Ep 16 - Proficiency, Productive Struggle & Expanding the Horizon with Dr. Brandee Mau

Brandee shares nearly 30 years of experience in language education, including work in dual language immersion, German instruction, curriculum development, assessment, professional learning, and proficiency-based teaching. Together, they explore why proficiency can serve as a unifying goal across different language programs and why the intermediate stage of language learning deserves more intentional support. The conversation also dives into: Productive struggle in language learning Why teachers should not do all the work Student curiosity and agency Novice, intermediate, and advanced proficiency Brandee’s Heart, Hoop & Horizon framework The cotton candy metaphor for understanding proficiency AI and the importance of a critical human lens Why mistakes should be celebrated as part of learning How teachers can take small steps toward more student-centered instruction This episode is especially valuable for world language teachers, multilingual learner educators, dual language immersion teachers, instructional coaches, administrators, and anyone interested in proficiency-based learning.