Reflecting on Guiding Principles

OER, like technology, doesn’t replace your pedagogy. Rather, OER is impacted by your pedagogy. This is why starting with guiding principles is essential. Take a few minutes to read the table below and click on each principle to explore it in-depth on the ACTFL website:

You might notice that core practices are committed to:

1. Using the target language 
2. Helping learners interpret language and culture through authentic resources 
3. Interpersonal communication; student-to-student communication and interaction (designing activities for formative practice and evaluating student learning through interpersonal summative assessments)
4. Planning with a backward design model (using the following tools)
   1. The Five “C’s”: Communication, Culture, Comparisons, Connections, Communities
   2. Can Do Statements
   3. Performance Descriptors
   4. Balanced approach to the facilitating 3 modes of communication (Interpretive, Interpersonal & Presentational Communication)
5. Teaching grammar in context, not a starting point; it’s integrating within the context and taught from a usage based / functional perspective (contrary to a prescriptive perspective)