“¡Otra vez!” My students were so used to hearing these two words (another time) in between choral recitations of our daily poem that it had unfortunately become a bit sing-song as they mimicked me. Pick your battles; I thought . . . here I stood, in front of 26 eighth graders as we recited a […]
Linda Darcy
Linda left the classroom after 16 years as a secondary World Language Teacher in the Hartford region. She has served in several leadership positions, always with a focus on teacher professional learning. Through an eclectic selection of professional experience and trainings, Linda has honed her skills as an instructional coach, curriculum writer and national presenter. Her areas of expertise include Curriculum and Instructional Design, Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Social-Emotional Learning, Instructional Coaching, Adult Learning and Language Acquisition Pedagogy. She has presented at national conferences such as the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages, Phi Delta Kappa’s Conference for Future Educators, and the Learning Forward National Conference on the topics of professional learning systems, teacher retention and motivating learners. She is currently studying for her doctorate in educational leadership at the University of Connecticut. Her primary areas of research include culturally relevant pedagogy, teacher retention and urban education.
Gamify your Class without Electricity
Class Dojo, Socrative, Nearpod, Zondle and Play Brighter dominate most conversations about gamification in education. This focus on technology and apps automatically alienates some teachers: “I don’t have any computers in my room, so that leaves me out!” However, it is possible to gamify your class in the absence of any technology . . . […]
Differentiated Motivation
I began my teaching career about twenty years ago, and in that time I have seen a great deal of change around the concept of differentiation. It began, for me, as simply modifying assessments for students in special education . . . lowering the bar so that they may experience a taste of success. It […]
World Language: 5 Ways to get your Students Talking
It would be a rare occasion, indeed, for any of our students, if while traveling abroad, are asked to sit down and write a paragraph about themselves in Spanish, Chinese or German. It is much more plausible that they will be called upon to introduce themselves, ask for or receive directions or tell about their […]