I have listed the following blogs, books, Facebook groups, and paid professional learning communities that I feel would be the best places for a TCI beginner to start.
Books
“Fluency Through TPR Storytelling” by Blaine Ray and Contee Seely
I strongly recommend “Fluency Through TPR Storytelling” by Blaine Ray and Contee Seely (see my Amazon affiliate link on the right hand side of this page) if you are looking to get started with TPRS (Teaching Proficiency Through Reading and Storytelling) specifically. Remember that TPRS is just one show under the big tent of CI (Comprehensible Input). There are many CI teachers who do little or no TPRS, whereas all TPRS teachers are teaching with CI methods. This book was my daily go-to resource while I was finding my feet with TCI those first couple of years. It’s nicknamed the “Green Bible” for a reason.
Blaine is a patient teacher and a truly genuine person who has earned a coveted spot on my “Mt. Rushmore of TCI”. Although there were several other personalities who were teaching his workshop much closer to where I lived, I flew from Columbus, Ohio to Dallas to attend Blaine Ray’s three-day TPRS workshop on my own dime so that I could learn from the best. While I never made TPRS the centerpiece of my curriculum that some teachers have, the skills and pacing that I learned from him endure in my practice today.
Blogs
The Comprehensible Classroom by Martina Bex
Martina Bex is a household name in the CI community because of her generosity and talent for creating high-quality, turn-key resources that you can feel confident using. If I could only follow one CI blogger, Martina would be the one. The sheer volume of top-notch content she creates while also coaching, blogging, and presenting is astounding. Martina’s CI-friendly Somos curriculum is quickly replacing textbooks across the country. I am so excited that our district is piloting “Somos” for Spanish 1 and 2 this year! Her bi-weekly new student reader, El Mundo en tus Manos (currently $45 for the 2017-2018 school year) that she sells on Teachers Pay Teachers plays a prominent role in my novice and lower-intermediate classes.
Bryce’s motto is, “We all get better when we work together”. He and Grant Boulanger (see below) are masters of creating a sense of community and belonging in the classroom. In my opinion, his greatest contribution to our practice has been the work he has done with the Special Person Interview. Bryce is a well-rounded content creator, blogger, and presenter with a wide range of professional experience. In addition to many years spent teaching high school and community college, he has also done interpreting and translating for the corporate world.
Grant is the kind of language teacher who I wish I had in high school. He just has a certain gravitas about him and really knows how to work a classroom and interact with his students and workshop attendees. Every classroom needs a copy of Grant’s rejoinder posters (available in Spanish, French, German, and Mandarin). I would probably forget to interject these from time to time without his posters. Hailing from St. Paul, Minnesota, Grant is also an accomplished potter, dontcha know?
TPRS Questions and Answers by Chris Stolz
Chris’s blog was my first exposure to this community and what eventually led me down the CI rabbit-hole. I couldn’t believe the results that his students were getting with their free writes. His level-one Spanish classes were writing 800+ word original stories in 45 minutes with impressive accuracy by the end of the year. As Chris puts it, “You can criticize my method, but you can’t argue with my results.” His blog posts are well-articulated and he publishes somewhat regularly. He mostly focuses on storyasking and Movie Talk. Chris is well-versed in second language acquisition and research and has some of the most thoughtful counterargumentz (that’s an inside joke, not a typo) that I have encountered anywhere in the teaching profession.
My Generation of Polyglots by Mike Peto
Mike did some very foundational work with El Internado: La Laguna Negra that helped a lot of teachers to start using it in their classrooms. I enjoy the perspective of educators who teach in a starkly different environment than me (Mike teaches in a Title 1 school in California). His new book, “Practical Advice for Teachers of Heritage Learners” is on my short list of books to read for self-directed PD.
Facebook Groups
With more than 7,000 members and counting, this community has something for everyone. Many freely share resources that they have created. Need an idea for a song to use in class tomorrow? It’s not uncommon to have responses within minutes. This group is moderated by Karen Rowan, Darcy Pippins, Jason Fritze, Grant Boulanger, Mike Coxon, and Nathalia Sanchez Luckert.
This group is a little over half the size of iFLT/NTPRS/CI, but it is growing rapidly. This very active group focuses on teaching with non-targeted comprehensible input. CI Liftoff is moderated by Ben Slavic and Tina Hargaden.
CI Fight Club describes itself as “a place for uncensored discussion of CI, trash talk, and self-mockery”. I don’t post here often, but I enjoy following the (sometimes) heated, but civil debates about methodology under the CI umbrella. While it’s lighter in nature than the other two on this list, you will find yourself asking why you believe what you believe about second language acquisition with this one. CI Fight Club is moderated by Tina Hargaden and Chris Stolz.
Paid Professional Learning Communities
Ben Slavic’s Professional Learning Community
Cost: $4.99/month
Ben created this group to have a private TPRS forum where teachers could avoid being attacked publicly by their colleagues. The group has transitioned from promoting classical three-step TPRS to fully untargeted CI. If you are struggling with something in the classroom, you will find help and inspiration here. I don’t share his philosophy of going 100% untargeted, but the man is good with words and brings tremendous experience (more than 35 years) in a variety of teaching settings. While I’m no longer a member, it was some of the best money I spent on myself for professional development early on in my journey.
Acquisition Classroom by Eric Herman
Cost: $5.00/month or $50.00/year
Eric publishes a bi-weekly language acquisition memo and moderates a forum for paid members. Eric is well-versed in the latest research and has a knack for combining just the right amount of SLA theory with practical classroom application with actual students.
