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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
Saturday May 30, 2020
Saturday May 30, 2020
In episode 25, Mike and Leo chat with the great Jane Willis. Jane started her career teaching French in Ghana and has since worked extensively overseas (Cyprus, Iran, and Singapore) as an English teacher and trainer. She began writing in Iran with Teaching English Through English, for local teachers who found it difficult speaking English in their classes.
She has run teacher development courses and taken part in ELT consultancies in many countries, including China, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Middle East, South America, and Europe. She especially enjoys working with teachers of Foreign Languages who want to adopt a task-based approach
Jane recently completed and published "Winning the Grammar Wars – what grammar really is and how we use it" - a book her late husband Dave Willis started - which describes English in a holistic way and provides a broad overview for teachers, parents, and educators.
In this episode, Jane delves into all things teaching, including:
- Her early beginnings in teaching (4:00)
- One of her first books "Teaching English through English" (10:00)
- The COBUILD syllabus
- The restrictions course books put on training the next generation of teachers (26:00)
- Why Task-based Language Teaching (38:30)
- Why TBLT isn't PPP upside down (53:30)
- TBLT with beginners (56:30)
- If TBLT is appropriate for all teachers (1:01:30)
- The latest Willis book "Winning the Grammar Wars" (1:07:30)
- What an input-rich course would look like (1:33:00)
- Raising Bilingual Children (1:39:00)
Contact Jane Willis:
Her list of works from her personal website
Read "Winning the Grammar Wars," which Jane finished after Dave's passing.
See many more resources referenced in this episode on our website.
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:
Monday May 04, 2020
Monday May 04, 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 the Learn YOUR English Learner Membership Community.
In episode two, Mike and Leo talk about myths around learning. There are many beliefs about how people learn in the 21st Century - especially about how people learn languages - that are not actually true.
The guys talk about three of them:
Myth 1: We can only learn in the classroom
Myth 2: We can only learn from a textbook
Myth 3: We can only learn with a teacher
At the end of the first segment, Mike and Leo assign a reflection task. Listen for that and let us know your answers!
For LYE Members: All of our members will be discussing this episode in our classes this month and performing learning activities to achieve their language goals.
If you like the show, we have a Tip Jar on our website for people looking to help with the creation of our show.
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
For more info on what we do at LYE, check out:
Sunday May 03, 2020
Sunday May 03, 2020
In episode 24, Leo welcomes Dr. Marije Michel to the studio. Dr. Michel has a PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Amsterdam and is an associate professor and Chair of Language Learning at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. She conducts research into language learning processes in a second language, foreign language didactics, and multilingualism in educational contexts.
In this episode, Dr. Michel discusses the second language learning process, the role of input, and her most recent research on alignment.
Dr. Michel focuses on:
- Learning by doing (11:00)
- The role of input (17:00)
- The role of grammar instruction and repetition in task-based approaches (24:00)
- CAF - Complexity, Accuracy, Fluency (32:00)
- Training students to give meaningful peer feedback (41:00)
- An important refugee project called The English Academy for Newcomers (45:00)
- Alignment - what it is, how it works, and how teachers can incorporate it (52:00)
Follow Dr. Michel:
Twitter: @marijemichel
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:
Sunday Apr 12, 2020
Sunday Apr 12, 2020
In episode 23, Mike and Leo invite Fernando Rosell-Aguilar into the virtual studio. Fernando is an author, course designer, and currently delivers lectures at Coventry University in the UK. He is pursuing a Pd.D. in Computer-Assisted Language Learning from the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV), and his research interests are online learning, with an emphasis on the integration of technologies into teaching and learning.
In the times of COVID-19, we are truly grateful for Fernando's insights and expertise into online teaching.
In this episode, he discusses:
- the main differences between online and face-to-face teaching
- practices to use and avoid in online teaching
- if the mass move to teaching online will re-shape traditional education
- what he believes the term "supplementary" means in education
- the myth that a teacher is required for learning
- how much teaching should be done online
- techniques teachers can use to improve their online teaching
Follow Fernando:
Twitter: @FRosellAguilar
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:
Saturday Mar 28, 2020
Saturday Mar 28, 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 the Learn YOUR English Learner Membership Community.
In Teacher Talking Time’s first episode for learners, Mike and Leo introduce the Cult of Learning podcast, discuss why it’s called “The Cult of Learning,” what “Learn YOUR English” really means, and what we hope to accomplish by helping people learn the language that’s important to them.
This episode is all about learning. Mike and Leo go over the three most important rules for learning:
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Effectiveness (the what)
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Adherence (the why)
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Efficiency (the how)
They also talk about how languages are not taught but learned, discuss several common myths about language learning, and why you shouldn’t say “sayonara” in Japanese.
If you like the show, we have a Tip Jar on our website for people looking to help with the creation of our show.
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
For more info on what we do at LYE, check out:
Wednesday Mar 11, 2020
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:
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learner motivation, and the role teachers play - or don’t play - in it
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the deficiencies in teacher training courses
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textbooks, the intention behind how they are written, and why they shouldn’t be used as recipes
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the ELT context in Brazil, including the hurdles to reaching proficiency, and why the English language rarely has any tangible benefits for Brazilians
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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:
Tuesday Feb 11, 2020
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.
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:
Our catalog of online courses on Thinkific
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
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.
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:
Our catalog of online courses on Thinkific
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
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:
Our catalog of online courses on Thinkific
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
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)
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:
Our catalog of online courses on Thinkific
Or shoot us an email: info@learnyourenglish.com