Praxis World Languages Pedagogy cheat sheet

Krashen's five hypotheses: acquisition-learning distinction, natural order, monitor, input (i+1), and affective filter; the monitor model holds that conscious rules only edit output when time, focus on form, and rule knowledge are present.

Comprehensible input (i+1) means input slightly beyond current competence; Swain's output hypothesis adds that producing language pushes learners to notice gaps and test hypotheses.

Long's interaction hypothesis: negotiation of meaning during interaction (clarification requests, confirmation checks, comprehension checks) makes input more comprehensible and drives acquisition.

Vygotsky's zone of proximal development and scaffolding: tasks are achievable with expert or peer assistance; the ZPD shrinks as the learner internalizes the skill.

Cummins distinguishes BICS (context-embedded, cognitively undemanding, 1-3 years) from CALP (context-reduced, cognitively demanding, 5-7 years); academic language demands CALP.

Piaget's stages place formal operational thought at about age 11+, which supports abstract grammar analysis in later grades; younger learners rely more on concrete, contextualized input.

Behaviorist (stimulus-response, habit formation) versus innatist (universal grammar) versus interactionist (environment plus innate capacity) accounts differ on error: behaviorists treat error as habit interference, interactionists as evidence of rule construction.

Affective variables (anxiety, motivation, self-confidence) affect the filter; low anxiety and high motivation permit more input to reach the acquisition device.

Communicative competence (Canale and Swain): grammatical, sociolinguistic, discourse, and strategic competence; strategic competence is the ability to compensate when language fails.

ACTFL World-Readiness Standards use the 5 Cs: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, Communities; Communication is divided into interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational modes.

ACTFL proficiency levels in order: Novice (Low/Mid/High), Intermediate (Low/Mid/High), Advanced (Low/Mid/High), Superior, Distinguished; sublevels are defined by the quantity and quality of text the learner can handle.

Backward design (Wiggins and McTighe): identify desired results, determine acceptable evidence, then plan learning experiences and instruction.

A thematic unit organized around a real-world task (e.g., planning a trip) integrates the three modes and culture rather than isolating grammar points.

ACTFL's 90% target-language recommendation applies to instructional time in the target language, with negotiation of meaning rather than translation as the primary support.

Curriculum articulation: vertical alignment sequences courses across levels; horizontal alignment coordinates courses at the same level so all students meet comparable outcomes.

The ACTFL Core Practices include facilitating target-language comprehensibility, designing tasks with real-world application, using authentic texts and resources, and providing effective feedback.

Learning objectives should be measurable and mode-specific (e.g., 'students will interpret main ideas in a short news clip'), not vague verbs like 'know' or 'understand'.

AP World Language courses and exams use a thematic curriculum (six themes such as Global Challenges, Beauty and Aesthetics) and assess interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational tasks.

Interpretive communication is one-way receptive communication of authentic text (print, audio, visual) with no negotiation with the author; it is not translation.

Authentic text selection criteria: age-appropriate, culturally authentic, level-appropriate in length and lexical density, and tied to the unit's essential question.

Pre-reading/listening tasks (predicting from title or image, activating schema, key vocabulary) set purpose; during tasks should require global comprehension before detail.

Scaffolding progression: global/gist tasks first, then specific detail, then inference and evaluation; inference and author's perspective are the highest interpretive demands.

Interpretive tasks should use the target language for questions and responses; English is reserved for metacognitive reflection or when the text itself is too dense for the level.

Listening supports include repeated exposure, slower authentic speech with natural redundancy, and transcripts used after, not during, the interpretive task.

Reading strategies to teach: skimming for gist, scanning for detail, guessing meaning from context, recognizing cognates and text structure, and identifying discourse markers.

Interpretive assessment items should be text-dependent and not answerable from prior knowledge alone; avoid items that reward vocabulary decoding over comprehension.

Visual literacy and media interpretation (infographics, film, advertisements) count as interpretive texts and require analysis of purpose, audience, and cultural perspective.

Interpersonal communication is two-way, spontaneous negotiation of meaning between people, typically spoken but also in writing (texting, email exchanges, discussion boards).

Information-gap, jigsaw, and role-play tasks create genuine need to exchange meaning; tasks with a single right answer known to both speakers produce little negotiation.

Interactional moves to teach: clarification requests, comprehension checks, confirmation checks, paraphrasing, circumlocution, and repair strategies.

Pair and small-group work increases individual speaking time; grouping should mix proficiency so stronger students model and negotiate, with structured roles to ensure participation.

Teacher talk should be comprehensible and target-language rich; recasts and clarification requests are implicit feedback moves within interaction.

Interpersonal tasks should have an outcome (make a decision, solve a problem, reach agreement), not just a topic to discuss.

Formative assessment of interpersonal speaking can use rubrics focused on comprehensibility, task completion, and interaction strategies rather than grammatical accuracy alone.

Teaching circumlocution explicitly (describing, giving examples, using synonyms, gestures) keeps interaction going when a word is unknown.

The interpersonal mode is assessed with two or more participants; a monologue or prepared speech is presentational, not interpersonal.

Presentational communication is one-way production for an audience with no immediate feedback; it includes speaking (speeches, skits, podcasts) and writing (essays, blogs, brochures).

The writing process (brainstorm, draft, revise, edit, publish) and the speaking process (plan, rehearse, deliver) should both be taught explicitly.

Presentational tasks require attention to audience, purpose, and register; register shifts by audience (formal letter vs. text message) are a teaching target.

Rubrics for presentational tasks typically address task completion, organization, vocabulary, language control, and cultural appropriateness.

Scaffolds include models of the genre, sentence frames, graphic organizers, and peer review checklists; scaffolds should be withdrawn as proficiency grows.

Presentational tasks should be connected to the interpretive input of the unit: students first interpret models, then produce their own version.

Authentic presentational genres (public service announcement, travel brochure, digital story) give purpose beyond the classroom and integrate technology.

Feedback on presentational work should be selective and criterion-referenced; correcting every error reduces fluency and motivation.

The cultural triangle links products (artifacts, foods, laws), practices (rituals, customs, patterns of behavior), and perspectives (values, beliefs, attitudes); products and practices are observable, perspectives are inferred.

Culture should be taught as a lens for comparison, not as isolated facts; the Comparisons standard asks students to compare the target culture with their own.

The '3 Ps' should be integrated into every unit, not reserved for a separate culture day; cultural content belongs inside communicative tasks.

Avoid essentialism and stereotyping: present within-culture variation (regional, generational, socioeconomic) and treat culture as dynamic.

Authentic cultural artifacts and voices (native speakers, media, literature) are preferred over textbook simplifications.

Intercultural competence (Byram) includes attitudes, knowledge, skills of interpreting and relating, skills of discovery and interaction, and critical cultural awareness.

Cultural products and practices are assessed through interpretation and comparison tasks; a common task is explaining what a practice reveals about a perspective, with evidence.

Formative assessment is ongoing and used to adjust instruction; summative assessment measures achievement at the end of a unit or course.

Proficiency assessment is performance-based: it asks what the learner can do with language in a real-world context, not what they know about language.

Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) has three parts: interpretive task, interpersonal task, and presentational task, all linked by a common theme and essential question.

Rubrics should be analytic (separate criteria) or holistic (single overall score), shared with students in advance, and aligned to proficiency descriptors.

ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines describe what learners can do at each level; the ACTFL Can-Do Statements translate levels into learner-facing descriptors.

Feedback should be timely, specific, and focused on a limited number of criteria; error correction should target errors that impede communication or the current focus.

Recasts, prompts, and elicitation are corrective feedback moves; recasts are implicit, prompts and metalinguistic explanation are more explicit.

Self-assessment and peer assessment build learner autonomy; portfolios document growth over time and support proficiency claims.

Assessment tasks should mirror instructional tasks (alignment); a test that only uses multiple-choice grammar items cannot measure interpersonal speaking.

Professional organizations include ACTFL and its state and regional affiliates; the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines and World-Readiness Standards are the field's reference documents.

Teacher evaluation and professional growth use observation, reflection, and collaboration (professional learning communities, lesson study).

Advocacy arguments for world language programs include cognitive benefits, career and economic competitiveness, global citizenship, and national security.

Advocacy actions include communicating with administrators and school boards, showcasing student work to families, and connecting with community partners.

A safe, inclusive language classroom lowers the affective filter: students should be encouraged to take risks without fear of ridicule.

Equity in world language education includes recruiting and retaining diverse learners, offering heritage and native-speaker pathways, and addressing access gaps.

Legal and ethical responsibilities: student privacy (FERPA), mandated reporting, and appropriate use of technology and social media with students.

The learning environment should be print- and culture-rich in the target language (word walls, authentic artifacts, labels) and arranged to support interaction.

Reflective practice and ongoing professional development (conferences, coursework, study abroad) maintain currency in methods and cultural knowledge.