A foreign Idea

Sometimes when you want to improve how you teach languages from around the world, you simply have to look next door.

Windsor Central Middle School Spanish teacher Patricia Llaguno recently welcomed fellow world language teachers from Windsor, Chenango Forks, and Maine-Endwell to observe her class and collaborate as to how to best reach students.

“My favorite part of these days is when somebody sees what I’m doing and says, ‘Oh, I do such and such.’ I’ll write that down. The only way I think of good ideas is to hear it from someone else,” said Llaguno.
 
Adults standing in a classroom 

The group saw how Llaguno integrated technology into the classroom, such as the use of google docs and the app Kahoot, which allows the class to take part in interactive quizzes and contests.

“It’s almost immediate feedback and differentiation,” said Maine-Endwell teacher Rosanna Fernandez.

“I’m impressed with the use of technology between the teacher and students, and the ease of it,” said Windsor Central High School Spanish teacher Marina Itterly.

Llaguno shared how she used the green screen in the school’s Innovation Center as she had her students script a scene in Spanish. If a scene took place in a restaurant, she projected a restaurant behind her students as they acted out the scene.

“The fact that they had to talk, but then saw this cool image behind them when they did, it really made them want to take part,” said Llaguno.
 
A woman standing between two girls seated at a desk 

The group plans to meet once per year, alternating which classroom it visits. The members of the group see the annual observation as invaluable professional development.

“Every time I see somebody doing something, I think, ‘That’s how you do that? I never would have thought of that,’” said Llaguno.

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