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On Teacher Talking Time, Leo, Mike, and Andrew bring you discussions, interviews, and debates on English language training and learning. From approaches, misconceptions, and successful and failed case studies, each episode is dedicated to their vision: continual growth. They interview teachers and learners from around the world, and also debate the merits of common teaching approaches.
Episodes

Sunday Sep 10, 2023
Paul Nation on the Four Strands, 27 years later
Sunday Sep 10, 2023
Sunday Sep 10, 2023
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Paul Nation is an Emeritus Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Victoria and a renowned author and scholar in our industry. He joins us for a discussion on learning, putting research into practice, and - of course - the four strands 27 years later.
Paul touches specifically on:
- his vocabulary niche
- the birth of the four strands
- how it's a basis for course construction, not lesson design
- how he learned Greek on a 2 hour flight
- why teachers who activate extensive reading in class are brave
- why teachers need to believe that by not teaching, people can learn
- the only 3 things that matter in learning
- if there is a fifth strand
As always, thank you for listening. Your support has been overwhelming and we couldn't do what we do without you. We hope this podcast serves as an effective CPD tool for you.
If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com
Ways we can help you right now:
1. Sandbox your own course ideas in our free support community for teacherpreneurs.
2. Map your first course in 60 minutes or less - your free guide here
3. See our free guides for teachers starting their own business
4. Try our TAP program free for 7 days

Thursday Aug 17, 2023
Dogme Days of Summer 2
Thursday Aug 17, 2023
Thursday Aug 17, 2023
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Deep in the Dogme Days of Summer, Mike, Leo, and Andrew get into part 2 of their series.
Here, we delve into:
- using Dogme in the scope of outcome-based instruction
- challenges implementing reactive teaching in different contexts
- obstacles in moving from a structured approach to teaching to one of transference
- using the "so you can" framework to get to the heart of your client's desired transformation
- handling student objections to Dogme
- utilizing self assessments and reflections so students gauge their own progress
- why your course needs guiding principles and how to create them
- approaching grammar as a choice, not as rules
As always, thank you for listening. Your support has been overwhelming and we couldn't do what we do without you. We hope this podcast serves as an effective CPD tool for you.
If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com
Ways we can help you right now:
1. Sandbox your own course ideas in our free support community for teacherpreneurs.
2. Map your first course in 60 minutes or less - your free guide here
3. See our free guides for teachers starting their own business

Friday Jul 21, 2023
Dogme Days of Summer
Friday Jul 21, 2023
Friday Jul 21, 2023
Click here to join our free teacherpreneur support community to grow together.
Andrew, Mike, and Leo sit down and ponder Dogme....as a new approach? It certainly has experienced a resurgence since the pandemic and we are curious why that is.
We also dive into:
- the role of the teacher
- the shift away from planning & towards reacting
- what authentic communication actually means
- how teachers can model lifelong learning habits
- using Dogme in your business and using the less is more philosophy
As always, thank you for listening. Your support has been overwhelming and we couldn't do what we do without you. We hope this podcast serves as an effective CPD tool for you.
If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com
Ways we can help you right now:
1. Sandbox your own course ideas in our free support community for teacherpreneurs.
2. Map your first course in 60 minutes or less - your free guide here
3. See our free guides for teachers starting their own business

Wednesday Jun 21, 2023
Dylan Gates on Dogme and the RDS Method
Wednesday Jun 21, 2023
Wednesday Jun 21, 2023
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Dylan was born just outside London and has been working in the ELT sector for nearly 25 years. About 12 years ago, he discovered Dogme, or as he prefers to call it “Teaching Unplugged”, and this led to his interest in deep-end learning approaches like TBLT and language coaching. When he trains teachers, he makes sure they learn how to move away from the coursebook and deal with emergent language.
In this episode, he shines a light on:
- how freelancing led him to Dogme
- why he includes reactive teaching in his tool kit for the modern teacher
- the RDS method for dealing with emergent language
- key considerations for designing materials with a reactive mindset
- the future of ELT, AI, and how teachers can innovate
More on Dylan:
As always, thank you for listening. Your support has been overwhelming and we couldn't do what we do without you. We hope this podcast serves as an effective CPD tool for you.
If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com
Ways we at LYE can help you right now:
1. Sandbox your own course ideas in our free support community for teacherpreneurs.
2. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel
3. See our free guides for teachers
4. Book a complimentary consultation with us to chat about your business

Sunday May 07, 2023
Nicola Prentis on Investing in your Future Self
Sunday May 07, 2023
Sunday May 07, 2023
Click here to grow with other teacherpreneurs in our free support community.
And click here to check out The Chilled Investor to make your money work for you.
Nicola has been in ELT for over 20 years as a teacher, materials writer, and entrepreneur. She's written many coursebooks and over 200 pages of the British Council learning English website. More recently, she helps language teachers take control of their finances.
Her interest in investing came about almost by accident when she began looking at her own woeful finances and she now supplements her income through investing and runs a course for beginner investors at The Chilled Investor.
In this episode, Nicola dives into:
- how her childhood impacts her relationship with money
- why many teachers sweep finances under the rug
- what investing is and what it isn't
- demystifying limiting beliefs about investing
- why it's never too late
- how "desperation is the mother of research, self study, and self improvement"
- why precarity in our industry is more reason to invest in yourself, not less
More on Nicola:
2. Check out her Chilled Investor program
As always, thank you for listening. Your support has been overwhelming and we couldn't do what we do without you. We hope this podcast serves as an effective CPD tool for you.
If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com
Ways we at LYE can help you right now:
1. Sandbox your own course ideas in our free support community for teacherpreneurs.
2. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel
3. See our free guides for teachers
4. Book a complimentary consultation with us to chat about your business

Monday Apr 17, 2023
Ken Lackman on the Lexical Approach
Monday Apr 17, 2023
Monday Apr 17, 2023
Click here to grow with other teacherpreneurs in our free support community.
Ken has been in ELT since 1995. A teacher, trainer, and author, he has written or co-written over 20 books, including the recently published Connections 3 coursebooks with Pearson.
In this episode, he dives into the lexical approach, why it never caught on and how teachers can use it in their teaching.
Specifically, we dive into:
- how ELT has evolved
- why Michael Lewis was "pissed"
- Dogme ELT & its place
- how teachers can decide which vocabulary to focus on in Dogme /TBLT
- his CAT framework for Dogme
- the post/no methodology era
- students making "great mistakes"
- the Lexical Approach
- the future of ELT and AI
More on Ken:
1. Connect with him on Facebook
2. Download his resources on his website
As always, thank you for listening. Your support has been overwhelming and we couldn't do what we do without you. We hope this podcast serves as an effective CPD tool for you.
If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com
Ways we at LYE can help you right now:
1. Sandbox your own course ideas in our free support community for teacherpreneurs.
2. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel
3. See our free guides for teachers
4. Book a complimentary consultation with us to chat about your business

Monday Feb 20, 2023
Teacherpreneur Challenges & Tackling Irrational Fears
Monday Feb 20, 2023
Monday Feb 20, 2023
Click here to grow with other teacherpreneurs in our free support community.
Leo, Mike and Andrew return to the studio to discuss the most common challenges teacherpreneurs face. They get into the three hats that a teacherpreneur needs and how to build up each one.
Specifically, they talk about:
- balancing the teacher, creator, and entrepreneur in you
- teaching being the only profession where we feel guilty about earning more money
- why a lack of goal clarity means you won't move forward
- perfectionism as an irrational fear
- niching and eliminating competition
- creating equity in your business
- a system to charge more
As always, thank you for listening. Your support has been overwhelming and we couldn't do what we do without you. We hope this podcast serves as an effective CPD tool for you.
If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com
Ways we at LYE can help you right now:
1. Sandbox your own course ideas in our free support community for teacherpreneurs.
2. Get your own clients on social media right now
3. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel
4. See our free guides for teachers
5. Book a complimentary consultation with us to look at your goal

Saturday Dec 17, 2022
Lessons Learned in 2022
Saturday Dec 17, 2022
Saturday Dec 17, 2022
Click here to grow with other teacherpreneurs in our free support community.
Leo, Mike, and Andrew hop in the studio to record their annual year-end audit. Here, they reflect on the lessons they learned in 2022. They run through specific lessons that drive success, failure, and resilience.
Specific lessons they touch on are:
1. It always takes longer than we think it's going to take
2. Behind mountains are more mountains
3. Knowing what success looks like
4. Starting small
5. Getting over the case of the "What ifs"
For the Indigenous Teachings book "Legends and Teachings of Xeel's The Creator" Mike mentioned in this episode, click here.
As always, thank you for listening. Your support has been overwhelming and we couldn't do what we do without you. We hope this podcast serves as an effective CPD tool for you.
If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com
Ways we at LYE can help you right now:
1. Sandbox your own course ideas in our free support community for teacherpreneurs.
2. Get your own clients on social media right now
3. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel
4. See our free guides for teachers
5. Book a complimentary consultation with us to look at your goals

Wednesday Nov 16, 2022
Danny Norrington-Davies & Richard Chinn on Emergent Language
Wednesday Nov 16, 2022
Wednesday Nov 16, 2022
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Danny Norrington Davies and Richard Chinn have done extensive research on emergent language and have co-authored "Working with emergent language." Danny has over 25 years in the industry and is currently a CELTA and DELTA tutor. His first book "Teaching Grammar: From Rules to Reasons" was a best-seller. Richard has trained teachers all over the world and currently does pre-service and in-service training courses at IH London. He is also an associate professor at King's College London.
In this episode, Danny & Richard discuss:
- the rise of emergent language
- why many were resistant to the idea
- the imbalance between research on error correction versus emergent language use
- incidents that prevent language from emerging
- the connections between emergent language and task-based learning
- how teachers can develop their "emergent language muscle"
- why the student's agenda supersedes the teacher's
- how teachers can utilize emergent language even with beginners
- why they decided to write a book on emergent language
More on Richard & Danny:
Connect with Richard on LinkedIn
Connect with Danny on LinkedIn
Grab your copy of their book "Working with emergent language".
See our blog post about this episode.
As always, thank you for listening. Your support has been overwhelming and we couldn't do what we do without you. We hope this podcast serves as an effective CPD tool for you.
If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com
Ways we at LYE can help you right now:
1. Sandbox your own course ideas in our free support community for teacherpreneurs.
2. Get your own clients on social media right now
3. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel
4. See our free guides for teachers
5. Book a complimentary consultation with us to look at your goals

Monday Oct 17, 2022
Katarina Mentzelopoulos on Exceptionalism in Language Learning
Monday Oct 17, 2022
Monday Oct 17, 2022
Join our free teacherpreneur community.
Katarina Mentzelopoulos is an ESRC-funded Ph.D. student at the University of Nottingham, UK. Her research interests include language learning motivation, exceptional language learning, multilingualism and learner identity.
She recently co-authored two books with the late Zoltán Dörnyei:
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Stories from Exceptional Language Learners Who Have Achieved Nativelike Proficiency (50% discount code STORIES50 until 30/11)
-
Lessons from Exceptional Language Learners Who Have Achieved Nativelike Proficiency (50% discount code LESSONS50 until 31/10)
The books tell the stories of people who achieved native-like proficiency against all odds.
In this episode, Katarina discusses:
-
what exceptionalism in language learning means
-
the critical period hypothesis
-
polyglots vs mastering a language
-
how they selected participants for the books & their stories
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why native-like isn’t necessarily the standard and what is instead
-
markedness versus proficiency
-
why forming a bond with the language is integral
-
working with Zoltán Dörnyei and his legacy
Read more about this episode on the LYE blog.
More on Katarina Mentzelopoulos:
As always, thank you for listening. Your support has been overwhelming and we couldn't do what we do without you. We hope this podcast serves as an effective CPD tool for you.
If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com
Ways we at LYE can help you right now:
1. Get your own clients on social media right now
2. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel
3. See our free guides for teachers
4. Book a complimentary consultation with us to look at your goals