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How can language educators effectively transition students from language "learning" to language "acquisition"? This is a question to focus on as all language educators try to create classroom experiences that meet the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages' (ACTFL) guidelines. ACTFL is calling for a shift in all language classes. Students and teachers need to use the second language (L2) at least 90% of the time. This amount of target language (TL) use will only create success for students if the teacher uses Comprehensible Input (CI). L2, TL and CI are three must-know acronyms for language educators today. Language "acquisition" is a key concept to our journey towards using research-based methods to update our language teaching practices.

The Language Acquisition Resource Center, LARC, is a national Language Resource Center located on the San Diego State University campus. LARC, a San Diego State University-housed program sponsored by the San Diego State University Research Foundation (SDSURF), is one of fifteen Department of Education Title VI funded Language Resource Centers (LRCs). The LRCs were established by Congress in 1989. Their purpose is to improve the teaching and learning of foreign and second languages in the United States. Our mission is to develop and support the teaching and learning of foreign languages in the United States through research, technology, and publications. Particular attention is paid to less commonly taught languages, cross-cultural issues, language skills assessment, and teacher training.

"With the help of a three-year grant from the US Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Humanities, an eleven-member task force, representing a variety of languages, levels of instruction, program models, and geographic regions, undertook the task of defining content standards - what students should know and be able to do - in foreign language education. The final document, Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century, first published in 1996, represents an unprecedented consensus among educators, business leaders, government, and the community on the definition and role of foreign language instruction in American education. This visionary document has been used by teachers, administrators, and curriculum developers at both state and local levels to begin to improve foreign language education in our nation's schools. The 3rd Edition Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century, revised including Arabic standards, is now available."

The FLTmag is a quarterly practice-oriented online publication dedicated to the field of foreign language technology. Our goal is to provide useful and practical information about technology integration in the classroom such as emerging technologies, interesting books, classroom projects, institutional initiatives, conferences and symposiums and language centers worldwide. We're hoping to become a public forum promoting engaged and productive discussions around burning issues in the field of language technology in the U.S. and beyond. The fltmag.com encourages a wide diversity of fact and opinion on the use of technology in language learning. The opinions expressed in the fltmag.com are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of the editorial team.

The FLTmag is a quarterly practice-oriented online publication dedicated to the field of foreign language technology. Our goal is to provide useful and practical information about technology integration in the classroom such as emerging technologies, interesting books, classroom projects, institutional initiatives, conferences and symposiums and language centers worldwide. We're hoping to become a public forum promoting engaged and productive discussions around burning issues in the field of language technology in the U.S. and beyond. The fltmag.com encourages a wide diversity of fact and opinion on the use of technology in language learning. The opinions expressed in the fltmag.com are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of the editorial team.

Shake things up! Make language learning more engaging! My name is Megan Smith (just got married in July… Yeah!!) and this is my sixth year teaching Spanish in Louisville, Kentucky. I studied International Business and Spanish at Grand Valley State University in Michigan and am now finishing my master's in Education at Northern Kentucky University. I really love my job and what I get to do in the classroom. I'm lucky to have a school who gives me freedom to try new things, a friend and mentor (Kara) who challenges me as a teacher, and other hardworking teachers who are willing to collaborate with me! I am honored to have been the 2011 Kentucky New Teacher of the Year from the Kentucky World Language Association. In November 2013, Kara, Rachel, and I presented at ACTFL's national conference in Orlando. How awesome! And a big hello from me, Kara Parker! I'm the other collaborator on this blog. I'd say that I've been "around the block" when it comes to teaching. I've taught for 12 years total (6 at a private Catholic girls school, 2 at a large public school (with Megan), and now 4 years at an awesome alternative school). I have my National Board Certification in World Languages. I'm excited to share on this site. :) Hopefully you can take something from the ideas posted here to make your classroom better for your students and your workload a little lighter. Here's to sharing! If you'd like to reach us, send us an e-card, or invite us to your school… Here's an email both of us use! :) creativelanguageclass@gmail.com

A new resource from the National Capital Language Resource Center - a must read for WL teachers who are seeking to implement a true standards-based, proficiency-oriented language program.

A new resource from the National Capital Language Resource Center - a must read for WL teachers who are seeking to implement a true standards-based, proficiency-oriented language program.

"The NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements are self-assessment checklists used by language learners to assess what they "can do" with language in the Interpersonal, Interpretive, and Presentational modes of communication. These modes of communication are defined in the National Standards for 21st Century Language Learning and organized in the checklist into the following categories: Interpersonal (Person-to-Person) Communication Presentational Speaking (Spoken Production) Presentational Writing (Written Production) Interpretive Listening Interpretive Reading Click within each cell to display the benchmark and the associated Can Do Statement PDF. Or, click on a Level/Mode row or column to expand the entire level or mode."

HOW would you rank "important" languages? If asked to rattle them off, many people start with English, but after that are reluctant to go further. Important how, they ask. One approach would be to look at people and money: surely a language is important if it is spoken by lots of people, in countries with great wealth (and presumably, therefore, power).

Learning new languages is a natural instinct for children, and yet it becomes more difficult as we age. We might be at a disadvantage as adults, but with a few learning methods, you can still give yourself the best chance for learning a new language.

ACTFL's position statement on 90% rule

"Variations francophones, the 12 video-clips and their teaching cards, evoke the various realities of French speakers across Canada whose identities are modulated as much by the culture, the history, the territory as the climate. The teaching cards enable teachers to guide their pupils' discovery of the richness and the diversity of the Canadian francophonie. They will also help students develop oral competence and in particular their receptive language skills. The video-clips are appropriate for students enrolled in francophone schools within a minority context, as well as students enrolled in French second language, intensive French and French immersion courses who work at an intermediate to advanced linguistic level. Indeed, listening to the video-clips will enable students to better understand the various characteristics of French spoken in different locations of Canada as well as the various linguistic registers used."

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Rubrics are assessment tools that specifically outline how to succeed at a certain task. Although many #langchat teachers know about rubrics, there is discussion about the best ways to create and implement them in the world language classroom.

Games for language learning

Creative Strategies for Reading Authentic Texts in Other Languages

"On a given day, how much time do your students spend working on their fluency? At the elementary level, hours are devoted to reading and speaking fluency. In middle and high school, students read aloud, deliver oral presentations, and write in a variety of formats to improve upon their language fluency. And yet, while we devote a significant portion of every school day to a student's reading, writing and language fluency, how much time is devoted to the development of their technology fluency? "

An artilcle from The Language Teacher magazine on the WL 21st Century Skills Map