Teacher Talking Time: The Learn YOUR English Podcast

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Wednesday Mar 11, 2020

Episode 22: Vinicius Nobre

Wednesday Mar 11, 2020

*If you're interested in attending the Learn YOUR English webinar on March 22, 2020, please RSVP here. We'll be talking Language Awareness & Knowledge! It's free for all ELT professionals.

In episode 22, Leo pulls up a chair with Vinicius Nobre. Vinicius, a Brazilian native, has been teaching English since 1995, has worked as an instructor, trainer, coordinator, writer, and is currently the head of Troika, an ELT consultancy based out of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Vinicius has also written two methodology books “Getting into Teacher Education: a handbook” and “Teaching English Today: Contexts and Objectives.” He served as the president of the biggest association of English Language Teachers in South America, BRAZ-TESOL, where he still works as a member of the Advisory Board.

In this episode, Vinicius talks about:

learner motivation, and the role teachers play - or don’t play - in it
the deficiencies in teacher training courses
textbooks, the intention behind how they are written, and why they shouldn’t be used as recipes
the ELT context in Brazil, including the hurdles to reaching proficiency, and why the English language rarely has any tangible benefits for Brazilians
the challenges to professionalizing ELT in Brazil

Contact Vinicius or Troika:

@vinnienobre; @troika.br

Website: Troika

If you like the show, we have a Tip Jar on our website for people looking to help with the creation of our show.

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 like the show, consider subscribing on Spotify, iTunes, or Google Podcasts, and sharing it with a friend. 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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Tuesday Feb 11, 2020

Episode 21: Neil McMillan

Tuesday Feb 11, 2020

In episode 21, Leo chats with Neil McMillan. Neil is an experienced teacher, teacher-trainer, writer, and translator. He holds a Diploma in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) as well as a Ph.D in literature from the University of Glasgow, and has over 15 years’ classroom experience working with adults, teenagers, and children from all over the world. Neil is also the president of the Cooperative de Serveis Linguistics de Barcelona, a forward-thinking language cooperative based in Barcelona, Spain, and is an active advocate of Task-based Language Teaching.

In this episode, Neil talks about:

the gap between standardized tests and necessary performative tasks, especially in the case of immigration;
what SLB is, how it works, and how teachers elsewhere can form a cooperative;
if ELT is a genuine career given the lack of regulation in the industry;
TBLT myths, SLB's TBLT course, and how teachers can implement tasks from coursebooks;
EAP contexts and how understanding a professor's expectations is integral before creating language curriculum.

Contact Neil or SLB:

Twitter: @neil_mcm; @SLBCoop

Website: Cooperative de Serveis Linguistics de Barcelona

Follow "The SLB Podcast" in any podcast app, or stream on their website.

Read Neil's blog "Animalising ELT"

If you like the show, we have a Tip Jar on our website for people looking to help with the creation of our show.

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.

For more info on what we do at LYE, check out:

And don't forget to follow us online:

Instagram: @learnyourenglish/@teachertalkingtimepodcast

Twitter: @LYEnetwork/@TTTthepodcast

Facebook: Learn Your English Network

Or shoot us an email: info@learnyourenglish.com

Tuesday Jan 07, 2020

Episode 20: A Decade, Change, and the Three Musketeers

Tuesday Jan 07, 2020

To kick off 2020, Leo, Mike, and Andrew take a light and casual look at the year that was. In their first roundtable episode in a while, the boys reflect on the past 12 months - and decade - and look forward to 2020. Grab a drink, go for a walk, or enhance your commute by listening to them failing to stay on topic, wandering deep into tangents, and debating the pronunciation of "vice versa."

This episode has 4 segments:

1. A review of the top 5 most-downloaded Teacher Talking Time episodes of 2019 (2:30).

2. A discussion on 3 types of change and how it applies to them (25:30).

3. What worked and didn't work in our classrooms this year and sharing their "formidable" resolutions for 2020 (59:00).

4. The Lightning Round: the boys share their goals for the year, their favourite movies of the past year, and the people who influence them every year (1:12:00).

At the end of the episode, the guys talk about LYE's new initiatives for 2020, including:

Monthly Teacher Talking Time Webinars
New podcast episodes for Learners
LYE Professional Memberships
More autonomous CPD options

If you like the show, we have a Tip Jar on our website for people looking to help with the creation of our show.

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.

For more info on what we do at LYE, check out:

Check out her website here

And follow us online:

Instagram: @learnyourenglish

Twitter: @LYEnetwork

Facebook: Learn Your English Network

Or shoot us an email: info@learnyourenglish.com

Wednesday Nov 13, 2019

Episode 19: Dr. Paula Winke

Wednesday Nov 13, 2019

In this episode, Andrew sits down with Michigan State University Associate Professor Dr. Paula Winke. Dr. Winke is a leading researcher on foreign and second language testing. At MSU, she researches if tests are valid, if tests measure what they should, methods for assessment, and differences among learners that affect assessment outcomes. She co-directs the Second Language Studies Eye-tracking Lab at MSU, and gave a plenary talk at the 2019 Task-based Language Teaching Conference in Ottawa, Canada called "We Need to Align Our Classroom Tasks with ACTFL & CEFR Can-Do Descriptors so that Our TBLT Programs are Chock-full of Proficiency Indicators."

In this episode, Dr. Winke provides insight on:

what proficiency is, the models usually used to measure it, and what problems exist in that model;
how proficiency progresses vertically, horizontally, and spherically, and questions why we usually only gauge progress on a vertical scale;
how programs can evaluate if they are assessing accurately;
why student reflection and self-assessment is crucial;
the problem with measuring proficiency across different program levels;
how course grades do not correlate to proficiency and that most assessments don't test what is being learned;
ACTFL and CEFR scales and how tasks can be great assessment tools.

*For further explanations of how language grows - or how we think it grows - check out our blog post for this episode. Dr. Winke generously provided more insight after the recording of this episode.

More About Dr. Winke:

See her list of publications here

Contact her: winke@msu.edu

As always, thank you for listening. If you like the show, consider subscribing on Spotify, iTunes, or Google Podcasts, and sharing it with a friend. If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com

If you like the show, we have a Tip Jar on our website for people looking to help with the creation of our show.

For more info on what we do at LYE, check out:

And follow us online:

Instagram: @learnyourenglish

Twitter: @LYEnetwork

Facebook: Learn Your English Network

Or shoot us an email: info@learnyourenglish.com

Friday Oct 25, 2019

Episode 18: Why Did You Become a Teacher? Part 2

Friday Oct 25, 2019

October 5 is Teacher Appreciation Day in Canada, and in over 100 countries globally. To help celebrate teachers and teaching professionals the LYE podcast - Teacher Talking Time - has organized a special two-part series called “Why did you become a teacher?” We interviewed six teachers from different countries and contexts to hear their stories, and celebrate the stories of all educators around the world.

We asked six teachers eight questions over two episodes. We talked about becoming a teacher, remaining a teacher, thinking about leaving teaching, misconceptions of teaching, rewarding experiences, and much more.

The teachers who graciously took part in this mini series are as follows. Please feel free to reach out to them and to support the projects they are working on.

Angela Barone

Angela has been teaching for over six years and now teaches 8th grade Spanish 1 and 7th grade exploratory Spanish in Columbus, Ohio. She also taught abroad in Costa Rica, delivering general and business English courses. In her school district, Angela serves as a diversity liaison, and also runs the “We Are United” club at her school, navigating discussions of race, cultural appropriation, bullying, and more with students. When she’s not teaching, she loves travelling and her cats.

Danny McGee

Danny has been teaching English since 2002. Originally from England, Danny is based in Toronto, Canada and teaches English for Academic Purposes at colleges and universities there. He is an advocate for mindfulness and meditation in pedagogy. He also does private tutoring. Visit his Facebook page @ESLTeacherDanny.

Mandy Welfare

Based in Berlin, Germany, Mandy Welfare specialises in HR English, communications and business English. She has delivered business English and multi-cultural communication training in Germany, Finland, and Spain, and is a Hueber and Cornelsen author. She has a Masters of Education and enjoys volunteering for her local teaching association. Furthermore, she is on the IATEFL BESIG publications team.

Check out all she’s doing on her website: mandywelfare.com

Marina Faquetti

Marina lives and works in Chapecó, Brazil. She runs her own business as an English tutor and translator. Marina started delivering English lessons at the young age of 14, and she has never looked back. A passionate professional, she strives to invoke the love of learning in her students in ways that are meaningful to them. Follow her on Instagram @mamorandini

Matthew Brown

Matthew lives and teaches in Toronto, Canada where he delivers English for Academic Purposes classes at Ryerson University. He has been teaching for over 20 years in a variety of different contexts. When he’s not teaching, Matthew is a graphic novel writer and artist. Check out his Instagram Page (@poopsiepenguin) and his blog “Ambient Zero Comic Book Blog.”

Mostafa Hasrati

Mostafa has been teaching for over 30 years. He received his Ph.D. from King’s College in London and has taught in many countries around the world. He is now based in Toronto, Canada where he is a professor of English, English for Academic Purposes, and Communication Studies in the Centre for Preparatory & Liberal Studies at George Brown College. Mostafa identifies as a researcher, and his most recent article “The rise of non-dissertation track master’s programmes: An academic literacies approach” can be found here.

In Part 2, we ask our instructors the final four questions:

5) What are the challenges of being a teacher? (10:00)

6) What gives you the longevity to keep going and have you ever thought about leaving teaching? (30:00)

7) Are any of the misconceptions about teaching sensitive to you? (46:30)

8) What advice do you have for a teacher starting today, and as well for yourself on your first day? (1:02:00)

If you like the show, we have a Tip Jar on our website for people looking to help with the creation of our show.

For more info on what we do at LYE, check out:

Or shoot us an email: info@learnyourenglish.com

Thursday Oct 10, 2019

Episode 17: End the Stigma - Global Mental Health Awareness Day

Thursday Oct 10, 2019

*The following episode contains subject matter pertaining to mental health. These topics may be sensitive in nature and could be triggering to some listeners. This episode is not intended to be a substitute for professional or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please visit your local emergency department or call 911.

**Please see our blog post about this episode for a list of mental health services in the Toronto, Canada area. All of these come recommended by the professionals involved in this episode.

World Mental Health Awareness Day is observed on 10 October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and talking about what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for everyone.

The topic of “care” was the inspiration for this episode. The original idea was drawn from our own struggles, as teachers, in helping our students, and feelings of frustration in not knowing what our school offered in terms of help - and how the school could actually help our students. Then, we realized that probably many teachers might be in the same position. Research for this podcast has helped us immensely, and we hope teachers and institutes will find it helpful.

The episode’s focus is on post-secondary and international study, where Mental Health rates among university and college students are on the rise in Canada. Issues of Mental Health can be even tougher in a new country, in a new language, in a new culture. International students, refugees, and other newcomers experience mental health as anyone else would, perhaps moreso, with factors like stigma, shame, and survivor’s guilt lingering. '

For those of us in education, the question remains: what can we do?

There are three segments to the show to help unpack all of these questions:

In segment 1, we talk to three international students in Canada to hear their perspective on mental health.
In segment 2, Natalie Roach, the mental health coordinator for Toronto’s Ryerson University joins us to talk about strategies instructors and programs can implement.
In the final segment, we talk to Sakeena Mihar, one of the co-founders for startup Savyn Tech - an app designed to help newcomers and refugees with PTSD.

Here, we want to advocate listening, learning, raising awareness, and continuing the discussion and ending the stigma, not only on World Mental Health Awareness Day, but every day.

About the professionals involved with today’s episode:

Natalie Roach:

Natalie Roach is a wellness and mental health expert who is currently Ryerson University’s Mental Health Coordinator. She leads campus-wide initiatives on how to best serve students, staff, and faculty from a mental health and well-being perspective. She has been featured in national and Toronto conferences as a host, speaker, and moderator and delivers talks on topics such as the “intersection of mental health and inclusion” and “promoting mental health through policy change.”

Sakeena Mihar:

Sakeena is one of the founders of Savyn Tech, an online platform designed to help those with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in multiple languages. Savyn Tech uses clinically proven techniques to overcome and reduce trauma, both with panic attacks and long-term healing.

Sakeena has PTSD and is an advocate for mental health awareness, dialogue, and providing assistance to those who need it.

Contact Sakeena: sakeena@gmail.com

Contact Savyntech: savyn.tech@gmail.com

If you like the show, we have a Tip Jar on our website for people looking to help with the creation of our show.

For more info on what we do at LYE, check out:

Or shoot us an email: info@learnyourenglish.com

Saturday Oct 05, 2019

Episode 16: Why Did You Become a Teacher? Part 1

Saturday Oct 05, 2019

The teachers who graciously took part in this mini series are as follows. Please feel free to reach out to them and to support the projects they are working on.

Angela Barone

Danny McGee

Mandy Welfare

Check out all she’s doing on her website: mandywelfare.com

Marina Faquetti

Matthew Brown

Mostafa Hasrati

Mostafa has been teaching for over 30 years. He received his Ph.D. from King’s College in London and has taught in many countries around the world. He is now based in Toronto, Canada where he is a professor of English, English for Academic Purposes, and Communication Studies in the Centre for Preparatory & Libeal Studies at George Brown College. Mostafa identifies as a researcher, and his most recent article “The rise of non-dissertation track master’s programmes: An academic literacies approach” can be found here.

In Part 1, we ask our teachers the first four questions:

What are the reasons you became a teacher, and do you feel that you have always been one? (10:30)
What did you want to be growing up? (22:15)
Did you have a favourite teacher when you were younger? If so, what made them that? (32:00)
Have you had a “lollipop moment” in your teaching career *”lollipop moment” explained in episode. (38:30)

Thank you for listening to Part 1! Part 2 of the mini series will be released on October 26.

If you like the show, we have a Tip Jar on our website for people looking to help with the creation of our show.

For more info on what we do at LYE, check out:

Or shoot us an email: info@learnyourenglish.com

Sunday Sep 15, 2019

Episode 15: Brett Reynolds

Sunday Sep 15, 2019

In this episode, Leo talks to teacher, trainer, and author Brett Reynolds. Brett has almost thirty years in the ELT industry, getting his start in Japan in 1992. Since 2003, he has worked at Toronto, Canada's Humber College, in the EAP and TESL programs. Brett was also the editor for TESOL Ontario's Contact Magazine from 2012 until 2019.

In this episode, Brett talks to Leo about his recent publication in the ELT Journal called "Against Teaching Collocations."

Are collocations connected to language acquisition?
Are they actually a beneficial strategy for vocabulary building?
Does it matter if students can notice and identify collocations?
Should they only be for receptive practice?
Are collocations simply another form of native speakerism?

Brett gives us his insights on these questions and much more in this episode. We thank Brett for his generous time and for sharing his knowledge with all of us.

Contact Brett:

Email: brett.reynolds@humber.ca

Twitter: @brettrey3

If you like the show, we have a Tip Jar on our website for people looking to help with the creation of our show.

For more info on what we do at LYE, check out:

Or shoot us an email: info@learnyourenglish.com

Friday Aug 16, 2019

Episode 14: Dr. Susan Hunston

Friday Aug 16, 2019

In episode 13, Leo sits down with Dr. Susan Hunston. Dr. Hunston is a professor at the university of Birmingham, where she has taught applied linguistics and English language since 1986. She also did her PhD at Birmingham, and her thesis is titled "Evaluation in experimental research articles." Dr. Hunston won the Fellowship of of the Academy of Social Science Award in 2010, and the Officer of the most Excellent Order in 2017.

Her main research areas are in Corpus Linguistics and Discourse Analysis. Some of her more popular books include:

Her projects on pattern grammar can be found here, and her main research page can be found on the University of Birmingham website. She also works in conjunction with Collins Dictionary to bring pattern grammar to the fore.

In this episode, Leo talks with Dr. Hunston about pattern grammar and how it is associated with language acquisition. She argues that patterns enable the expedition of acquisition - especially in the area of lexis - and emphasizes that it is the teacher's responsibility to activate and seek those patterns in texts and curricula, even if they are not explicitly stated.

We thank Dr. Hunston for being generous with her time and expertise. We invite her back any time.

As always, thank you for listening. If you like the show, consider subscribing on Spotify, iTunes, or Google Podcasts and sharing it with a friend. If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com

If you like the show, we have a Tip Jar on our website for people looking to help with the creation of our show.

Contact Dr. Hunston:

Email: s.e.hunston@bham.ac.uk

For more info on what we do at LYE, check out: