Idioma Star Newsletter - December 2025
❄️ Season’s Greetings & Warm Wishes from Idioma ❄️
As the year draws to a close, we find ourselves reflecting on the power of language to connect us all. The holiday season is a beautiful reminder of the diverse traditions, stories, and voices that make our global community so vibrant, and the vital role you play in bringing that world into your classroom every day.
Whether you are in the midst of grading final proficiency assessments and providing feedback, or joyfully preparing culturally-rooted festivities to end the calendar year on a high note, we know how much energy this time of year demands. Amidst the hustle of the pre-break countdown, we want to pause and extend our deepest gratitude for your dedication to your professional growth this year. Thank you for prioritizing your own learning so that you can bring the best to your students. It is our mission to provide practical, affordable and applicable professional development opportunities for our world language education community, and we are so grateful that you choose to grow with us.
May your holidays be filled with the joy of connection, the comfort of rest, and the excitement of new beginnings.
In gratitude,
The Idioma Team
Upcoming Events
Click 👉here👈 to explore all of Idioma’s upcoming events. Highlights include:
Winter German courses with Goethe-Institut starting January 13th, 2026
Winter Session 1 instructor-facilitated courses with Idioma starting
January 20th, 2026Winter Session 2 instructor-facilitated courses with Idioma starting
March 2nd, 2026
In the Loop
The countdown is on. With winter break approaching, energy is restless and eyes are glazed over. But you don't have to choose between "boring rigor" and "fluff." Discover four culturally rooted, proficiency-based strategies to keep your world language students engaged without the burnout. From holiday "ClipChats" to a Music Madness bracket and the fan-favorite "Write, Draw, Pass," learn how to maintain connection and acquisition right up to the final bell.
Read more by clicking 👉here👈.
Course Spotlight
Assessing Students in the World Languages Classroom
January 20th - February 27th, 2026
Ready to bring your assessments to life (as in, designing assessments with scenarios students can actually use in the real-world)? Join us for a hands-on exploration of current ACTFL standards and the power of Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA). Through lively discussion and collaboration, you will leave with a toolkit of strategies designed to boost student proficiency and make assessment a meaningful part of the learning journey.
Click 👉here👈 to learn more and register!
Recommended Resource
Think moving to proficiency-based instruction means ditching grammar entirely? Think again! Proficiency-Based Instruction: Teaching Grammar for Proficiency by Catherine Ritz and Mike Travers is the missing link you’ve been looking for. It cuts through the confusion of this ACTFL Guiding Principle with clear, concrete strategies for integrating grammar without falling back on outdated drills. Register for Idioma’s online course written by Mike Travers, “Teaching Grammar as a Concept and in Context” in either 👉French👈 or 👉Spanish👈 and learn to integrate grammar in context into your curriculum AND earn graduate-level credit at the same time!
Click 👉here👈 to purchase the text!
