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Want to teach more reactively and in line with what SLA research says? Join LYE founders Leo, Mike, and Andrew for monthly long-form interviews with language acquisition experts so you can throw that textbook away. Whether you’re building your own business, working for a school, or just love learning about trends in language teaching, this is your bridge between the research lab and practical classroom.
Episodes
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Monday Mar 08, 2021
Monday Mar 08, 2021
We're thrilled to announce our new partnership with Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, to produce an 8-part mini series on the topic of Corrective Feedback. The series explores the area of corrective feedback through interviews with 8 scholars in the field. All interviews are conducted by students in Dr. Eva Kartchava's MA class at Carleton University as a means of assessment to connect researchers to their audience and have her students generate a greater level of understanding and investment in the research from the course. If you are interested in having a similar series produced for your class or institute, you can contact us: info@learnyourenglish.com
This is the introductory episode to our series on Corrective Feedback. Here, we invite Dr. Eva Kartchava - Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies in the School of Linguistics and Language Studies at Carleton University, Canada - and Dr. Hossein Nassaji - Professor of Applied Linguistics in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Victoria, Canada - to help kick off the series.
In this episode, Dr. Kartchava and Dr. Nassaji help elucidate many questions the series aims to answer, some of which are:
- what is corrective feedback?
- how do you give CF?
- what is the purpose of CF?
- how many different types of CF are there?
- when should we provide CF?
Partnership with Carleton University:
Throughout the series, MA students from Dr. Kartchava's class will interview leading experts in the field of corrective feedback. We thank Dr. Kartchava for joining this episode and for spearheading this initiative.
For more information on this episode, this project, and those involved:
- view Carleton and Dr. Kartchava's website on Corrective Feedback
- view the LYE blog post on this episode
Podcast Creation:
This episode was created with support from Thinkific & Podbean. If you're looking to launch a course or start a podcast, we highly recommend them - and use them ourselves.
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
For more info on what we do at LYE, check out:
Our Teacher Development Membership
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Saturday Feb 27, 2021
Cult of Learning 11: What are Habits and The Science Behind Them, Part II
Saturday Feb 27, 2021
Saturday Feb 27, 2021
/CULT/K^LT/A fashionable belief, idea, or attitude that influences people’s lives/The cult of learning encourages people to find and pursue what they are passionate about/
*”The Cult of Learning” are episodes for learners of languages. These episodes will discuss tools and strategies for learning and provide opportunities for effective listening practice. These episodes are also part of our Self-directed Learning Portal, which helps thousands of people around the world improve the English skills important to them.
Leo and Mike continue our mini series “What are Habits and the Science Behind Them.” In the second installment, they discuss:
- how long it takes to adopt a new habit
- the story behind that magic number & where it came from
- if that number is real or fabricated
- a study dedicated to discovering just how habits are formed
- what we can learn from all of this
If you are a learning a language, these episodes are for you!
Also, check out our blog post for more information on today's episode for more information.
Thank you for listening! If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com
For more info on what we do at LYE, check out:
Our E-book for FREE on our website. We hope it helps you learn outside the classroom!
Our School of Learning for Teachers & Students - only $5/month
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Sunday Feb 14, 2021
Episode 33: Scott Thornbury
Sunday Feb 14, 2021
Sunday Feb 14, 2021
Scott Thornbury joins Leo, Mike, and Andrew in studio.
Scott has taught and trained in Egypt, UK, Spain, and in his native New Zealand. Until recently he taught an online MA TESOL program for The New School in New York. His writing credits include several award-winning books for teachers on language and methodology. He is also the series editor for the Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers, and a trustee of the Hands Up Project, which promotes drama activities in English for children in under-resourced regions of the Arab world. At present, he is working for the Mosaik Foundation, training teachers of refugees in the Middle East in how to integrate communicative activities into their online classes.
We delve into Scott's career journey, and he discusses:
- his career beginnings
- his early influences and the "mother goose approach"
- a paradigm shift away from drills and accuracy to a fluency-based, communicative approach
- views on teacher development
- his writing process and how nothing on the page in front of you is alright when there's a lot behind you
- Dogme and Leo Van Lier's influence on him
For more on Scott Thornbury:
His website is www.scottthornbury.com
He tweets at @thornburyscott
His highly acclaimed blog https://scottthornbury.wordpress.com/
For more information on this episode, see our blog post about it.
Podcast Creation:
This episode was created with support from Thinkific & Podbean. If you're looking to launch a course or start a podcast, we highly recommend them - and use them ourselves.
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
For more info on what we do at LYE, check out:
Our Teacher Development Membership
Our Online Courses for Teachers
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Sunday Jan 31, 2021
Cult of Learning 10: What are Habits and The Science Behind Them, Part I
Sunday Jan 31, 2021
Sunday Jan 31, 2021
/CULT/K^LT/A fashionable belief, idea, or attitude that influences people’s lives/The cult of learning encourages people to find and pursue what they are passionate about/
*”The Cult of Learning” are episodes for learners of languages. These episodes will discuss tools and strategies for learning and provide opportunities for effective listening practice. These episodes are also part of our Self-directed Learning Portal, which helps thousands of people around the world improve the English skills important to them.
In the first COL episode of 2021, Leo and Mike introduce our new mini series on habits called “What are Habits and the Science Behind Them.” In the first episode, they talk about maintaining good habits. Why are they so hard to start and seemingly impossible to keep? Our 3-part series will explore this, how it connects to learning, and much more.
In part one, Mike and Leo tackle:
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why most people fail to create good habits
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how long it takes to form a new habit
-
a technique you can use to stick to a good habit and how to track your habits effectively
If you are a learning a language, these episodes are for you!
Also, check out our blog post for more information on today's episode for more information.
Thank you for listening! If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com
For more info on what we do at LYE, check out:
Download our E-book for FREE on our website. We hope it helps you learn outside the classroom!
Improve your English with our Self-directed Learning Portal - only $5/month
Use our LYE Discount on your Next Creative Project. Get your First Month Free when you:
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Sunday Jan 17, 2021
Episode 32: Two Years of Teacher Talking Time
Sunday Jan 17, 2021
Sunday Jan 17, 2021
To kick off 2021, Mike, Leo, and Andrew hold Teacher Talking Time’s first ever live episode to commemorate two years of podcasting with Learn YOUR English. They invite members of the LYE community to share their experiences with podcasts and, specifically, how they use them to develop as educators.
This episode was also broadcast live on the LYE Youtube channel, and in the first episode of 2021, they guys along with their guests discuss:
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why and how Teacher Talking Time came to fruition
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using podcasting as a tool for CPD
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using podcasting as an asset for classroom assessment
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Leo’s Master’s dissertation on podcasting in ELT
We also hear from some of our listeners on how they use podcasts for their development.
We also want to give a shoutout to other ELT Podcasts that inspire us. A lot of these influenced us in our careers and in the development of our show. Please check them out:
For more information on this episode, see our blog post about it.
Podcast Creation:
This episode was created with support from Thinkific & Podbean. If you're looking to launch a course or start a podcast, we highly recommend them - and use them ourselves.
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
For more info on what we do at LYE, check out:
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Saturday Dec 26, 2020
Cult of Learning 9: Our Words of the Year for 2020
Saturday Dec 26, 2020
Saturday Dec 26, 2020
/CULT/K^LT/A fashionable belief, idea, or attitude that influences people’s lives/The cult of learning encourages people to find and pursue what they are passionate about/
*”The Cult of Learning” are episodes for learners of languages. These episodes will discuss tools and strategies for learning and provide opportunities for effective listening practice. These episodes are also part of our Self-directed Learning Portal, which helps thousands of people around the world improve the English skills important to them.
In the final Cult of Learning episode of 2020, Leo, Mike, and Andrew share their words of the year. From Zoom Fatigue to Cancel Culture to Social Distancing and Quarantine, our vocabularies grew enormously over the past 12 months.
What words were the most impactful this year? What relevance do they have? How did they come about?
The guys chat about this, reflect on living through a pandemic, and discuss how this year has taught us all a lot about learning.
If you are a learning a language, these episodes are for you!
Also, check out our blog post for more information on today's episode for more information.
Thank you for listening! If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com
For more info on what we do at LYE, check out:
Download our E-book for FREE on our website. We hope it helps you learn outside the classroom!
Improve your English Skills with our Self-directed Learning Portal - only $5
Use our LYE Discount on your Next Creative Project. Get your First Month Free when you:

Wednesday Dec 16, 2020
Episode 31: 2020 Year in Review
Wednesday Dec 16, 2020
Wednesday Dec 16, 2020
Mike, Leo, and Andrew sit down and reflect on the year that was in 2020. In a year unlike any other in our lifetime, many things happened. They discuss:
- takeaways from the top 5 most listened to Teacher Talking Time episodes of the year
- lessons learned in 2020 and reflecting on their 2019 goals
- what goal setting for next year looks like staring down a pandemic
For more information on this episode, see our blog post about it.
Podcast Creation:
This episode was created with support from Thinkific & Podbean. If you're looking to launch a course or start a podcast, we highly recommend them - and use them ourselves.
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
For more info on what we do at LYE, check out:
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Sunday Nov 15, 2020
The Cult of Learning 8: Mastering the Art of Conversation
Sunday Nov 15, 2020
Sunday Nov 15, 2020
/CULT/K^LT/A fashionable belief, idea, or attitude that influences people’s lives/The cult of learning encourages people to find and pursue what they are passionate about/
*”The Cult of Learning” are episodes for learners of languages. These episodes will discuss tools and strategies for learning and provide opportunities for effective listening practice. These episodes are also part of our Self-directed Learning Portal, which helps thousands of people around the world improve the English skills important to them.
Mike, Leo, and Andrew all cram into the digital studio for the first ever Cult of Learning episode with all three musketeers. The guys talk about conversations, why they can be difficult, reasons for them breaking down, and strategies to use to increase your conversation skills.
They also present a technique they've designed called the "4 A's: Mastering the Art of Conversation." The 4 A's are:
- ask
- answer
- add
- ask
If you're looking for tips to improve your English conversation skills, this is the episode for you. Listen to the full episode for examples, analysis, how to use the A's - and a few stories, jokes, and humour along the way.
Also, check out our blog post for more information on today's episode.
Thank you for listening! If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com
For more info on what we do at LYE, check out:
Download our E-book for FREE on our website. We hope it helps you learn outside the classroom!
Improve your English Skills with our Self-directed Learning Portal - only $5/month
Use our LYE Discount on your Next Creative Project. Get your First Month Free when you:
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Sunday Nov 01, 2020
Episode 30: Luke Meddings
Sunday Nov 01, 2020
Sunday Nov 01, 2020
Leo invites Luke Meddings into the digital studio. Luke is a teacher, trainer, and author with over 30 years in the ELT industry. In 2009 he co-authored "Teaching Unplugged" with Scott Thornbury, a book that represented a revolution in English Language Instruction. In 2020, Luke founded "The Context," which helps students, teachers, and institutions in the industry.
Luke reflects on the Dogme movement, why it was viewed as controversial, where it is now, and if he still views it as contentious.
In much more detail, he tells us:
- his teaching beginnings and why it led him to a "teaching unplugged" approach (3:00)
- the first school he started - "Explore Your English" - and why it was idealistic (18:00)
- the genesis of Dogme and meeting Scott Thornbury (25:00)
- why presenting on Dogme at conferences was met with both excitement and contempt (40:00)
- the writing of "Teaching Unplugged" and why they didn't use the word "Dogme" (44:00)
- the 10 principles of Dogme and why they chose the 3 they did for their movement (55:00)
- his thoughts on progressive education and how we still need to do better (1:02:00)
For more on Luke Meddings:
Follow him: @LukeMeddings
Follow The Context on Instagram: @thecontext_edu
Get your copy of Teaching Unplugged
For more information on this episode, see our blog post about it.
Podcast Creation:
This episode was created with support from Thinkific & Podbean. If you're looking to launch a course or start a podcast, we highly recommend them - and use them ourselves.
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
For more info on what we do at LYE, check out:
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Sunday Oct 18, 2020
The Cult of Learning 7: Visualizing Yourself in English
Sunday Oct 18, 2020
Sunday Oct 18, 2020
/CULT/K^LT/A fashionable belief, idea, or attitude that influences people’s lives/The cult of learning encourages people to find and pursue what they are passionate about/
*”The Cult of Learning” are episodes for learners of languages. These episodes will discuss tools and strategies for learning and provide opportunities for effective listening practice. These episodes are also part of our Self-directed Learning Portal, which helps thousands of people around the world improve the English skills important to them.
Mike and Leo discuss "visualization" and how it can help you become a better language learner. Visualization or "mental imagery" is is commonly used by many top performers, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Michael Phelps, and athletes when preparing themselves for a competition, a race, or a match.
How does this apply to learning a language? Mike and Leo talk about:
- how important the mind is in language performance
- famous athletes who use this technique
- how we visualize all the time even if we don't do it on purpose
- why it's important to have realistic goals in your language learning
- strategies you can use to visualize your "future L2 self"
Check out our website for more information on today's episode.
Thank you for listening! If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com
For more info on what we do at LYE, check out:
Download our E-book for FREE on our website. We hope it helps you learn outside the classroom!
Improve your English Skills with our Self-directed Learning Portal - only $5/month
Use our LYE Discount on your Next Creative Project. Get your First Month Free when you:
Publish an Online Course with Thinkific