MSI Press Blog

  We recently learned about a great review of Tom Garza's wonderful and unique book on how to get language learners to super-high levels of proficiency, Practices That Work .  Written by Olena Chernishenko of American University for Russian Language Journal , some of evaluations include: " Practices That Work is an excellent resource for both new and experienced foreign-language instructors, as well as for foreign-language learners. The volume is a compilation of short, thematically organized articles written by numerous experts in the field of foreign-language teaching who share invaluable insights about bringing learners to high-level professional proficiency in world languages. While Practices That Work offers a plethora of effective techniques for instructors, it also provides deep understanding of the learning process, which will benefit the development of learners' development of self-awareness and autonomy." "...every article in the volume gives excellent

  Today's fortune cookie is associated with Practices That Work (Garza)  Read more about Dr. Garza and his book HERE . Get a copy at  MSI Press webstore . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book  in exchange for  reviewing  a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com. Want an  author-signed copy  of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com.  Want to communicate with one of our authors? You can! Find their contact information on our  Authors' Pages .    

  Available right now on preorder from Amazon : Book description: The many and varied demands of the digital age require cadres of professionals capable of collaborating effectively and engaging globally in the world's languages and cultures. This volume represents a collection of classroom- and field-tested practices used to prepare global professions to the highest standards of proficiency in their languages in order to meet these global challenges. Culled from faculty of government, private, and state educational programs, these "practices that work" offer the language practitioner a selection of "recipes" for helping language learners attain near-native professional proficiency. The techniques and practices offered in these pages can be incorporated and used in virtually any curriculum or learning environment and are highly learner centered. The path to native-like proficiency in world languages can be demanding, but this volume can help make it more product

  Just released: the hard cover edition of   Practices That Work by Thomas Garza.   See more information about this book HERE .                                         Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter                           Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

  A great source of examples of successful teaching practices at the highest levels of proficiency from more than a dozen experienced teachers lies between the covers Tom Garza's wonderful and unique book on how to get language learners to super-high levels of proficiency,  Practices That Work .  No more needs to be said about the book than a review written by Olena Chernishenko of American University for  Russian Language Journal , some of evaluations include: " Practices That Work  is an excellent resource for both new and experienced foreign-language instructors, as well as for foreign-language learners. The volume is a compilation of short, thematically organized articles written by numerous experts in the field of foreign-language teaching who share invaluable insights about bringing learners to high-level professional proficiency in world languages. While  Practices That Work  offers a plethora of effective techniques for instructors, it also provides deep understanding

      Just out! Volume 8 of the Journal for Distinguished Language Studies . Take a look at the Table of Contents. See something you like? Explore more! The JDLS is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, other online sellers, the MSI Press webstore -- and, in some (we hope, many) cases your local academic library. (If you want it at your local public library -- just ask the librarian to order it, or better, subscribe to it.) Table of Contents   EDITORS’ NOTE       1   FRIEND OF DISTINGUISHED LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY AWARD              3   PERSONAL EXPERIENCE      7   How I Attained “Near-Native” Proficiency in Chinese (Cornelius C. Kubler)     9   FEATURE ARTICLES          21   Beyond the Language: Debating as High-Intensity Cultural Engagement &  Leadership (Emilie Cleret)          23   Helping Learners Achieve the Distinguished Level of Proficiency  (James E. Bernhardt)        37   Roadmaps to Distinguished Speaking Proficiency (Jack Franke)       53   On the Cusp: Zone of Proxim

  This week's blog post is the next in the series of book back stories and is the story behind  Practices That Work , edited by Dr. Thomas  Jesús  Garza. From the publisher -  This is one story whose back story I know very well. I created it!  For years, a What Works in developing high levels of foreign language proficiency was wildly popular, especially at government language institutes where outcomes are intently monitored. It was a simple book with a powerful message, a small book with a big impact, short recipes by famous "language chefs" who had, as a team, led the now-closed Coalition of Distinguished Language Centers. It was known by many as  " the little yellow book." Over time, it became dated. Over time the publishing rights migrated to MSI Press LLC (long story for another time). Over time, the original authors ("language chefs") retired (and, in some cases, alas, died).  What to do with the book rights became a question, especially with the

  (photo from last year, in anticipation of changing that number this evening from 41 to 42) November 13 today is CB Leaver's birthday. CB is the MSI Press author of the popular Mommy Poisoned Our House Guest and one of the oldest CHARGE Syndrome adults in the world. He knows only three others world-wide (Ohio, Massachusetts, and Netherlands) who have reached his age of 42 years (one is actually 45, the others are 42, as well) but thinks there may be another one or two somewhere. It is no mere feat, then, that he has survived, and robustly so, after a very tenuous start in life in which he as given 0% chance of survival by well respected doctors at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and rescued by doctors at Children's Hospital in Boston, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Children's National Medical Center, Georgetown University Hospital, and Stanford Children's Medical Center -- it took a countrywide network to turn that 0% into 100%) and no mere feat also that

Excerpt from Practices That Work by Thomas Jesus Garza.  Be Sensitive to Learning Styles   Betty Lou Leaver (Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center) Madeline Ehrman (Foreign Service Institute) Teachers working with language learners at all levels have for some decades now recognized that learners have specific sensory and cognitive preferences when it comes to learning and specific ways of interacting with classmates. These individual differences can be very important both in positive and negative ways in the language process, the significance of which may change as one progresses up the ladder of proficiency. One phenomenon that has been observed by language teachers and their learners over time is the “tortoise and hare” syndrome. Learners who are painfully accurate—and therefore slow— in the beginning of language study often outdistance their faster peers who can plateau at the Advanced/Superior threshold because they have become comfortable with being