolling, we're doing things,and then you get to the part of
silence or overhearing your kidsbe like, oh no, what the hell
just happened.
(33:09):
Of silence or overhearing yourkids be like I don't know what
the hell just happened, and thenteachers don't know how to
react.
I know there were some classeswhere I certainly didn't know
how to react and then you don'tknow what are the next steps.
Like that, those are veryconcrete, perfect next steps.
Like I would have loved to knowthat when I was still in the
classroom of go back, reverse alittle bit and say, ok, we just
talked about that, you had somequestions.
(33:30):
Now let's do it in Espanol.
I put a wound test and you justwent through that whole thing.
And that that bit that you saidabout how it's important to
press them for that moment andmake sure that they're
comfortable with havingquestions, not knowing what what
is being said, or having amoment of not understanding.
That is really important toestablish.
(33:53):
That that's really reallyhelpful.
So thank you for sharing that.
Do you think that there's everbeen a moment in your classroom
this semester so far whereyou've seen like, wow, this is
some real growth from where westarted in September with this
or or August, of, wow, this wasa, this was a battle now, and
(34:16):
now I'm starting to see it likesmooth out.
I'm seeing my patients reallypay off.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
Yes, um, I'm definitely like seeing those
moments.
I think for me has been seeingthem in small groups.
So I recently, and we have toum, finish up this activity, um
next week.
(34:42):
But we did like stationactivities and so I had
explained to them.
You know I went through theyhave six different stations.
One of them involved listeningto a song in the target language
and then answering somequestions and then making a
brief connection.
The other one was here are thequestions on the wall, here are
the sentence strip responses.
(35:03):
Put them together.
The other one was like this mazethat I like, found on, like our
on the world language, likedepartment drive.
It looked a little old schoolbut I I really liked it for a
variety of reasons where you hadlike your pronoun and then you
(35:25):
had like the place, because thecurrent unit we're finishing up
is called like NBC Ulan and sothey had to figure out okay,
what direction am I going to goin according to the pronoun and
the correct form of quote,unquote ear and part of me.
You know, at first I was like,eh, I'm not really, you know,
(35:46):
I'm more of like a grammar andcontext kind of gal, like that.
That's like my jam, like thereading, the speaking, the
communicative tasks and so.
But I really wanted to includethat because I was like you know
what, let me, let me see howthey're going to do this.
I want to hear theirdiscussions, you know, and so
forth.
And so I had a writing stationwhere they had to write about
(36:12):
their plans for the weekend.
And then there was another onewhere they had to choose a
reading.
It was I coined it as like thisis like level one reading,
level two, you know, per se.
And so it was the number one.
It was interesting to see whoworked with who, because I told
them, I said, you can work withwhichever group that you,
(36:33):
whoever it is you want to workwith, you can work with them.
They already sit in you know,groups, like in my room.
So I wanted to give them, youknow, like that freedom.
And so, seeing that, I learnedeven more about my students
where I was like, oh, I'm likethat's interesting.
Okay, I'm like, yeah, I couldtotally see them hanging out.
(36:53):
Yeah, that makes sense, um, andI know it's, it's like so cute.
And then I noticed number two.
I noticed one of my studentswho had really, you know, she,
she's grown like she's growntremendously in the language,
(37:14):
but being able to see her takelead at an activity and explain
it like no, we're supposed to bedoing this, and then you need
to make sure that you do this.
This is where we're at.
Okay, come on, we need to getthis done.
And that was great, like I waslike whoa um.
And then lately, the one thing Ireally love has been hearing
(37:38):
them talk about what it isthey're doing and discussing.
So when they're writingsomething you know, like, for
example, the weekend, like okay,so how do you say, oh, remember
, it's like boy, because you'regonna say I'm gonna go do this,
you know, and watching the look,no, that's, that's spelled
(37:58):
wrong.
This is how you spell it, it's,it's on this note sheet.
So just really seeing that likethat, really that was like a
blessing to me and it wasencouraging to me, because we
within our school community wehave what we call like a profile
of a Viking.
Viking is our mascot, and soone of the themes or topics of
(38:25):
like the profile is problemsolving and fostering like that
interdependence.
I think I'm saying that rightBecause I would notice, like in
the beginning of the year whereit was just like, well, I need
for you to like tell me or showme I I don't want to do it, I
(38:46):
want you to do it and I rememberhaving to really, you know,
walk.
I don't want to say a fine linebut, like you know, have some
balance of like London's justgoing to do it for me and then
I'm going to do.
You know, I wanted to make surethat I was giving them enough
(39:13):
encouragement and, you know,affirmation that they were on
the right track, but alsopushing them to you can do this.
So there was a lot of, you know, really encouraging and
building up like theirconfidence, like in the
beginning of the year, and sofast forward to now and seeing
(39:38):
them and hearing them talk andsupport like their, their
classmates, like in groups, likeit's just, it's such a great
thing, it's just it's such agreat thing, it's just such a
great thing.
And even you know the studentsthat are just I'm just here
because I need credit, you know.
Even you know you have that.
And then you have the otherstudents that are like, yeah,
(39:59):
I'm really interested, or either, yeah, I'm here because you
know, my parent or guardian mademe, or whatever, but seeing
that me or whatever, but seeingthat, seeing their problem
solving skills like grow, hasjust been amazing.
It's just been really good yeahthat's amazing.
Speaker 1 (40:18):
They're so lucky to have you.
What a teacher perspective thatthere's.
I mean, there's so much morehappening in class besides.
Just I mean, acquiring is hugeand so mentally taxing.
But you're right, there's somuch other stuff going on too
that your students are reallygrowing through this process.
That's what we're hoping for,right?
That's the whole reason thatwe're here.
(40:39):
That's so cool.
So, wow, this has been reallyamazing to learn from your
experience of adjusting to howstudents react, to your pace and
with this whole theme of beingflexible but also remaining true
to what you know is good foryou, is authentic to you and
good for students.
(40:59):
That knowing to keep on thatright pace and pushing the hey,
we're gonna do this in thetarget language.
This has been really affirming,I'm sure, for people who are
fighting that good fight oftrying to keep in the target
language.
This has been really affirming,I'm sure, for people who are
fighting that good fight oftrying to keep in the target
language.
What do you hope for teacherswho are listening to this?
What do you think is a greattakeaway for them, and what do
(41:22):
you hope that they learn fromour conversation today?
Speaker 2 (41:27):
So I would definitely say that, that you know you all
are not alone um everythingthat you know teachers are going
through right now.
I go through it on a daily basisand I think the important thing
(41:48):
is being consistent, like ifyou are in a place where it's
like, yeah, I really do want toincrease the amount of target
language I'm using in theclassroom, like being consistent
and taking it slow, it's OK to,you know, repeat yourself like
(42:09):
50, a hundred times, that isperfectly okay.
And the important thing withthat is like not giving up and
not not thinking like, oh,they're just never gonna,
because that's not true, becausethey can and they will.
And you don't have to beperfect either.
Um, I don't say everythingperfectly.
(42:32):
Sometimes, whenever a studentasks me like what does this mean
, I'm like, yeah, say they sayblah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
And then I'm like, wait, let mego double check and make sure
so that I'm not, you know,coming up with my version of
spine bliss, you know so.
But yeah, I would just saybeing consistent, um, patient,
(42:59):
and you know choosing also withthat too, like choosing your
battles, like I remember I wastalking to my department chair
and what I mean by that is thatI used to, on a daily basis, I
used to give, like all of myinstructions, like in Spanish at
my previous, like schoolcommunity, like all the time.
(43:20):
And so I remember my departmentchair, fast forward now, um, he
was just like you know whathe's like, was just like you
know what he's like focus in on,you know, like looking at the
tasks that they're doing, focusin on the tasks that they're
doing, not saying that you can't, you know, give your
(43:43):
instructions in Spanish.
And I mean it really depends onwhat level you're teaching and
where the students are at.
I know that you know whenthere's like action involved and
I'm acting things out, yes, mystudents do understand now at
this point, but really, you knowlooking at, you know that that
(44:06):
input piece of like you know thereading, the speaking, the
tasks and so forth, and then youknow that that input piece of
like you know the reading, thespeaking, the tasks and so forth
, um, and then you know takingit one step at a time, like one
day at a time.
If it's oh, man, I only spokelike you know, 70 or 60% today,
it's okay.
It's not going to be like 90 orwherever you want it to be
(44:27):
every single day, because weencounter different things that
are happening and it alsodepends on you know what your
goals are and where yourstudents are at and gradually,
as you continue to be repetitive, they will get to that point
that you would like for them tobe at, and then next thing you
(44:47):
know you will be at that pointthat you them to be at, and then
next thing you know you will beat that point that you want to
be at as far as the percentageof target language you want to
use.
Speaker 1 (44:54):
So yeah, that's that speaks to me very much, Cause
actually I don't know if youknew this, but I knew it was a
good time to have you on thepodcast, cause my phrase for the
year is consistency beatsperfect.
I'm finding that, in likeeverything that I do, that when
you're striving for perfection,it actually is working against
(45:14):
you.
That consistent B plus effortwins every time.
Like just showing up is halfthe battle, and for teaching, it
really is like showing up andgiving an effort to do target
language and push your students.
It's not gonna be perfect, but,just like you said, it's it.
Consistency makes a difference,and now I know that teachers
(45:34):
will have a lot of great ideasfor how to make it easier for
them Thanks to what you'veshared today.
So thank you so much for forbeing here with me virtually and
for sharing your, your wisdomwith us on the experience of
what it's like to adjust to yourpace.
But you shared so much with usthis wisdom of all your
(45:57):
experience that you have ofmaking sure that target language
is attainable and that it worksfor both parties, that it's fun
for you and accessible for yourstudents, even if they don't
think that right at thebeginning.
That's amazing, so I'm surethat people are going to want to
learn more from you afterthey've listened to this.
So can you tell everybody whatare some ways that they can
(46:19):
connect with you and learn morefrom you after hearing this
awesome episode?
Speaker 2 (46:24):
All right, awesome.
So I have.
I'm in a variety of differentplaces, but I'm gonna make it
super.
Just give you all one place.
If you check out bitlybackslash KLondon, you can find
everything that I am involved inthere.
(46:45):
If you're on Facebook, the pageis trailblazing language
learning, um.
And then I also hang out oninstagram that is at classes day
, london, um.
And my other instagram page isat trailblaze lane, but you all
(47:05):
will be able to find all that ifyou just go to the bitly link
and everything is there.
But yeah.
Speaker 1 (47:11):
Wonderful and we will have that.
I'll have that in the shownotes for y'all so you'll be
able to clickety click it veryeasily.
Kia, thank you so much for this.
It's always wonderful to workwith you and hang out and learn
from you.
Speaker 2 (47:24):
Thank you.
This has been so great and sorefreshing and I appreciate it
and I hope you all were able toget.
Get something, get some nuggets.
Speaker 1 (47:36):
No, they were for sure All right.
Bye for now.
Speaker 2 (47:39):
All right, bye.
What's up?
Que lo que Et salut worldlanguage teachers.
Welcome to the PracticalProficiency Podcast, where we
make the transition toproficiency-oriented instruction
in your world language class ina way that works for you, your
unique context and teachingstyle, and doesn't sacrifice
(00:21):
your well-being along the way.
I'm your host, devon Gunning,the teacher author, conference
host, curriculum creator andconsultant behind La Libre
Language Learning.
This podcast is for thecreative world language teacher
like you who's ready to ditchthe overwhelming pressure of
switching to acquisition-driveninstruction and CI overnight.
(00:42):
You're ready to discover howusing more target language in
class can actually bring you andyour students more joy instead
of adding to your plate.
With practical, authentic anddown-to-earth strategies that
don't require reinventing thewheel or more training, we'll
work together towards the magicof a community-based, target
(01:05):
language-rich classroom, rootedin the power of community and
comprehensible input.
Let's go.
Welcome everybody.
I am so excited to welcome backa special guest.
Kia London is here with metoday on the Practical
(01:27):
Proficiency Podcast.
I'm so excited to welcome backa special guest.
Kia London is here with metoday on the Practical
Proficiency Podcast.
If you are watching orlistening, thank you so much for
being here and thank you, kia,for joining me again and being
my first repeat guest on thePractical Proficiency Podcast.
This is going to be so fun.
I'm really excited to hearabout your year teaching this
year, so tell us a little bitmore about you and what your
(01:51):
school year is like this year.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I'm super excited to be able to chat with you and,
hey y'all, what's going on?
So I have, I've been teachingfor 19 years.
It feels like yesterday,honestly, but when 2025 rolled
(02:18):
around, I was like, oh my gosh,it's been 19 years, so it goes
very, very fast.
And I've been teaching Spanish.
I've literally taught everygrade level, K through 12.
And I spent a lot of years inthe middle school.
So I want to say maybe close tolike nine years.
So middle school definitely likehas my heart.
(02:39):
There's a there's a piece of methere with middle school, and
now I'm back to high school.
There's a piece of me therewith middle school and now I'm
back to high school.
So I started my journey ofteaching at the high school
level and so now I'm back tohigh school, which has really
been good.
So, yeah, so like there's a lotof things going on.
(03:04):
I've definitely slowed the pace.
It seems as if, like the paceslowed down for me in the fall,
um, normally I'm, you know,either facilitating something,
you know, a conference, orpresenting, and so I remember
telling myself specifically thatfor the fall, I wanted to, you
know, take it easy, because I amcurrently I'm in a new school
(03:28):
community.
Um, I'm teaching at the highschool.
I graduated from um, which is,which is pretty cool, but, um,
so, yeah, so there's justthere's been a lot of change,
but we're still, we're, we're,we're still moving forward,
which is awesome been a lot ofchange, but we're still moving
forward, which is awesome.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
I admire that.
You're giving yourself the muchneeded space to move into a new
realm of life.
This is something that I neverdo and need to do more of, so
that is wonderful, becausethat's so much on your plate.
Transitioning to a new schoolas well that's something I think
that we can forget about a lotwhen we're thinking about what
it's like to be a teacher.
(04:07):
I've taught at three differentschools in a rather short career
and moved for various reasons,and every single time it is oh
wow, I'm getting used to a wholenew big system again.
So tell me a little bit aboutthat too.
You're an experienced teacher.
You know exactly what it meansto teach Spanish, but did you
experience a little bit aboutthat too?
Like you're a, you're anexperienced teacher.
Like you know exactly what itmeans to teach Spanish, but did
(04:28):
you experience a little bit ofthat going into a new school
environment, especially with?
I know you were telling me thelast time you were on here that
you were excited to be back inyour, in your old stomping
ground and your old communityyeah, um, I, I know for me like
(04:51):
going from.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
So, like I came, I came from a school where we we
had a pretty like large team andso, um, we were on a journey.
I mean, the goals were set forproficiency, like that was just
like that was the like, that wasthe expectation and that was
how we were facilitatinginstruction.
And so now I truly do want toapplaud and shout out the
(05:13):
teachers that I now work with inthe department, because they
are beginning and getting likeinto that journey.
So it's been very, it's beenreally cool, like just hearing
the conversations, like in thedepartment meetings and hearing
like their thought process about, well, what about this, and
(05:34):
maybe we can do it this way.
So that part has been really,really interesting, you know,
for for me to hear as well.
And so, coming in, you know,again, like I've I've told
people like, yeah, I went tohigh school here, but again, you
know, teaching a differentgeneration, you know a new
(05:54):
generation of students, um beingin so on our high school, in
our high school we have twocampuses.
Like our campus is like huge,and so I am.
There's a North building andthere's a South building, and so
I'm in the North building,which is where World Language is
, and so when I was there, worldLanguage was like in the South
(06:16):
building.
So it's there's a little bit ofnostalgia there, but at the
same time I think too nostalgiathere but at the same time I
think too, as far as buildingconnections and relationships
with the students, thatdefinitely helped a little bit
in my favor.
So it wasn't like you know,like well, she's just coming in
and we don't know, you know, butbeing able to say like yeah, I
(06:38):
graduated from there, oh, youdid Okay, like okay, you know,
so, um, but yeah, but there's alot.
I mean, there's a new teachercohort that I'm like a part of
and it's really there for thepurposes of providing support,
like onboarding, support forteachers that are new to the um,
(06:59):
to our school community, and sothe cohort that I'm in right
now everybody has taught before.
So, like, everybody hasexperienced, like, maybe from
like five to, you know, 10, 15years, but there's so many
things that you, you have tolearn Like there's a system and,
(07:22):
and you know, every schoolcommunity has a different
culture.
And I'll never forget theprincipal.
He said to us this was back inJuly where he just said what the
acronym was, byob, and I waslike, okay, I think we, I know
like, I think we know like whatI know, like let's go.
(07:52):
And I remember some of uschuckling like he's like no, no,
no, I'm not talking about that.
And he said bring your ownbrand.
And I thought that was reallyinteresting and it really
assured and brought you, youknow, like, some encouragement
of just like, okay, yes, I am apart of a larger department,
like we have a pretty bigdepartment, and also that
(08:14):
doesn't necessarily mean that Ineed to put away who I am as a
teacher and what I normally do.
Um, so I really appreciate youknow him for that, that the
importance of you know beingauthentic, because ultimately we
want to be authentic with ourstudents.
You know they can see throughanything, especially if we're
(08:35):
not being authentic to who weare.
So, so true, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
That's very reaffirming, too.
I like that it's got a nicecatchy tagline for a way for
teachers to explore their ownautonomy without having fear of,
you know, running up againstbarriers or boundaries with what
the school culture is.
That you can reaffirm your ownidentity and contribute to what
you're joining instead of havingto conform to what you're
(09:03):
joining.
That's a really cool way to seeit.
I'm hoping that anybody who iseither a new teacher or in the
same position as you, who'slistening or watching this, can
absorb that and say that I cantake that into my own school
culture too, that this issomething that I can be a part
of and be my OB yeah, that'sgreat.
And I'm BYOB yeah, that's great.
(09:29):
So tell me more about thisinteresting transition that you
mentioned about a change of pacewith your students.
You mentioned to me brieflybefore, when we before we
started the recording, that theschool that you came from, these
students had a different amountof Spanish before they came to
you, and now you're having tochange a lot of your pacing
(09:52):
structure and the way that youapproach Spanish class.
So tell me a little bit moreabout that and what that's
looked like.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Yeah, so in my previous school community um
again, very large departmentacross middle and upper upper
school there was.
I just even remember when Istarted there like I had to
quote, unquote, like up my gameum, from where I was coming from
, and that was like four and ahalf, four years ago, and so the
(10:33):
students there had they wereaccustomed to a level of
proficiency with hearing thetarget language at least 95, 98%
of the time.
And I remember, coming in Icame from another middle school
and I was just getting to thepoint with the students that I
taught at that previous middleschool of you know introducing
(10:53):
them to proficiency and you knowcomprehensible input strategy.
So when I started in myprevious school community I had
to like up my game, likeincredibly, and I really am
thankful for that because itreally not only not only are you
(11:14):
really able to Look at you knowthe multifaceted way as far as
like how learners are able tolike acquire the language, but
it also prepares you for anumber of different situations
like, um, in the classroom.
And so in my previous schoolcommunity a lot of the students
(11:36):
like there was a, there was anelementary Spanish program so
they had had it from if theywere enrolled, like at the
preschool level, they had had itfrom.
If they were enrolled like atthe preschool level, they had
had it all the way to preschool,all the way up to fourth grade.
And so I taught fifth and sixthgrade and you know, I remember
just thinking I was, you know,like going at a good pace and
(11:57):
they were just like no more, youknow so anyway, so fast forward
to now that I will say thatthat was my, that was my biggest
adjustment, like I had to.
I had to figure out, like OK,how can I still ensure that they
(12:18):
are getting all the input thatthey need, still staying and
again I say this for me withinthe 90 percent or more target
language and challenging them todo so, because I know that with
a lot of my students I teachfreshmen, sophomores and juniors
, and so with a lot of theincoming freshmen I don't think,
(12:43):
at least from my, quite a fewof them were not accustomed to
hearing like the target languageas much as they heard it with
me.
So that was one adjustment.
The other thing, too, was being, you know, kind of like walking
the fine line of like okay, Iwant to push you all, but at the
(13:03):
same time, I don't want you tobe discouraged if you're not
able to get it like the firsttime around.
So that was definitely, yeah,that was definitely an
adjustment.
And then, I mean, I even had afew parents that were just like,
just for lack of better words,it was like are you sure you
know what you're doing?
And I'm like you know becausefor them you know it was new too
(13:29):
, because, for all I know, youknow, their students had, you
know, spanish teachers thatapproach language you know
differently than I do.
So, um, you know that wassomething else.
But one thing I will say as faras, like, slowing the pace and,
you know, changing the pace upper se in our new teacher
(13:50):
academy we talked about cultural, responsive teaching, and this
is something that I'm, you know,chunking when it comes to.
(14:11):
Whenever you're teaching a topic, you know, rather than you know
, feel like you have to getthrough every single thing, but
like, take it apart, chunk it,scaffold IE and so forth apart,
chunk it, scaffold IE and soforth.
And so I remember first semesterwhere I I had thought that I'm
(14:32):
like, oh yeah, this is, I'mscaffolding enough, this is what
they need.
And then finding out like, okay,no, no, you need to do it, you
know, like even more Um, and sothat was a very different
process for me as far as beingpatient with that, and so I mean
the students definitely liketaught me that as a group, it's
(15:08):
worth the point where I can pileon like even a little bit more
because of being able to takethat time and being patient with
them, um, in terms of justwhere they were at and um, so,
yeah, so it's been, it's, it'sbeen good, it's definitely, you
know, been good.
And I feel like too and I'mspeaking for myself where you,
you teach somewhere for a whileand you get accustomed to like a
(15:32):
certain level of likeexpectation, you know with the
students, and so, um, when youmake a transition and then it's
like, okay, we'll wait, allright, hold on, you know.
So it's good.
I feel like that there's asense of humility that like kind
of comes with that, but alsobeing mindful that, as teachers
(15:56):
to like, we have to continue tobe flexible in any given day, in
any given, and being able tomeet, you know, our students
where they're at as well.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
Wow, there's so much there.
I'm excited to dive into this.
This feels very reaffirming toknow that patience is the number
one thing that has paid off foryou, of being patient with
yourself in this learningprocess, of understanding that
(16:32):
you're reminding me that eachtime that you work with a new
group of students, it's alearning process.
You're learning how they workand what they need, and that
it's important to be flexiblewith the stuff that you're
planning to teach, because younever know how students are
going to react to it and whatkind of timing they really need.
And your students it soundslike they and their parents too
(16:54):
sometimes were a little bitshell shocked by it.
How would you say what was thattimeline you think that it took
them?
Now we're recording this aroundthe beginning of February.
So what does that timelinelooked like for?
Because I know there's a lot ofpeople listening who are diving
into this experience themselves.
I've been talking with a lot ofmy and you've given a course
(17:14):
for them before with all yourexpertise With my members.
There's a lot of people who aretrying this whole concept of
using a lot of target languageand they're in the beginning
journeys of this.
Walk us through a little bit ofwhat did that timeline look
like for your students ofstarting to feel like oh, that
like first initial anxiety ofthis is a lot of language to
(17:35):
like.
Okay, I'm finally used to this.
What did that look like for themajority of your students
time-wise?
Speaker 2 (17:41):
I would say for the majority of my students, an
entire semester, an entiresemester, like it took the
entire semester.
And I wasn't, I wasn't reallyexpecting that.
I think I, you know, I canthink of a few, not a few, but
like a percentage of studentsthat were like, okay, yeah,
(18:03):
maybe by like November-ish orlike December, but majority as a
whole, it took an entiresemester.
Um, and I think, too, theimportant thing too is like
believing that, believing thatyour students can, you know,
(18:26):
understand and comprehend youlike in the target language, and
not not like quote unquote,like backing down, you know.
And I think that that's reallyimportant because in the
beginning, when I think of thebeginning of the year, like I
was kind of, you know, I was alittle tough, and I just
(18:47):
remember, you know a variety ofways where it's like if they
weren't able to understand me,so taking them through the
process of number one, likeusing the room, that's a huge
piece, like I, I just rememberthe beginning of the year, the
first thing I wanted to dobefore school started.
(19:09):
I was like I have to set up myroom, and it wasn't because you
know, oh, I want to, you know,have like fancy decorations.
It was because I wanted to getmy students to the place where
they were able to not onlyunderstand what I was saying,
understand what they werereading, you know, depending on
(19:30):
what the content was, but alsobeing able to communicate with
me, and being able tocommunicate with each other,
like during that talking time.
So I have things like on mywall, such as like the sweet
sixteens, you know the verbs, wehave the super sevens, the
interrogatives, as differentphrases popped up and as their
(19:52):
vocabulary grew.
I would just add more things,you know, just like on the wall,
like I mean, we have a, there'sa staff that comes in and does
like cleaning in our rooms andthe ladies, I'm sure they're
probably like I, you knowthey're like, because I always
have um signs on my whiteboardthat say don't erase.
(20:15):
It's in Spanish.
I'm like don't erase the board,you know so, um, because it's
really important.
And then I've, you know, alsogrown to see and know that.
You know they do depend on that, as like additional scaffolding
, which is perfectly fine for me, um, because they're novice
learners.
I teach novice learners, um,some of them are approaching
(20:38):
novice high, um, at this point,but mainly like novice mid, you
know, novice, low and so forth.
So it's, you know, that partwas was really important.
And then being able to like,okay, what do we say when we
have to go to the bathroom, likehaving that sign up, you know,
(20:58):
and then it's like, well, can Igo?
I'm like, and it's my y'all,like, oh, it's London.
I'm like, yeah, like it's rightthere, you can do it, you know.
And so that was huge, that waslike a huge, and then
consistently coming back to it,a lot of repetition, a lot of I
(21:21):
call it like recycling,repetition, like as we would
move forward again, go back,pick up these things with us.
So there's like a constantcycle of like, review, repeat,
going back a little bit andmoving forward.
And so that was really.
(21:44):
Those are a few tips.
Yes, those are tips that werevery, very, very helpful.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
Yeah, that is a great mantra to have in your head to
review, repeat, go back and thenmove forward.
I really like that sequence.
That's a nice way to follow it.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
Yeah, yeah, cause I, you know too, and you know this
was a discussion uh, we havelike a PLC on Wednesday mornings
and so, with our department andI was listening into just some
of the conversations and it'svery easy to get caught up into,
depending on you know, whetheror not you're using a textbook
(22:25):
or not.
I know, with our department wedon't use a textbook, um, but
it's very easy to get in thatmode of just like, okay, we did
this unit, we're going to moveon to this one and then we're
going to move on to this one,but we want to make sure that we
, you know, I understand it'slike there are certain things
that we do want our students tobe able to do and be able to
(22:48):
know, but at the same time, youalso want them to be able to be
in a place in which they areacquiring it, and so the brain
is, you know, processing, youknow certain things.
So going back, reviewing sothat they can see it in a
variety of different contexts isjust, yeah, incredibly needed.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
It's essential to be able to do, but yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
How did you adjust when you knew the pace was too
fast for students?
I, I want to say first thingreally, I mean, they really are
my feedback, like they give mefeedback.
Um, so one example that comesto mind is that we use um Google
classroom is like our LMS, ourlearning management system.
(23:53):
And so I remember, just comingin like I knew that where I was
teaching that there was anexpectation for homework.
There was an expectation, andso I was like, okay, you know,
and I remember assigning like acouple assignments a week like a
Google classroom, and numberone I got like a google
(24:14):
classroom and number one I gotlike near to like burned out
because I couldn't keep up withit.
Not that I was gradingeverything, but again, if we're,
you know, if you're givingassignments for students to
record themselves, you know inthe language, like you're
listening and you're giving themfeedback, so, um, that was
(24:37):
number one.
And then number two, like I wasgetting a very, very small
percentage of students that werejust turning it in and I was
just like, okay, so that showedme one thing that it was just
that they were not like keepingup, and there's all sorts of
reasons why.
You know it's either I havesports or I have an activity
(24:59):
after school or it's.
Well, I had to do my aphomework first, and then your
class, you know.
And so what I decided to do, umsecond quarter, was I said okay
, I said I'm going to post oneGoogle Classroom assignment a
week.
You all have three days andthen I really started being
(25:24):
mindful of the activities thatwe were doing in class, so that
I was assessing them more inclass and utilizing that
information in order to be ableto use that for, you know, as
far as like how they were doingin the gradebook.
And so I definitely saw a hugechange with that.
(25:48):
There were definitely I gotmore more students submitting
things.
There was more engagement inclass, and it was, you know, it
was.
It was definitely a wonderfulthing.
And then too, I know, with withthis group is, you know, they'll
(26:08):
go through phases where theydon't really want to talk.
You know where it's like if I'masking a question in the target
language and if I don't getlike that whole group response,
I have my you know, my littlecards, you know, and so they're
like, oh, they're like, missLondon, I'm like what?
I'm like nobody's talking, youknow, um, and so when I would
(26:33):
find that even when I went tothe cards and, you know, would
call on certain people and I wasgoing too fast or whether or
not they were definitely with me.
So there were many times whereI was just like OK, I'm like OK,
(27:06):
we're going to go back, go back, we're going to review this,
and so I really yeah, I mean,they were really and they still
are like a guide, you know, tolet me know whether or not I'm
moving too fast or if I am goinglike too slow, if we can like
(27:27):
up the pace.
So the student feedback was,was huge, it is just a huge
piece.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
Yeah, I think that perspective is really refreshing
of how much actualparticipation your students are
giving you in terms of likewho's turning in what and how
much and how often, is a form offeedback in a lot of ways, and
that there's there's a lot ofroom for adjustments, instead of
just giving up and saying thatthey're lazy or whatever it
might be, that there's there's alot of feedback to be had and
(27:59):
that your students actually likethere might be a lot more is
based off of interactions.
You're going to natch.
It feels like you have anatural feedback loop fed in
(28:19):
there and you have to just payattention to what those cues are
.
So what do you find are thecues?
So you talked about like the.
You know you're not getting alot of responses in class like
how do you tell the differencebetween like oh, they're just
not in it today I gotta pull outmy conversation cards.
Or how do you tell thedifference between like oh,
they're just not in it today Igot to pull out my conversation
cards.
Or how do you know that?
Like oh, this is, this is overtheir heads.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
I need to change the pace yeah, I know, I, you know,
I'm a big fan of, you know,being able to see, like their
body language.
Um, for example, I, this oneparticular student, I'm thinking
of, um, she, you know I lovelearner and I remember I had
(29:07):
asked a question um to a lessonI don't remember what it was and
she wasn't she, she, like shedidn't know and she wasn't able
to answer it.
And for a couple of reasons,like it was, it wasn't that she
didn't understand what I wasasking her, but it was just kind
(29:27):
of like oh gosh, I don't know,or I'm not sure I forgot.
And so for me, like, okay, that, like she's a high level
learner, like if she's not therewith me, then I need to dial it
back, cause then that meansthat the rest of them are just
like not with me at all.
(29:48):
Um, something else, um, thatI've also done too is, um,
they're very big on like thehead nods, you know, um,
typically it's like, and they'relike, no, it's.
Either no, it's no, say youknow, or either it's.
(30:12):
And then when I'm like, okay, I, you know, and I I'll get no,
and then all of a sudden we'llgo to the activity and then I
overhear, I overhear.
I don't even know what we'redoing and I'm like wait a minute
, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait,okay, I'm like you all, like any
place.
(30:32):
I'm like I just asked you, Ipregnant with us?
And no one said anything.
I'm like, so we're going to dothis again.
I'm like I pregnant with us.
They're like see, see, you know, and you know, I remember going
through that because I really Iwanted them to get to a place
of being able to.
(30:53):
If there was something that theydid not understand, I wanted
them to get to a place of I amcomfortable saying that I don't
understand.
Either I don't understand youor I don't understand what it is
we're supposed to be doing.
And I remember taking themthrough that where I would ask
like I preguntas, and they wouldit would be this or be like no,
(31:16):
no, I preguntas.
And then we would go to theactivity and then I would watch
them and nobody would move.
And then I'd be like right, andI'd be like okay, you all just
told me you didn't have anyquestions, yet no one was moving
.
I'm like, okay, so let's do we,you know.
(31:37):
And so that was a big, that wasa big learning.
You know, learning moment forme too.
And then from there, somethingelse I started doing I would
model out what exactly I wantedthem to do, and so I would ask
(32:03):
for a volunteer and I wouldmodel it out in Spanish, Um, and
then I would ask the group,like okay, and see.
And then, you know, some ofthem would get it because they
would be watching like oh yeah,okay, this is what we're going
to be doing.
And then, you know, some ofthem would get it because they
would be watching like oh yeahokay this is what we're going to
be doing.
And then you had others thatwere just like no, so then I
would do it again, and then bythat second time around I would
get a little bit more.
So then I started I said, okay,let me get creative here.
(32:23):
So at times I'll have like astudent like summarize, like
okay, what are we supposed to bedoing?
So?
And so, okay, yeah, we're gonnabe doing this.
And then it's blah, blah, blah,okay, um, so those are just you
know a few ways, you know a fewthings like I've had to try.
But yeah, yeah yeah, that is.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
That's a very helpful run through too, because I feel
like this particular area of OK, I did the whole thing, I said
all the stuff in the TL wherewe're rolling, we're rocking and
rolling, we're doing things,and then you get to the part of
silence or overhearing your kidsbe like, oh no, what the hell
just happened.
(33:09):
Of silence or overhearing yourkids be like I don't know what
the hell just happened, and thenteachers don't know how to
react.
I know there were some classeswhere I certainly didn't know
how to react and then you don'tknow what are the next steps.
Like that, those are veryconcrete, perfect next steps.
Like I would have loved to knowthat when I was still in the
classroom of go back, reverse alittle bit and say, ok, we just
talked about that, you had somequestions.
(33:30):
Now let's do it in Espanol.
I put a wound test and you justwent through that whole thing.
And that that bit that you saidabout how it's important to
press them for that moment andmake sure that they're
comfortable with havingquestions, not knowing what what
is being said, or having amoment of not understanding.
That is really important toestablish.
(33:53):
That that's really reallyhelpful.
So thank you for sharing that.
Do you think that there's everbeen a moment in your classroom
this semester so far whereyou've seen like, wow, this is
some real growth from where westarted in September with this
or or August, of, wow, this wasa, this was a battle now, and
(34:16):
now I'm starting to see it likesmooth out.
I'm seeing my patients reallypay off.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
Yes, um, I'm definitely like seeing those
moments.
I think for me has been seeingthem in small groups.
So I recently, and we have toum, finish up this activity, um
next week.
(34:42):
But we did like stationactivities and so I had
explained to them.
You know I went through theyhave six different stations.
One of them involved listeningto a song in the target language
and then answering somequestions and then making a
brief connection.
The other one was here are thequestions on the wall, here are
the sentence strip responses.
(35:03):
Put them together.
The other one was like this mazethat I like, found on, like our
on the world language, likedepartment drive.
It looked a little old schoolbut I I really liked it for a
variety of reasons where you hadlike your pronoun and then you
(35:25):
had like the place, because thecurrent unit we're finishing up
is called like NBC Ulan and sothey had to figure out okay,
what direction am I going to goin according to the pronoun and
the correct form of quote,unquote ear and part of me.
You know, at first I was like,eh, I'm not really, you know,
(35:46):
I'm more of like a grammar andcontext kind of gal, like that.
That's like my jam, like thereading, the speaking, the
communicative tasks and so.
But I really wanted to includethat because I was like you know
what, let me, let me see howthey're going to do this.
I want to hear theirdiscussions, you know, and so
forth.
And so I had a writing stationwhere they had to write about
(36:12):
their plans for the weekend.
And then there was another onewhere they had to choose a
reading.
It was I coined it as like thisis like level one reading,
level two, you know, per se.
And so it was the number one.
It was interesting to see whoworked with who, because I told
them, I said, you can work withwhichever group that you,
(36:33):
whoever it is you want to workwith, you can work with them.
They already sit in you know,groups, like in my room.
So I wanted to give them, youknow, like that freedom.
And so, seeing that, I learnedeven more about my students
where I was like, oh, I'm likethat's interesting.
Okay, I'm like, yeah, I couldtotally see them hanging out.
(36:53):
Yeah, that makes sense, um, andI know it's, it's like so cute.
And then I noticed number two.
I noticed one of my studentswho had really, you know, she,
she's grown like she's growntremendously in the language,
(37:14):
but being able to see her takelead at an activity and explain
it like no, we're supposed to bedoing this, and then you need
to make sure that you do this.
This is where we're at.
Okay, come on, we need to getthis done.
And that was great, like I waslike whoa um.
And then lately, the one thing Ireally love has been hearing
(37:38):
them talk about what it isthey're doing and discussing.
So when they're writingsomething you know, like, for
example, the weekend, like okay,so how do you say, oh, remember
, it's like boy, because you'regonna say I'm gonna go do this,
you know, and watching the look,no, that's, that's spelled
(37:58):
wrong.
This is how you spell it, it's,it's on this note sheet.
So just really seeing that likethat, really that was like a
blessing to me and it wasencouraging to me, because we
within our school community wehave what we call like a profile
of a Viking.
Viking is our mascot, and soone of the themes or topics of
(38:25):
like the profile is problemsolving and fostering like that
interdependence.
I think I'm saying that rightBecause I would notice, like in
the beginning of the year whereit was just like, well, I need
for you to like tell me or showme I I don't want to do it, I
(38:46):
want you to do it and I rememberhaving to really, you know,
walk.
I don't want to say a fine linebut, like you know, have some
balance of like London's justgoing to do it for me and then
I'm going to do.
You know, I wanted to make surethat I was giving them enough
(39:13):
encouragement and, you know,affirmation that they were on
the right track, but alsopushing them to you can do this.
So there was a lot of, you know, really encouraging and
building up like theirconfidence, like in the
beginning of the year, and sofast forward to now and seeing
(39:38):
them and hearing them talk andsupport like their, their
classmates, like in groups, likeit's just, it's such a great
thing, it's just it's such agreat thing, it's just such a
great thing.
And even you know the studentsthat are just I'm just here
because I need credit, you know.
Even you know you have that.
And then you have the otherstudents that are like, yeah,
(39:59):
I'm really interested, or either, yeah, I'm here because you
know, my parent or guardian mademe, or whatever, but seeing
that me or whatever, but seeingthat, seeing their problem
solving skills like grow, hasjust been amazing.
It's just been really good yeahthat's amazing.
Speaker 1 (40:18):
They're so lucky to have you.
What a teacher perspective thatthere's.
I mean, there's so much morehappening in class besides.
Just I mean, acquiring is hugeand so mentally taxing.
But you're right, there's somuch other stuff going on too
that your students are reallygrowing through this process.
That's what we're hoping for,right?
That's the whole reason thatwe're here.
(40:39):
That's so cool.
So, wow, this has been reallyamazing to learn from your
experience of adjusting to howstudents react, to your pace and
with this whole theme of beingflexible but also remaining true
to what you know is good foryou, is authentic to you and
good for students.
(40:59):
That knowing to keep on thatright pace and pushing the hey,
we're gonna do this in thetarget language.
This has been really affirming,I'm sure, for people who are
fighting that good fight oftrying to keep in the target
language.
This has been really affirming,I'm sure, for people who are
fighting that good fight oftrying to keep in the target
language.
What do you hope for teacherswho are listening to this?
What do you think is a greattakeaway for them, and what do
(41:22):
you hope that they learn fromour conversation today?
Speaker 2 (41:27):
So I would definitely say that, that you know you all
are not alone um everythingthat you know teachers are going
through right now.
I go through it on a daily basisand I think the important thing
(41:48):
is being consistent, like ifyou are in a place where it's
like, yeah, I really do want toincrease the amount of target
language I'm using in theclassroom, like being consistent
and taking it slow, it's OK to,you know, repeat yourself like
(42:09):
50, a hundred times, that isperfectly okay.
And the important thing withthat is like not giving up and
not not thinking like, oh,they're just never gonna,
because that's not true, becausethey can and they will.
And you don't have to beperfect either.
Um, I don't say everythingperfectly.
(42:32):
Sometimes, whenever a studentasks me like what does this mean
, I'm like, yeah, say they sayblah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
And then I'm like, wait, let mego double check and make sure
so that I'm not, you know,coming up with my version of
spine bliss, you know so.
But yeah, I would just saybeing consistent, um, patient,
(42:59):
and you know choosing also withthat too, like choosing your
battles, like I remember I wastalking to my department chair
and what I mean by that is thatI used to, on a daily basis, I
used to give, like all of myinstructions, like in Spanish at
my previous, like schoolcommunity, like all the time.
(43:20):
And so I remember my departmentchair, fast forward now, um, he
was just like you know whathe's like, was just like you
know what he's like focus in on,you know, like looking at the
tasks that they're doing, focusin on the tasks that they're
doing, not saying that you can't, you know, give your
(43:43):
instructions in Spanish.
And I mean it really depends onwhat level you're teaching and
where the students are at.
I know that you know whenthere's like action involved and
I'm acting things out, yes, mystudents do understand now at
this point, but really, you knowlooking at, you know that that
(44:06):
input piece of like you know thereading, the speaking, the
tasks and so forth, and then youknow that that input piece of
like you know the reading, thespeaking, the tasks and so forth
, um, and then you know takingit one step at a time, like one
day at a time.
If it's oh, man, I only spokelike you know, 70 or 60% today,
it's okay.
It's not going to be like 90 orwherever you want it to be
(44:27):
every single day, because weencounter different things that
are happening and it alsodepends on you know what your
goals are and where yourstudents are at and gradually,
as you continue to be repetitive, they will get to that point
that you would like for them tobe at, and then next thing you
(44:47):
know you will be at that pointthat you them to be at, and then
next thing you know you will beat that point that you want to
be at as far as the percentageof target language you want to
use.
Speaker 1 (44:54):
So yeah, that's that speaks to me very much, Cause
actually I don't know if youknew this, but I knew it was a
good time to have you on thepodcast, cause my phrase for the
year is consistency beatsperfect.
I'm finding that, in likeeverything that I do, that when
you're striving for perfection,it actually is working against
(45:14):
you.
That consistent B plus effortwins every time.
Like just showing up is halfthe battle, and for teaching, it
really is like showing up andgiving an effort to do target
language and push your students.
It's not gonna be perfect, but,just like you said, it's it.
Consistency makes a difference,and now I know that teachers
(45:34):
will have a lot of great ideasfor how to make it easier for
them Thanks to what you'veshared today.
So thank you so much for forbeing here with me virtually and
for sharing your, your wisdomwith us on the experience of
what it's like to adjust to yourpace.
But you shared so much with usthis wisdom of all your
(45:57):
experience that you have ofmaking sure that target language
is attainable and that it worksfor both parties, that it's fun
for you and accessible for yourstudents, even if they don't
think that right at thebeginning.
That's amazing, so I'm surethat people are going to want to
learn more from you afterthey've listened to this.
So can you tell everybody whatare some ways that they can
(46:19):
connect with you and learn morefrom you after hearing this
awesome episode?
Speaker 2 (46:24):
All right, awesome.
So I have.
I'm in a variety of differentplaces, but I'm gonna make it
super.
Just give you all one place.
If you check out bitlybackslash KLondon, you can find
everything that I am involved inthere.
(46:45):
If you're on Facebook, the pageis trailblazing language
learning, um.
And then I also hang out oninstagram that is at classes day
, london, um.
And my other instagram page isat trailblaze lane, but you all
(47:05):
will be able to find all that ifyou just go to the bitly link
and everything is there.
But yeah.
Speaker 1 (47:11):
Wonderful and we will have that.
I'll have that in the shownotes for y'all so you'll be
able to clickety click it veryeasily.
Kia, thank you so much for this.
It's always wonderful to workwith you and hang out and learn
from you.
Speaker 2 (47:24):
Thank you.
This has been so great and sorefreshing and I appreciate it
and I hope you all were able toget.
Get something, get some nuggets.
Speaker 1 (47:36):
No, they were for sure All right.
Bye for now.
Speaker 2 (47:39):
All right, bye.
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