Toc Toc : A French Twist on an Engaging Classroom Game! Community BuildingLesson Planning

Toc Toc : A French Twist on an Engaging Classroom Game!

While browsing through Instagram recently, I stumbled upon an intriguing activity known as "Boom, Clap, Snatch." Though I regret not being able to credit the…

Donna Tatum-JohnsOctober 24, 2023

Teacher Trivia : Building Classroom Community with a Twist! Community BuildingLesson Planning

Teacher Trivia : Building Classroom Community with a Twist!

Navigating the start of the school year can feel a tad nerve-wracking, whether you're a first-time kindergartener or a seasoned high school senior. But what…

Donna Tatum-JohnsSeptember 4, 2023

Seven Community Building

Seven

At the start of the 2021-2022 school year, I did a community-building experiment that rocked my world and had a huge impact on my teaching.…

Donna Tatum-JohnsOctober 25, 2022

The Secret Number Classroom Management

The Secret Number

In an acquisition-driven classroom, everything we teach should be purposeful. But when teaching something like numbers, it can feel daunting & unnatural. That is where…

Donna Tatum-JohnsSeptember 27, 2022

Name Game & Pass the Chicken Community Building

Name Game & Pass the Chicken

Can we agree that knowing each other's names, correct pronunciation and all, is crucial in building a strong sense of community within any group?  Can…

Donna Tatum-JohnsSeptember 12, 2022

Part I – “Social” Scaries Meets an Experiment Classroom Management

Part I – “Social” Scaries Meets an Experiment

My dad, whose life was sadly cut short because of COVID in January of 2021, raised me with an appreciation for hard work, a job…

Donna Tatum-JohnsJuly 6, 2022

Part II: The Challenge Classroom Management

Part II: The Challenge

I had nothing to lose because everything was so blah. I have known Michele Whaley for years but had never had the good fortune to…

Donna Tatum-JohnsJuly 6, 2022

Part III: Magical Moments Classroom Management

Part III: Magical Moments

With the first six weeks under my belt, I took stock of where each class stood regarding community. The vibe was good… no, the vibe…

Donna Tatum-JohnsJuly 6, 2022

Remote Teaching

Creating Content During Remote Teaching

Two weeks after the start of remote teaching, my school’s scheduled spring break began. And it couldn’t have come at a better time. I was…

Donna Tatum-JohnsApril 22, 2020

Remote Teaching

Surviving Remote Teaching during COVID-19

One teacher’s tips for making the most of a tough situation I will be the first to say that the last two weeks have been…

Donna Tatum-JohnsMarch 31, 2020

Classroom Management

Only a Matter of Time: Using a timer to encourage students to stay in the target language

Within the first two days of the 2019-2020 school year, I knew that I was going to have a hard time getting the students in…

Donna Tatum-JohnsMarch 11, 2020

Classroom Management

Open Sesame – Using passwords to connect with students in the target language

When I first heard about classroom passwords from Bryce Hedstrom, I was skeptical but intrigued. How could requiring my students to tell me the ‘secret…

Donna Tatum-JohnsMarch 11, 2020

Lesson Planning

How do I know what to teach?

As I prepared to teach the language lab at iFLT 2019, I was faced with the question that many teachers have asked me over the…

Donna Tatum-JohnsMarch 11, 2020

WHAT IF? – part III Haiti

WHAT IF? – part III

PART III At our first CI workshop for Haitian English teachers, we did an 8 to 9 hour ELL demo over the course of three…

Donna Tatum-JohnsJuly 2, 2018

WHAT IF? – part II Haiti

WHAT IF? – part II

When we set foot in our first Haitian school, we were shocked and dismayed.  We saw dirt floors and a broken chalkboard leaning against the…

Donna Tatum-JohnsJuly 2, 2018

WHAT IF? – part I Haiti

WHAT IF? – part I

Our journey to bringing TCI/TPRS to Haiti What if you walked into school tomorrow to find that everything had drastically changed? Your whiteboard and SmartBoard…

Donna Tatum-JohnsJuly 2, 2018