Strengthening Our Core

For the Action Research part of our project, I chose to focus on six of the Universal Language Actions (ULAs) in Katy Arnett and Renée Bourgoin’s book, "Access for Success: Making Inclusion Work for Language Learners". (You can find the list of ULAs here ) Most of them were things I was already doing, but for the project I chose to be more intentional about them, planning ahead instead of using them on the fly. Here are my reflections on my experience with each one ... ULA Action 1.5 Providing wait time when presenting new information, after asking a question, or before inviting learners to start a task  This action was a hard task for myself to get over. I only have 30 minutes in the classroom which can be a barrier itself to get started. I did make myself flexible by allowing the students that needed time to sit out for short period and observe. One particular student in class needs time to watch the activity before he can join in, and that is ok because he k...

I’ve been called many things in my life, but athletic has never been one of them. Our blog’s vintage sports theme reflects Paul being sporty and me being … vintage. Despite my lack of athleticism, I always enjoyed playing games outside, but preferred ones where the social and psychological stakes weren’t too high for the uncoordinated kids so we could all just do our best and have fun.   Although the whole book is fantastic, I have two favourite parts in Katy Arnett and Renée Bourgoin’s " Access for Success: Making Inclusion Work for Language Learners ". Both focus on setting up a supportive learning environment that reduces potential barriers and allows everyone a chance to succeed and have fun in French class.  The first is an excellent chart on dispelling myths about inclusion in FSL classrooms in the first chapter of the book. It lists each myth, what current research actually shows, and links to the studies. It really helped me with my own growth mindset, e...