World+Language+Study+through+6+Universal+Themes

Rubrics and Expectations for Ohio High School World Language Students

What is expected of you, the student?

A New Approach to World Language Study: 6 Themes 

All Units in all levels (1-AP)are based on these 6 themes:
 * Personal and Public Identities;
 * Families and Communities;
 * Contemporary Life;
 * Science and Technology;
 * Art and Beauty; and
 * Global Issues and Challenges.

Students will study different aspects of and delve deeper into each theme the further they continue in their world language studies.

Project-based and proficiency-based learning and inquiry will guide the daily lessons. (see article below) The goal? Students will use their language every day, in and out of class, individually, in pairs, in groups, in conversation, in writing and in presentations.



**Great Teachers Don't Teach ** By Ben Johnson June 28, 2013 **//Edutopia//** In a conversation on LinkedIn, one person asked, "What are the characteristics of an effective teacher?". <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">One characteristic of an effective teacher is that they don't teach. You say that is outrageous. How can an effective teacher teach without teaching? <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">My experience is that **Good Teachers care about students. Good Teachers know the content and know how to explain it. Good Teachers expect and demand high levels of performance of students. Good Teachers are great performers and storytellers that rivet their students' attention.** <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">All of this is good but **Great Teachers engineer learning experiences that maneuver the students into the driver's seat and then the teachers get out of the way. Students learn best by personally experiencing learning that is physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual.** <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">Long past are the times when we teach content just in case a student might need it. **A Great Teacher will devise a way to give the students an urgent reason to learn skills or knowledge and then let them show they have learned it by what they can do.** This is called project-based learning. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">**A Great Teacher will keep the students wanting to come to school just to see what interesting things they will explore and discover each day.** We call this inquiry. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">The philosophy that supports such a great teacher is simple: <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">**Students learn best when they are in control of their learning. Students must do the heavy lifting of learning and nothing the teacher can say or do will change that. Real learning requires doing, not listening, or observing only.** <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">There are times when direct instruction –ie. lectures and powerpoints- is necessary, but only to be able to do something with that knowledge or skill. **A Great Teacher devises learning experiences that force all the students to be engaged much like being in the deep end of the swimming pool. Then the lesson on arm and leg strokes becomes relevant. To learn, the Students must do something.** We call this performance-based learning. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">Great Teachers do not teach. They stack the deck so that Students have a reason to learn and in the process can't help but learn mainly by teaching themselves. This knowledge then becomes permanent and cherished rather than illusory and irrelevant. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">HELP MADAME SCHULTÉ BE A GREAT TEACHER! ENGAGE YOURSELF! PRACTICE! PARTICIPATE! BECOME A SELF-DIRECTED LEARNER AND TAKE ON THE RESPONSIBILITY OF YOUR OWN EDUCATION! **