Language Learning for All Seasons

As the glories of summer fade, we welcome the start of the school year and the opportunities for focus, organization, and new beginnings that accompany fall. In this issue of the Breaking the Barrier Quarterly, we've put together a tidy package designed to help you rise, in more orderly fashion, to the challenges of the season.

• Get to know John Conner. Although many of you are already acquainted with John, journalist Matt Villano offers up an intriguing portrait.
• Organize your teaching with a state-of-the-art syllabus. John Conner offers another of his 10 Steps for Making Your Students Fluent.
• Making Polite Requests is lots more feasible when you are well-organized. Consider this selection from Think Spanish magazine, if you please.
• Take a look at our testing program, now available on an editable disc. We guarantee your assessment will be positive and to the point!
• Take control of the bounty residing in your vegetable garden or at the local farmers market. Cindy "Conchita" Beams' recipe for Ratatouille pays tribute both to the Mediterranean kitchen and to one of this summer's best movies.
• We got organized in response to your requests for more practice exercises. We will post them online shortly. Expect an e-mail once they're available.


John Conner and Cindy Beams

 

Meet John Conner
Join the Conversation with Writer/Editor Matt Villano

"The only way to learn a language is to get out there and speak...but many people have a psychological barrier to speaking a new language. These students need our help. Realizing you can do something new...and being willing to step out of your comfort zone to try it...that's often my biggest hurdle as a teacher. I'm always looking for ways to set my students up for success...I evaluate my performance as a teacher by asking this question: Have I gotten my students interested in Spanish? Do they want to learn more Spanish now or later in life? Have I gotten them speaking? If the answer is yes, then I know I've done my job." Writer/editor Matt Villano sits down with John Conner. Part One of the interview appears in this issue. Watch for Part Two in our Winter Issue.

Interview: Part One

Learn About Matt Villano

Organization Matters: The Gift of a Good Syllabus
TEN STEPS to Making Your Students Fluent: John Conner shares STEP TWO

A good syllabus improves the lives of teachers and students alike. John Conner offers some upbeat, user-friendly tips in Step Two: Organization! from his acclaimed workshop for teachers, The Ideal Lesson Plan: Ten Steps to Making Your Students Fluent.

Organization!

Organization! - Executive Summary

Speaking of Grammar
John Conner Tackles his Favorite Subject

Each month I write a column for Think Spanish magazine. This wonderful publication has articles of great cultural significance to students studying Spanish. Each month, Think Spanish also features an absolutely stunning cover page, beautifully photographed in color, highlighting a place of interest in the Hispanic world.

Learning a language is easier and more fun when student and teacher respect one another. In the same way I try to show respect for my students by giving them a good syllabus, I also stress the importance of good manners as an expression of respect for the customs of another culture. When in doubt, remember that politeness never hurt anyone. So why not start with learning how to make polite requests?

Making Polite Requests

Think Spanish

Test Them Out!
Our Testing Program is Now Available on Editable CD

Get organized and personalize your Breaking the Barrier Testing Program. In response to your requests for added flexibility, our testing materials are now available in Microsoft Word format on editable CDs.

Order Testing Materials

Conchita's Kitchen
There's a Place at Every Table for Breaking the Barrier

If you're a Francophile, a food lover, a fan of animation or a movie goer, I imagine you've already seen one of this summer's more enchanting productions, Ratatouille. If not, make sure to catch it before it leaves the theaters or when it's available on disc! I've created this recipe in honor of two seasonal favorites: the bumper crop of Mediterranean vegetables awaiting harvest in my own garden and the lovable, heroic Remy who joins the culinary rat race of a four-star Parisian kitchen. Bon appetit!

Ratatouille: The Recipe

Ratatouille: The Movie

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