World Language Teaching Tools, Gadgets, and Gizmos!
Let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a good teaching gadget or gizmo to help make our lives as French, Spanish, and Italian teachers a bit easier?! I truly believe that teaching languages is one of the most cognitively taxing jobs out there, so if there are any tools we can take advantage of to simplify or streamline our job, I’m all for it!
In this blog post, I’ll share SEVEN tools that I could NOT live without as a World Language teacher! Some of them will be tech tools, and others will be simple, everyday items that help make my job a bit easier! Whenever possible, I’ll share links directing you to where you can purchase these items for your own classroom!
Teaching Tool #1: Classroom microphone
As language teachers, we spend a lot of time talking: whether it be delivering high-quality comprehensible input, teaching grammar concepts, explaining directions, or chatting with students to build rapport… we talk a LOT. As a result, it’s easy for our voices to tire, especially considering that we have to project so that all students can hear us.
During the pandemic, I picked up a classroom microphone because it was difficult for me to project my voice while wearing a mask, and I found myself getting sore throats and losing my voice on a consistent basis. To this day, I still use my trusty wireless headset that connects to my classroom speakers. Students hear me more clearly, I don’t have to strain my voice, and I can walk around the room and circulate (hands free!) without needing to carry a clunky microphone with me or have a bulky audio system clipped onto my shirt.
The transmitter plugs directly into my computer. The headset itself can be charged via USB. I’ve been using mine for about 3 years, and it’s still going strong!
Teaching Tool #2: Prize Jar
Middle and high school students are obsessed with prizes. I use part of my teaching budget to acquire French-themed stickers, pens, pencils, pins, temporary tattoos, and other goodies that students can choose from upon winning a game or competition. I make sure to restock the prize jar periodically throughout the year.
Prizes tend to increase motivation, and so I see this as a small investment with huge returns! If you type “cheap classroom prizes” into Amazon, a whole bunch of incentives will pop up for you. But whenever possible, use your budget and let the school pay!
Teaching Tool #3: Lofi music
I believe I’ve stated this before on the blog, but I’m a HUGE introvert. And given that a lot of the activities we do in World Language classes tend to be high-energy and super interactive, I oftentimes leave at the end of the day feeling completely drained and mentally exhausted.
To help counter this, I intentionally build in pockets of time during each class period where students work quietly (either independently, in pairs, or in small groups) to honor the energetic needs of the introverted students (and moi!) in my class.
The fact is, schools are places built for extroverts. And it seems in recent years, the overstimulation of middle and high school classrooms has only gotten worse. While students are working quietly, I like to play some lofi music, which I believe confers the following benefits:
Increases student focus and concentration.
Helps students unwind and relax.
Creates a calming environment conducive to productivity.
Here’s the playlist I use! I bookmark this video to my web browser, which allows me to access the video with a simple click of my mouse.
Teaching Tool #4: Wireless Keyboard & Mouse
This was an absolute game-changer for me. Using my old wired keyboard and mouse, I was forced to remain stationary during my teaching. When I invested in a Logitech Wireless Mouse & Keyboard, I became much more mobile during my lessons.
Sometimes I will bring my keyboard and mouse to the front podium in my classroom, which allows me to control what gets projected on the whiteboard without having to go back to my desk. At other times, I bring the keyboard to the back of my classroom, which allows me to better monitor what students are up to on their Chromebooks.
Teaching Tool #5: Lost & Found Crate
I don’t know how teachers manage to keep their classrooms clean and organized without a Lost & Found space in their classroom. My middle school students are super forgetful: they leave their binders, pencil cases, Chromebooks, water bottles, and other personal belongings behind on a DAILY basis.
My Lost & Found crate is located in the back corner of my classroom. As part of my introductory procedures in September, I tell students that they should place any materials that they find in their desks—that have been left behind by a student in another class—in the Lost & Found crate. Conversely, if students have misplaced an item, they know to check the Lost & Found before asking me if I’ve seen it.
Teaching Tool #6: Wireless Pointer
I used to have to walk back to my desk a thousand times per class to move from slide to slide in my Google Slides presentations, until I invested in this Wireless Presenter with Red Laser Pointer. Now, I bring the pointer with me wherever I may be in the room—I do like to circulate a LOT while I am teaching—and I am able to transition from slide to slide without having to take the walk of shame back to my computer.
I also give the wireless presenter to my students when they are doing oral presentations so that they can transition from slide to slide without my assistance, which allows me to focus on filling out rubrics and leaving feedback during their presentations instead of being their personal assistant!
Teaching Tool #7: Essential Oils Diffuser & Glade Plug-In
I am in my classroom all day, and so I like for it to be a calming, tranquil space that is impervious to unpleasant odors that teenagers often bring with them to our classroom spaces.
I alternate between my essential oils diffuser and glade plug-ins to keep my classroom smelling fresh. In terms of essential oils, peppermint and orange are my go-to scents, but do be sure your students do not have any sensitivities to the scents you select. I also think it helps establish a peaceful and welcoming space that students actually look forward to entering.
And I’m sure that there’s some research out there about the cognitive benefits of essential oils!
I hope that you are able to walk away with some ideas for making your classroom environment a bit more comfortable or organized… and that you’re able to give some thought to some of the gadgets and gizmos that have really been game-changers for me in terms of streamlining and simplifying my teaching.
I’d encourage you to think about your teaching pain points…what are the things that bring you stress in your daily teaching life? (Minor nuisances like having to walk back to your computer to transition to the next slide of your presentation are TOTALLY valid…and I find that these micro-stressors are the worst offenders of all, because they tend to stack up and accumulate multiplicatively, which only serves to irritate me even more!)
What types of tools could help minimize those stresses? For example, if you absolutely hate having to supply your students with writing implements when they inevitably come to your room without a pen or pencil, is there a tool or system that you could put in place to help solve this problem? Sometimes it requires thinking outside the box a little, but when you minimize the number of stresses in your day-to-day, you end up being a happier, less-stressed-out teacher!
Because I’m super curious…what are the teaching tools, devices, gadgets, and gizmos that YOU use to make your job a bit easier? I’d love it if you could tell me about them in the comments below!
Happy teaching,
~ Michael
