Ohio Foreign Language Association

OFLA’s first regional professional development workshop welcomed a small, but collegial group. During Paper Plates, Puppets, & Pizzazz: Brain-Friendly Activities for the Beginning Language Learner, participants discovered that the brain is social and that laughter is required as they collaborated in quads (groups of four).

A brain-compatible strategy can be as simple as using a class mascot to lower the affective filter and spark creativity. Pull out a whistle and military hat for The Alphabet Song (Barbara MacArthur style) or a Burger King crown when teaching a history lesson about royalty. Introducing clothing vocabulary ? Use baby clothes purchased from a thrift store. These suggestions create novelty and gets the brain’s attention.

Kathy Lewton, the presenter, recommends Super Teaching: Over 1000 Practical Strategies (Eric Jensen) or Becoming a “Wiz” at Brain-Based Teaching (Marilee Sprenger) for those interested in starting on a brain-friendly journey.

The workshop also provided a networking experience for a young teacher in the group – and an actual job lead !

OFLA's member Teri Wiechart offered her workshop TPRS and Comprehensible Input Teacher Training twice over the summer. This two day workshop was offered in Hudson in June and in Dayton in August. The workshop was geared for learning the basic steps of tprs for beginners, expansion on that training for intermediates, and opportunities for those with advanced skills to further perfect them. Marilyn Barrueta, who was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame in 2005, led a two day workshop in July. Demonstrations, teaching techniques and audio-visual materials were presented and p articipants worked together to discuss ways to effectively utilize the information in their classes.