I have decided to put the language mastermind group on hold until the summer. I have to re-do some of the components of my National Board Certification. How do things get so busy so fast?
During the mid-1990´s I discovered TPR and loved the results I saw with my students. When I took six years off in the early 2000´s I started a small non-profit and did even more work with TPR- before and after-school programs, immersion pre-school, and summer camps. It was a labor of love and I was still passionate about it. I went back into the public school classroom in 2008 after the recession hit and my business failed. No-one pays for extra French and Spanish classes when they don´t have a job! I was dissatisfied with the experience of teaching with traditional methods and longed to go back to a more natural approach. I experimented with many things, with varying degrees of success. the ACTFL proficiency guidelines were such a boost to my morale! They supported everything I believe in, that the path to proficiency has to be ¨progress not perfection¨ and that specific grammatical targets are not a part of a successful first-year program. It was still somewhat of a mystery how to implement their guidelines in the Middle School classroom. I started to look for support online- in Facebook Groups, on Teachers Pay Teachers, etc... In 2014 I was searching online for a way to stay in the target language and yet create deeper connections with my students when I stumbled upon the creative and inspiring work of Ben Slavic. His Card Talk activity (once called ¨Circling with Balls¨) changed my relationship with my students forever. I was convinced that I was finally on the right path and continued to use Ben´s work to support my classroom practice. I also discovered the amazing Martina Bex, whose lesson plans and curriculum are in themselves a training tool. Her work is amazing in a completely different way- the stories and the way she recycles words and grammar points are phenomenal. It is better than any textbook on the market, IMHO. In 2017 a colleague and myself paid to attend a conference given by Ben Slavic and the incomparable Tina Hargaden. These are my pedagogical soul-mates. Through their hard work and paving the way, we now have a path to proficiency that works and can be followed and replicated. We have the golden rails that will allow us to create an immersive environment in the classroom- one that is student-centered, joyful, and builds real community. This blog will be the story of how I planned less, taught more, and went deeper than ever before into my practice as a teacher. I have seen joy replace strife, calm overcome stress, and compassion outweigh fear and anger. Don´t get me wrong, it is still work. But this is the work I dreamed of when I read Jo´s Boys and learned about Laura´s teaching experience in Little Town on the Prairie. This is the JOB! This is where your best tools are your training and the relationships you build in the classroom. “Education is not confined to books, and the finest characters often graduate from no college, but make experience their master, and life their book. [Some care] only for the mental culture, and [are] in danger of over-studying, under the delusion . . . that learning must be had at all costs, forgetting that health and real wisdom are better.” ― Louisa May Alcott, Jo's Boys
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It has been 75 years since Napoleon Hill created the idea of a Mastermind in his book Think and Grow Rich. The purpose of the Mastermind is to help you navigate the obstacles and difficulties of teaching through the collaborative and collective intelligence of the group. While it was originally conceived of as a business tool, it has applications in the educational setting as well.
CI Mastermind is a place to share ideas, confront problems, and overcome obstacles to improving our practice with comprehensible input strategies. The group will provide support, knowledge, and stress-reduction as well as a place to brainstorm and create activities that align with ACTFL standards and current research. Each meeting will be 60 minutes long.
Our ground rules include: Confidentiality, Timeliness, Equality and Fairness, Preparation, No Fixing, No Judging, Flexibility, Courage, Value, Open Communication, and Focus on Strengths and Solutions My goal is for us to meet for 60 minutes. We have choices- do we meet 1x a week or 1x a month? Do we meet online through Google Hangouts or in person in the lounge at my building? Still not sure? Here is a video that talks about the benefits of a Mastermind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CslpAx0qFlE |
Nissa QuillI am a teacher who is finding joy in teaching and changing lives through student-centered teaching. My goal is to create life-long language learners with CI strategies, and to expand professional knowledge through collaboration with colleagues. ArchivesCategories |