Eric Richards Instructional Consulting, LLC
Continuing our series on “SLA-Speak”, we’ll now look at “Acquisition vs. Learning”. Note: This is the second post in the series. Acquisition and Learning are two distinct processes involved in Second Language Acquisition (SLA), as proposed by linguist Stephen Krashen. Let’s take a closer look at the differences between these two terms: Acquisition: Learning: Key…
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As a language educator, I find myself talking to others about SLA (Second Language Acquisition). I also find that I use terms, definitions, and acronyms that are unfamiliar to the other person, or perhaps the other person has a different idea what the term means. So, I thought it would be a good time to…
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Here is the link to my presentation: CI Summit: Writing Strategies for the ADI Classroom. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 I hope it fills a need and you find it helpful! If you have any questions, please contact me directly at: contact@eric-richards.com Thank you! Mach’s gut!
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Here is the link to my presentation: VOCES: Focusing on Short Stories in Our Story Part 1 Part 2 I hope it fills a need and you find it helpful! If you have any questions, please contact me directly at: contact@eric-richards.com Thank you! Mach’s gut!
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Dr. Pat Brown and I continue to collaborate on ideas to how to improve education and student learning. I always enjoy working with Pat, because we bring together overlaps from the science and world language classrooms. We always look at how we can use students’ ideas about language, science, discourse, and communication to develop conceptual…
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What is Texas German? Any guesses? Is it simply Germans, who live in Texas? Or is people who speak German with a bit of a Texas accent? No! There is more to it than that. Texas German is more than just a language. It is own culture and enjoys a rich history. The Texas German…
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Here is the link to my presentation: Entry Points into Culture I hope it fills a need and you find it helpful! If you have any questions, please contact me directly at: contact@eric-richards.com Thank you! Mach’s gut!
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Since I was young, I was always fascinated by people that could fluently speak multiple languages. I constantly asked myself, “How can they do that?” Then I thought, “That person must be super smart! I wish I were that smart.” As I grew, I continued to find myself interested in languages. I was always interested…
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I am excited to share that my latest reader is now out in Spanish! (Note: There are excerpts from the Spanish version of book at the end of the post.) I previously published a German reader, entitled “Das Dokument”, and I’m excited to announce that it is now available in Spanish! I can’t wait to…
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I recently came across a couple of articles that deal with language and the brain. I found them quite interesting and thought I would share. They deal with how our L1 (first language / mother tongue) influences our brain, its formation, and how we process different languages. Scientist are using the information to better help…
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I wanted to share the news. My latest reader Das Dokument has been published! (Note: There are excerpts from the book at the end of the post.) I’m excited to get this in the hands of German language learners. It is a chapter book with 100 unique words that is written for Level 1/A1 language…
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I wanted to let you know that Comprehensible Iowa #CIIA23 is fast approaching. It is Friday, June 9th – Saturday, June10th in Gilbert, IA. (Just north of Ames, IA) This conference is excellent opportunity for world language educators. The presenters, which are coming in from 7 different states, are excellent. This will be a great…
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Note: There is a link to resources below. If there were only one thing that we could do with our students in the classroom, what should it be? Reading. Reading is unquestionably one of the most important things – if not the most important thing – that our students should do. I would even add…
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Note: There are links to resources below. As world language educators, we are tasked with not only making the target language accessible and comprehensible to our students, but also getting our students to engage in presentational, interpretive, and interpersonal modes of communication in the target language. As many world language teachers try to find a…
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Created in 1832 by 16-year-old apprentice chef Franz Sacher at the court of Prince Metternich, Sachertorte is considered by many to be the reigning king of Austrian desserts. However, many believe this king should be usurped by the noble Apfelstrudel. You be the judge! I’ve included a link from austra.info to a recipe for Sachertorte. You…
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Sometimes you come across an activity that you just have to share; it is too good not to! And Game of Quotes: A Free-Reading Game is one such activity. This activity was shared with me by my colleague, Cathleen Weigelt-Ferguson. I am so happy that she passed this along. It has been hit in my…
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The 2022 FLAM (Foreign Language Association of Missouri) Conference recently ended. After a bit of time to reflect on the conference, I wanted to share some thoughts and resources. First, it was a fantastic conference. From the presenters, keynote speaker, facilities, social events, food and overall “flow” and logistics of it, the conference was great.…
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We are week away from the 2022 FLAM (Foreign Language Association of Missouri) Conference at Washington University in St. Louis. Here is the link to register and check out the conference program: https://www.flamnet.org/general-3 It will be a great opportunity for professional growth and to (re)connect with colleagues, as we are back together face-to-face. Plus, to…
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I know that we hit the ground running on day one of the school and it doesn’t seem to let up until the following summer. I also know that it can be difficult to design and implement new activities and lessons as the school year races by. So, I thought I would share just a…
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As, I have written before, one of the aspects of education that I truly enjoy is collaboration. I enjoy meaningful and effective collaboration, because we deepen our knowledge and understanding of our field, and we also bring new ideas to the forefront and create new paths to explore. With that said, I wanted to further…
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I really enjoyed being a guest on the Mango Languages podcast “Teaching Languages Today“. Emily Rae Sabo, PhD is fantastic and we had a great conversation. We addressed things like, how do your connections with students evolve across your career? Why do some grow out of the profession? And how can we address teacher burnout…
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I teamed up with Bryce Hedstrom (brycehedstrom.com) at the Voces Digital “Weekly Wednesday Webinar” to give a presentation entitled: Fostering Classroom Community and Understanding via ‘The Special Person’ Interview. Link to the video recording: here Link to my presentation: here I really enjoy the activities presented in this webinar. They are great ideas how to…
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I was doing research for something I was working on when I came across some intriguing articles about how Dresden, Germany was, at one time, both a home to a sizable American expat community and a European destination for American travelers. I was unaware of this, and it piqued my curiosity. So, I deviated from…
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I thought I would pass this along. I recently participated in the Stuttgart Oral History Project through the Missouri Humanities organization. It was a great experience, and I am glad that I was able to share my story. I am connected to both St. Louis in Stuttgart. I grew up (and still reside) in the…
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Missouri Humanities is a terrific organization with many great programs that explore people, stories, places, and events throughout Missouri’s rich and diverse history while also focusing on the future. Check it out here: https://mohumanities.org/ I recently attended an event called “Think-N-Drink” through the Missouri Humanities organization. This is a series of events to engage Missourians in…
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I came across these brain breaks on Bryce Hedstrom’s blog. With his permission, I am sharing them here as resource for language teachers. (I should mention that I did the German version of these puzzles.) These brain breaks are fun, quick and my students enjoyed doing them. They reinforce numbers in the target language and…
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One of the aspects of education that I truly enjoy is collaboration. Through meaningful and effective collaboration, we have the chance to grow not only in our profession, but also as a person. We further and deepen our knowledge and understanding of our field, and we broaden our (personal) perspectives and thinking. When meaningful collaboration…
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Do not let the title of Lynne Breen’s book How German Ingenuity Inspired America: More Fun, More Beauty, More Freedom mislead you. Yes, it is a definitive book on the influence and impact that Germans and German-Americans have the fabric of America. Yes, it wonderfully details and illustrates the accomplishments and achievements of this immigrant…
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I read constantly across all genres and topics, both fiction and non-fiction. In short, I enjoy reading. I enjoy discovering something new, and I especially enjoy learning about new places and people. With this in mind, I thought I would share a note with you about an article I read in German Life. (See note…
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Recently, after sharing a bit about some inspiring educators in a post, I had some inquiries about what other educators and resources that I find useful.Below you will find links to some worth-while blogs, other websites, and their resources. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but my hope is that it offers a…
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