"Don't teach AT the students. Teach OFF them" - Scott Thornbury
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"Don't teach at the students. Teach off them." Scott Thornbury becomes our first repeat guest and helps us dissect this and more.
Scott Thornbury is a teacher, teacher trainer, and award-winning author in English language education. He has taught and trained teachers around the world, including on the MA TESOL program at The New School in New York, and is widely recognized for his contributions to ELT methodology and teacher development.
He co-authored Teaching Unplugged (2009) and Dogme in Practice (2025), both with Luke Meddings. His latest book is called Scott Thornbury's 66 Essentials of Lesson Design.
In our chat, Scott delves into:
tensions between planning & spontaneity
what an effective lesson design process looks like
if the communicative approach can be rehabilitated
shifting from surface-level communication to meaningful interaction
adapting teacher training and institutional expectations
the role of technology in education
FOR MORE FROM SCOTT THORNBURY:
Watch the Video Version of our Podcast
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About Scott Thornbury
Today’s guest is someone who truly needs no introduction in the world of English language teaching.
He’s been a major influence in our field and one of the first guests to appear on this podcast twice.
A teacher, trainer, and award-winning author originally from New Zealand and now based in Barcelona, he’s taught in the UK, Egypt, and the U.S., including on the MA TESOL program at The New School in New York.
He’s written numerous influential books on language and methodology , two of which have received British Council ELTon awards and he edits the Handbooks for Language Teachers series for Cambridge University Press. He also works with Mosaik Education supporting refugee teachers and is a trustee of the Hands Up Project.
His latest book, 66 Essentials of Lesson Design, is a practical, research-informed guide to effective, learner-centered teaching, including how to plan lessons using online tools and even AI.
Podcast Creation:
This episode was created with support from Skool & 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
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