See All Language Lounge Episodes In this episode of The Language Lounge, Michelle Olah and Lisa McHargue discuss the psychological and practical aspects of starting anew in the new year. They explore the importance of digital organization, the impact of chaos on mental space, and how to define productivity in a way that works for individuals. Lisa shares insights on reframing self-judgment, the significance of future planning, and practical strategies for implementing plans effectively, especial...
Jan 03, 2025•1 hr 1 min
See All Language Lounge Episodes Summary In this enlightening episode of The Language Lounge, Michelle Olah and Gina Lanfranchi-Grubbs delve into the complexities of classroom management. Gina shares her personal journey as a teacher, highlighting the challenges she faced in creating a welcoming environment for her students. They discuss the importance of understanding emotional responses, building relationships, and addressing teacher fatigue. The conversation emphasizes that effective classroo...
Dec 16, 2024•51 min
In this episode, Michelle Olah and Gina Gallo explore the powerful connection between art and language education. They discuss how art can engage students, enhance language acquisition, and provide cultural context in the classroom. Gina shares practical strategies for incorporating art into language teaching, emphasizing the importance of collaboration among educators and the use of authentic resources. The conversation highlights the transformative power of art in education and offers valuable...
Dec 04, 2024•47 min
Teaching is not easy, and becoming an amazing teacher does not happen overnight. It takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears, times of vulnerability and others of failure. Join Language Lounge host Michelle Olah and her guest Wesley Wood as they discuss the idea of acceptance. Acceptance of ourselves, of failure, of the vulnerability that comes from continuously learning and growing on the imperfect journey to mastering our craft. Bio Wesley Wood is a disability specialist at Georgetown University ...
Oct 30, 2024•53 min
Join teachers Kristin Archambault, Amy Marshall, and host Michelle Olah as they discuss what they do to set themselves us for a successful school year. Kristin and Amy share the importance creating a well-ordered environment of routines, procedures and expectations which in turn build a sense of community and trust within their classrooms. And don't forget to take care of you… Bio Kristin Archambault Kristin Archambault is a veteran French and Spanish teacher. Although most of her experience is ...
Sep 18, 2024•47 min
Going back to school is a stressful, emotional roller coaster, you know what it's going to be like, and you've got to get yourself prepared. Join Rebecca Aubrey and Michelle Olah as they discuss the struggles and anxieties in heading back to school and how you can set boundaries to alleviate the mental and physical toll that teaching demands. Bio Rebecca Aubrey has over 20 years of teaching experience at the college level, and 15 years of experience teaching Spanish in grades K-8. Rebecca has pr...
Aug 29, 2024•51 min
Do you want to get your students excited and passionate about learning? Spark your students' curiosity and get them motivated to learn by using inquiry-based learning which allows your students to explore what's interesting to them. Here's how you can get started. Bio Dagoberto Polanco was inspired by his own language-learning journey upon arriving to the United States from the Dominican Republic at age 17. He hails from a family of educators and found his niche in the field of language acquisit...
Aug 15, 2024•1 hr
What is structural competency? Hint: It's not about teaching grammar. It's about what is and isn't culture. Listen to this week's episode of the Language Lounge and come away with a new way to address culture with your students; what shapes our own culture and fostering a respectful curiosity about why certain cultural practices exist in our own communities and others. Bio Peggy Malec began her education career teaching English to adults in 2011. Since then, she has taught both Spanish and Engli...
Aug 02, 2024•59 min
STaRLT, pronounced Star Light, is the brain child of Shannon Borum. Born of her frustration as a small town rural language teacher, this group has blossomed into an amazing support group for teachers in Georgia. It's a place to learn, to grow and belong. Join Shannon and host, Michelle Olah, as they discuss the origins, benefits and future of this unique and valuable community of teachers. Bio Shannon Borum is a high school French teacher in Jackson, Georgia and a doctoral candidate in Instructi...
Jul 18, 2024•49 min
Rachel Benson joins Language Lounge host, Michelle Olah to discuss her journey from classroom teacher to district language coordinator, supporting teachers during online teaching. Rachel made the decision to return to the classroom for the 23-24 school year and shares her unique perspective on life in the modern day classroom and resuming her role as a teacher leader in the upcoming school year. Bio Rachel began her teacher career as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Missouri-Co...
Jun 21, 2024•39 min
If advocacy is building excitement, then Amy Rill is an advocate non-pareil. Listen as she and host, Michelle Olah, discuss the little and big ways to advocate for your program, whether it's in your classroom, your school, or your community. Listen and get some ideas for ways to build excitement and get that energy about learning languages out of your classroom and into the world. Bio Amy Rill spent 23 years as a German and Spanish teacher. She is enthusiastic about having fun while learning a l...
Jun 07, 2024•53 min
Does your curriculum bring you joy? Does it spark joy in your students? If your answer is no, then it might be time to think about SPARKing some joy in your classes. Amanda Minnillo has some great practical advice for creating a Safe, Purposeful, Attention getting, Reflective, environment to Keep student engagement high. Bio Dr. Amanda Hajji Minnillo is the President-Elect of SCOLT and a Professional Learning Specialist consulting with districts across the country to support their language progr...
May 23, 2024•53 min
The ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines have been revised. How are they same? How are they different? Language Lounge host, Michelle Olah and Dr. Meg Malone, Director of Assessment and Research at ACTFL discuss the changes. Bio Margaret E. (Meg) Malone (Ph.D., Georgetown University) is Director of Assessment and Research at ACTFL. She has published extensively on language assessment, standards and language assessment literacy. Her current research focuses on language assessment literacy, language progr...
May 10, 2024•54 min
Classroom management. It's tough. Enter Jon Cowart. He's an expert in classroom management and can help you develop the skill set that you need to succeed no matter your teaching style. It's not magic, it's a skill and you can develop and hone it so that your classes run the way you always wished they could. Bio Jon taught high school and middle school Spanish for 10 years in Memphis, TN, before stepping into leadership roles. He has been a high school AP, Director of Multilingual Learners, and ...
Apr 25, 2024•58 min
Have you ever thought about presenting at a conference but just don't know how to get started? It's conference proposal submission season and your state and regional organizations want to hear from you. No really, they do. Guest Albert Fernandez and host Michelle Olah discuss everything you need to know about presenting from soup to nuts. Listen, get inspired and get cracking on YOUR presentation. Bio Albert is an elementary and middle school Spanish teacher in Orlando, FL. Producer's Notes Visi...
Apr 12, 2024•1 hr 13 min
Whether you've been following the work of Thomas Sauer for most of the past 40 years, or you're new to his work you are going to LOVE this episode. Join Thomas Sauer and host of the Language Lounge, Michelle Olah as they discuss exciting new developments with the TELL framework and PEARLL. For every teacher who has ever wished for someone to just tell them what to do to be the best teacher they can be, this episode is for you. And for those of you who are really brave, you might just find yourse...
Mar 29, 2024•52 min
Meredith White, host of the EdTech World podcast, returns to the show to discuss how and when to make educational technology work for you. Bio For 16 years, Meredith White taught Spanish in both Tennessee and Georgia. Focused on novices, her work with students ingrained proficiency-based teaching, comprehensible input, technology, and helping make learning Spanish fun. In March of 2023, she transitioned to an Instructional Technology support role to help more teachers in all content areas with b...
Mar 04, 2024•55 min
Intimidated by AI? Excited about AI? Want to get started with AI but don't know where to begin? Join guest Maureen Lamb and host Michelle Olah as they discuss the latest and greatest in AI technology and what it can do for you and your students. Bio Maureen Gassert Lamb is a Latin Teacher, Dean of Faculty, and Dean of Academic Technology and Innovative Pedagogy at The Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, CT. Lamb is also the American Classical League’s Technology Chair, was named the Connecticut Lan...
Feb 14, 2024•45 min
Whether you are advocating for special education students to be included in world language classrooms or not, chances are they are already there. Dr. Danja Mahoney returns to the Language Lounge to discuss strategies teachers can use to help these students be successful in the world language classroom. Bio Dr. Danja Mahoney is a language educator with more than 25 years experience teaching in public and independent schools. Her experience teaching Latin, French, Spanish, English, and ESL informs...
Feb 02, 2024•58 min
According to UNESCO, learning a second language is human right but too often special education students are left out of world language classrooms. In part one of this two part series, Danja Mahoney explains why special education students need to be in world language classrooms and how to advocate to get them there and how proficiency-based instruction is opening new doors for all students. Bio Dr. Danja Mahoney is a language educator with more than 25 years experience teaching in public and inde...
Jan 19, 2024•47 min
Restorative circles can be a powerful tool for setting classroom norms, building community, addressing behaviors that are impeding teaching and learning or a way to gather feedback about how students are feeling about learning. In this episode of the Language Lounge, guest Mike Farkas discusses the importance of restorative circles in his teaching and gives tips on how you can get started. Bio Michael Farkas is a Spanish teacher at Canton High School in Canton, MA. Since 2019, Mike has been a me...
Jan 04, 2024•48 min
Join Kelly Jones and Language Lounge host, Michelle Olah, as they discuss integrated performance projects. Kelly has a creative approach that empowers students to take control of their learning and provides more realistic contexts in which students can use language. You'll get some great ideas about projects, how you can avoid grading meaningless homework assignments and make your classroom fun and joyful. Bio Kelly Jones is a certified German, ESOL and literacy teacher currently teaching German...
Dec 08, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Abelardo Almazan Vazquez is passionate about gender neutral language, gender inclusivity and asking questions around gender roles, consent, respect and how cultures can perpetuate stereotypes or be changed to make everyone feel seen, heard and valued. It's a beautiful and uplifting conversation about the impact that our words and actions have on others and creating more empathetic humans. Bio Over the years, I've enjoyed teaching intermediate and advanced Spanish classes, coaching an all-gender ...
Nov 27, 2023•55 min
IPA, is it a beer or an assessment? Not sure? Listen to this episode of the Language Lounge featuring Lisa Shepard. She and host, Michelle Olah, cover the whys and hows of IPAs. Whether your new to IPAs or just need a refresher this episode has everything you need to get started, build your confidence or confirm that you are doing it right. So go ahead and multi-task, grab an IPA while you find out more about IPAs. Bio Lisa Shepard earned her bachelor’s degree in education with a major in French...
Nov 09, 2023•1 hr 13 min
French teachers can be a lonely bunch. But that doesn't mean they aren't part of a community of Francophones (and Francophiles) here in the US and abroad. As French teachers everywhere are gearing up for French week (November 1-8) join guest Terri Hammatt as she talks about the myriad of ways that French teachers can promote their programs and stay connected to the Francophone world, even if they are a department of one. Bio Terri was a French and French immersion teacher for 20 years in Baton R...
Oct 27, 2023•47 min
Matt Russoniello loves TPR. He also loves SATs, NUTs and TCOL. He's a sucker for a good role play scenario and has lots ways to get students excited and engaged and thinking with a growth mindset. Find out how he teaches language, create community and has fun while doing it. Visit the Language Lounge on Twitter - https://twitter.com/langloungepod Connect with Michelle - https://twitter.com/michelleolah Have a comment or question? Leave a voicemail at (207) 888-9819 or email podcast@waysidepublis...
Oct 13, 2023•52 min
Social cultural theory states that language is a tool to help solve problems, regulate our emotions, and communicate. It is a tool to help figure things out, explain things to students and for students to use to work through problems, and construct meaning. Want to learn more? Join Becky Chism and host, Michelle Olah as they walk us through what social cultural theory looks like in the world language classroom. Bio Rebecca (Becky) Chism, Ph.D. is an associate professor of foreign language pedago...
Sep 29, 2023•57 min
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. AI is here to stay so you might as well make it work for you. Noemí Rodriguez and host Michelle Olah geek out on the latest trends and tools that can help you to save time and headspace. Let AI create lessons plans, generate comprehension questions and activities for the authentic reading for you. Need help to respond to that parent email? There's an AI for That (no really, that's a website). AI CAN be your friend. I'll bet you're wondering whether AI wrote this ...
Sep 15, 2023•51 min
What will you get out of this episode? Bethanie Carlson Drew sets you up for success giving you ideas for how to streamline your planning process and reclaim your life while still delivering interesting, highly effective and engaging lessons. She's got systems and templates loads and loads of activities, that are easily adaptable to all levels and all languages. Bio Bethanie Drew is a second generation career educator who graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a BS specializing in sport...
Sep 01, 2023•49 min
You can do it! Keep yourself organized that is. As the new school year gets underway Lisa McHargue doles out some tips and tricks for getting and staying organized so you can save time, avoid stress and find what you need when you need it. This is the perfect time of year to get started. Your future self with thank you. Lisa McHargue is a former high school Spanish teacher turned online digital organizer. She taught Spanish for ten years, the last seven in a 1:1 school. She's a minimalist living...
Aug 18, 2023•57 min
