Language Teaching Tips: The First in a Series of Short, Focused Tips


by Ann Abbott

 On this blog I usually tackle "big picture" items. I think a lot about what a Spanish major should look like in the US today. I use it as a platform to hopefully make Spanish community service learning more accessible to anyone thinking about teaching with it. I want to share my students' reflections so they have a strong voice in how we construct (or don't) our courses. I'd love it if Business Spanish and specific topics like social entrepreneurship and bilingual social media marketing gained resonance in our field.

But I started out, many years ago, as a course supervisor. Of SPAN 101 and 102. That was my first gig.

 I worked on the syllabus, did classroom observations, put together tests, soaked up ideas from my professors and mentors, and much more. I had to pay attention to the little things that make classes work. And even more specifically, that make language learning work.

I'm not sure how many classroom observations I've done over the years and how many TAs and instructors I've talked to about their teaching. It's a lot! Scores. So it recently occurred to me that I should share some of that knowledge on my blog and other sharing sites.

Here is my first of what I hope is many: "Giving Instructions One at a Time." Because sometimes just the way you set up an activity determines how much students take away from it.

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