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SLAyyy: Second Language Acquisition for Everyone Website Gaslight Class Size Planning Ahead - Less is More! Gatekeep - Chunking! TPR! Comprehensible Definitions The Survey Quiz Game Girlboss Feedback Loops Going Slow! References Social Accounts: Facebook Bluesky Instagram Book Study: Learner Feedback for Language Growth by Nickel, Strauss, and Budke What If Input Is Enough? by Beniko Mason Wir sind Curriculum The Survey Quiz Game - blog post by Ben

SLAyyy: Second Language Acquisition for Everyone Website Gaslight Teaching Words Individually SLOW Gatekeep - Wang, S. Y., & Christiansen, M. H. (2024). Chunking in the second language: Implications for language learning and teaching. Language Teaching Research Quarterly, 44, 84-106. The Processing Bottleneck + Chunk and Pass L1 + L2 Language Acquisition Girlboss ENHANCED CHUNKING SKILLS Revising the Vocab List Auditory, then Reading Chat Mats and Sentence Builders References Social Accounts: Facebook Bluesky Instagram Book Study: Learner Feedback for Language Growth by Nickel, Strauss, and Budke Episode 18: SLAyyy Multiword Sequences TextActivities Sentence Builders

Notes SLAyyy: Second Language Acquisition for Everyone Website Gaslight It’ll All Work Out in the End! …Right? How Much Should We Emphasize Any Given Aspect of a Language? The Need for Massive Aural Input How to Reread Texts Many Times Gatekeep - Paige, D. D. (2011). 16 Minutes of “Eyes-on-Text” Can Make a Difference: Whole-Class Choral Reading as an Adolescent Fluency Strategy. Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts, 51 (1). Repeated Readings Help! More Efficient Than… Student and Teacher Perceptions Girlboss Control the Game Interruption Table Tennis Reading Embedded Readings, Revisited Write and Discuss References Social Accounts: Facebook Bluesky Instagram Book Study: Learner Feedback for Language Growth by Nickel, Strauss, and Budke TPRS with Chinese Characteristics by Terry Waltz

SLAyyy: Second Language Acquisition for Everyone Website Gaslight “Ok, Just Be a Leader Now!” Failing to Identify Strengths Lack of Definitions and Models Walking the Line Between Guidance and Control Gatekeep - Nathan Campbell, 2026 ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year Progressive Leadership System Building Experience and Perspective Modeling Qualities of a Strong Leader Girlboss When to Guide, When to Let Go Clear Expectations The Secret of the Shared Drive References Social Accounts: Facebook Bluesky Instagram Book Study: Learner Feedback for Language Growth by Nickel, Strauss, and Budke Ben’s German Club Ideas List

SLAyyy: Second Language Acquisition for Everyone Website Gaslight Are Students Made to Attend to Meaning? Treating Language Like Other Subjects Gatekeep - Gonzalez Bueno, Manuela. “S-PACE for Teaching L2 Grammar: Adding Structure to the PACE Model.” Applied Language Learning, vol. 31, no. 1 & 2, 2021, pp. 29–49. Girlboss Use Low Cognitive Load Sentences to Focus Attention Using Student-Friendly Grammar Language References Social Accounts: Facebook Bluesky Instagram Book Study: Learner Feedback for Language Growth by Nickel, Strauss, and Budke Bethanie Drew’s Blog Lightbown: 10 Generalizations

SLAyyy: Second Language Acquisition for Everyone Website Gaslight Is AI for Students or for Teachers? The Humanity in Teaching You Can’t AI Your Way to Communicative Competence Gatekeep - Çelik, Ö. (2025). Evolution of foreign language education in the age of AI. ELT Research Journal, 14(1), 61-77. Teachers as Filters of Knowledge and Designers of Learning Processes Ben Rants, Extensively Girlboss How to Make the Classroom a Safe, Inclusive Learning Environment Productivity Hacking - with the Teacher’s Competence References Social Accounts: Facebook Bluesky Instagram Book Study: Learner Feedback for Language Growth by Nickel, Strauss, and Budke

Please enjoy this minimally edited crossover episode with one of our favorite podcasts, Conversations About Language Teaching! Listen in as we discuss how best to help others understand fundamental SLA findings, and what those might be...! We recorded this as a livestream as part of the CI Reboot 2026 online conference. Interested in learning more? Register now with the discount code SLAYY2026 !!! And go forth and SLAY!

SLAyyy: Second Language Acquisition for Everyone Website Gaslight Please Don’t Burn Yourself Out! Know Your Context Gatekeep - Wadas, M., Goetze, J., & Jackson, C. (2024). Going above and beyond: Motivations of L2 German learners to (dis)continue language study. Die Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German, 57, 87–102. Girlboss Meditating on the Ideal Self Don’t Waste Your Own Time! Love Culture, and Develop a Growth Mindset References Social Accounts: Facebook Bluesky Instagram CI Reboot - fully online conference for CCLT - use affiliate code SLAYY2026 Ben’s Blog Post About Program Growth Mike Peto - Las maravillas The German Club Ideas List

Artists: Ben Fisher-Rodriguez, Bill Langley Main Points SLAyyy: Second Language Acquisition for Everyone Website Gaslight Strategies Are Not Top of Mind How to Balance Test Prep and Real World Use Target Language Usage vs. L1 Talk About Metacognition Gatekeep - Sarafianou, Anna & Gavriilidou, Zoe. (2015). The effect of strategy-based instruction on strategy use by upper-secondary Greek students of EFL. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching. 12. 21-34. Types of Strategies Teaching Strategies → Knowing Strategies! But What Do the Strategies…Do? Girlboss Teaching the Use of Logical Connectors (and Complete Sentences) Breaking Words Down Use Up Those Commercial Breaks! References Social Accounts: Facebook Bluesky Instagram CI Reboot - fully online conference for CCLT - use affiliate code SLAYY2026 AnneMarie Chase - 20 Questions Bryce Hedstrom - Reading Bookmark

Gaslight Lack of Communicative Purpose Bad Input! Bad! Need for Scaffolding We Teach Much More Than Language Gatekeep - Sadri, E. & Tahririan, M.H.. (2018). Teacher-assisted vs. peer-assisted performances and L2 development: A mixed methods approach. Journal of Research in Applied Linguistics. 9. 3-27. When Do Students Get the Most Gains from Peer Assistance? Feedback Amount and Quality What This Feedback Accomplished Girlboss Bill’s Framework That Slays The Question of Proportion Interactive Tasks That Are Secretly Input Real Tasks, Really Supported References Social Accounts: Facebook Bluesky Instagram Timothy Chávez on Instagram and His Website! Examples of Tasks shared by Timothy Arcoíris from The Comprehensible Classroom Huellas from Somewhere to Share AnneMarie Chase - AP Strategies

SLAyyy: Second Language Acquisition for Everyone Website Overview of Can Do Statements Proficiency, Performance, Can Do! What is Intercultural Communication? Function, Context, Text Type Changes from 2017 Cultural Self-Knowledge Minor Semantic Changes Girlboss Use Them For Planning! References Social Accounts: Facebook Bluesky Instagram Avant ADVANCE - Proficiency Level Training Language Functions List from The Keys to Planning for Learning Facilitated Interdependent Language Learning (FILL) - blog by Michele Anciaux Aoki

SLAyyy: Second Language Acquisition for Everyone Website Gaslight What is school supposed to look like? Misalignment of Objectives Holistic Thinking vs. Right/Wrong Answers Gatekeep - Kürüm, E. Y. (2025). Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Comprehension-Based Language Teaching: A Large-Scale Pretest-Posttest Study. RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi, (47), 140-155. Want to learn about CEFR and ACTFL comparisons? Click here! ACTFL’s Inverted Pyramid Girlboss Get Connected! iFLT/TPRS/CI Teaching Facebook Group ACTFL Special Interest Groups See below for conferences mentioned! References Social Accounts: Facebook Bluesky Instagram Mitten CI, April 17-18, Saline, Michigan (outside Detroit), Comprehensible Iowa, June 12-13th, Des Moines, Iowa The CI Summit, July 15-17, Cincinnati, Ohio The Agen Workshop, Agen, France, July 20-25 CI Reboot, all online, June 20-27

SLAyyy: Second Language Acquisition for Everyone Website Gaslight Talking Yourself Out of Them Brain Breaks vs. Games Focus vs. Energize Perception of Brain Breaks Gatekeep Sharpe, B. T., Trotter, M. G., & Hale, B. J. (2025). Sustaining student concentration: The effectiveness of micro-breaks in a classroom setting. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1589411. Do students perform better on quizzes and tests if they get regularly microbreaks during class time? Girlboss Meditation and Box Breaths Games with Patterns Simpler! References Social Accounts: Facebook Bluesky Instagram Headspace - meditation app, free for educators! Calm - Breathe Bubble (for quick mindfulness in class) Say the Word to the Beat Examples - Spanish, German Heads Up, 7 Up - Spanish, German Category Clapping from Claudia Elliott

SLAyyy: Second Language Acquisition for Everyone Website Gaslight Overreliance on Translation The Need for TL Usage No Translation Ever! …Or? Gatekeep Does Translation Contribute to SLA? How Do Students Perceive Translation in SLA? Choral Translation Girlboss Use Judiciously! Keep Proficiency Level in Mind References Social Accounts: Facebook Bluesky Instagram Bryce Hedstrom - Stuff for Spanish Class Keith Toda - Stultus (Liar!) Game (Ben’s note: it turns out “stultus” means something more like “stupid”! I use the word for “Lie!”)

Artists: Ben Fisher-Rodriguez, Bill Langley Main Points SLAyyy: Second Language Acquisition for Everyone Website Gaslight Where’s the consistency? How to Deal with Reluctant or Resistant Students Hesitate! Slow Down! Gatekeep Principles of TPR: Not Just Commands Connecting Language to the Body Lowering Anxiety Girlboss TPR, or Gestures? Model - Hesitate - Stop Left-Brain “School” Processing Activities TPR for Upper Levels References Social Accounts: Facebook Bluesky Instagram Jon Cowart’s Website Berty Segal Cook - Teaching English Through Action James Asher - Learning Another Language Through Actions Contee Seely - TPR is More Than Commands