Powerful World Languages Instructional Practices

Publication July 20215 pages21V08w

This quick-reference guide presents examples of teacher and student behaviors and learning artifacts found in classrooms that adopt six Powerful World Languages Instructional Practices. Teachers who adopt these practices in their classrooms create rich and varied opportunities for students to develop the language acquisition skills that are essential to spoken, written or signed cross-cultural communication and understanding.

  1. Students are engaged in overarching tasks and related mini-tasks that require interpersonal, interpretive and presentational communication. (Planning)
     
  2. The lesson sequence supports or scaffolds learning, enabling students to connect other disciplines and previous knowledge to acquire information and diverse perspectives. (Planning)
     
  3. Clear and measurable learning targets based on language standards are communicated to students and aligned with formative and summative assessments. (Instruction)
     
  4. Learning strategies support knowledge and skill acquisition while allowing students to draw comparisons and develop insights into the nature of language and culture. (Instruction)
     
  5. Student discourse is used daily as a part of the learning cycle to reinforce communities both within and beyond the classroom that promote lifelong learning. (Instruction)
     
  6. Classroom activities provide students opportunities to explore and reflect the relationship between practices, products and perspectives of other cultures. (Instruction)

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