So many teachers focus on teaching when they should focus on something else. In this episode, we dive into this with the great Bill VanPatten. Bill VanPatten is an award-winning scholar and teacher with an international reputation in the fields of second language acquisition and second language teaching.

We chat with Bill about why:

• the majority of teaching is not in accordance with SLA research

• Krashen was right

• Krashen's theories are not used in language education

• teachers need to get rid of the "Atlas Complex" 

• most people don't understand what a communicative classroom means

• grammar rules are not psychologically real

• many researchers don't want to talk to teachers

• understanding how non-college educated L1 speakers process language shows explicit instruction's ineffectiveness 

• if learners can do your assignments using AI, the assignment is flawed

So many teachers feel they can't teach pronunciation if their speech doesn't sound a certain way. Listen to this episode to discover why that isn't true. 

Robin Walker and Gemma Archer are pronunciation specialists who co-authored "Teaching English Pronunciation for a Global World," which aims to encourage pronunciation instruction from a lingua franca and intelligibility perspective. 

We chat with Robin & Gemma about:

• intelligibility, comprehensibility, and accentedness

• why the Lingua Franca Core is what teachers should learn

• their disdain for Jennifer Jenkins' criticism of them - before realizing she was right

• how intelligibility is the thing that allows pronunciation to do its job

• weak forms and why they're not necessary for intelligibility 

• why the goal of international intelligibility doesn't exclude other goals

• how to measure intelligibility & use Linca Franca Core diagnostics with your students

Lara Bryfonski is an applied linguist and assistant professor of linguistics at Georgetown University. She recently co-authored the book The Art and Science of Language Teaching with Alison Mackey.

In this episode, Lara dives into:

• if "TBLT" is a fad

• the myth that novice teachers can't handle TBLT

• why experienced teachers are often the most resistant to try it

• using a TBL approach within a strict syllabus 

• where grammar instruction fits into a TBL approach

• what a task is and isn't

• navigating a learner's internal syllabus 

• task design and how to apply it in your courses tomorrow

• Twitch, gaming, and asynchronous TBLT 

• her advice for aspiring TBLT practitioners 

Donna M. Brinton is a methodologist, trainer, author, and distinguished figure in applied linguistics. A key aspect of Donna's work is her advocacy for Content-Based Instruction (CBI).

In this conversation, Donna expounds on:

• her beginnings as a teacher & her struggles with methodology

• why she decided to focus on methods as a point of emphasis

• content-based instruction and how it impacts language learning

• developing and using a CBI syllabus

• the 6 "t's" framework & the 3 CBI prototypes

• CBI case studies around the world

• the problem with minimal pairs and what can be done instead

• the future of methodology & teacher development

Leo, Mike, and Andrew grab some nog, get in the holiday spirit, and chat about authenticity - Merriam-Webster's word of the year for 2023. We delve into what the word means to us and how we and anyone building a business can bring as much authenticity as possible into 2024. 

Specifically, we dive into:

• our process and struggles with niching down

• why the response "teachers will love that" to our first offer was a bad answer

• the "do one thing" philosophy to business growth

• how you can develop sustainable practices in your business in 2024 

Cecilia Nobre is a PhD candidate, teacher, trainer, and author. She has been an EFL teacher for over 20 years, and is a trainer on DipTESOL, CertTESOL, and Celta trainer. She recently co-authored the book "Using Video to Support Teacher Reflection and Development in ELT" with Steve Mann and Laura Baecher.

In this episode, Cecilia touches on:

• video-based observation as a form of development

• how videos can foster more critical reflection

• using video recordings in both the physical and digital classroom

• why every teacher should record their own lessons - and then watch them

• how video observation can be incorporated into pre-service training courses

• why video observation reduces the hierarchical relationship of traditional observation and how it can foster community building 

• advice for new educators just getting started 

Geoff Jordan is a teacher, trainer, academic, and author. Geoff has a Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition, has worked at ESADE, Barcelona for 28 years, and recently co-authored a book with the late Mike Long called "ELT Now and How It Could Be."His main academic interests are: theories of SLA, psycholinguistics, teaching practice and computational linguistics.

Specifically, Geoff touches on:

• his beginnings in the ELT industry

• working alongside Mike Long, Peter Skehan and Henry Widdowson in the early days

• his new book "ELT Now and How It Could Be," co-written with the late Mike Long

• how commercialization has hurt the language industry

• why students should be angry after 300 hours of study when they still can't "go to the pub in London"

• why task-based learning is the only way to go

• why "presenting" language is inefficacious 

• how the future of the industry is in niche courses

• advising students to be more resourceful in their learning 

• listener questions

Paul Nation is an Emeritus Professor of Applied Linguistics and renowned researcher and author 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 do extensive reading 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

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

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.”

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

Nicola has been in ELT for over 20 years as a teacher, materials writer, and entrepreneur. 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

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 coursebook 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

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

Leo, Mike, and Leo hop in the studio to record their annual year-end audit. Here, they reflect on the lessons they learned in 2022. They run through seven specific lessons that drive success, failure, and resilience.

 Specifically, they discuss these concepts:

1. It always takes longer than you think it's going to take

2. Behind mountains are more mountains

3. Know what success looks like

4. Start small

5. Getting over the case of the "What ifs" 

Danny Norrington Davies and Richard Chinn have done extensive research on emergent language and have co-authored "Working with emergent language."

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

Katarina Mentzelopoulos joins Leo and Andrew to talk about exceptionalism in language learning. She co-authored two books with the late Zoltán Dörnyei called “Stories from Exceptional Language Learners Who Have Achieved Nativelike Proficiency” and “Lessons from Exceptional Language Learners Who Have Achieved Nativelike Proficiency.”

In this episode, Katarina discusses:

• what flow is and how it leads to language acquisition

• how the theory of psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has been adapted to language learning

• characteristics of flow experiences

• how tasks and TBLT are innate elements of flow

• activities that are more conducive to creating flow

• why flow and tasks are possible with all proficiency levels

Chris Jacobs joins Mike and Andrew to talk about flow theory. Flow is a state of deep focus on an enjoyable activity that is at once challenging and accessible.

In this episode, Chris dives into:

• what flow is and how it leads to language acquisition

• how the theory of psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has been adapted to language learning

• characteristics of flow experiences

• how tasks and TBLT are innate elements of flow

• activities that are more conducive to creating flow

• why flow and tasks are possible with all proficiency levels

Leo, Mike, and Andrew talk about burnout in education, Learn YOUR English beginnings, their journey, and how teachers can overcome obstacles.

Specifically, they discuss:

• creating non-obvious solutions to obvious problems

• how to follow the path of most resistance

• why French impressionists decided to be big fish in a small pond

• Ikea as an example of the five-factor psychological model of successful enterprises

• delaying gratification as one of the most important tools for a teacherpreneur

• how to exercise the idea muscle

• why becoming the person you want to be means challenging the person you currently are

This is a very special episode of Teacher Talking Time, in partnership with the University of Groningen in The Netherlands. This episode was created as part of an MA course "The CEFR in Context: Learning, Teaching, Assessment and Research" by Prof. Dr. Marije Michel and Dr. Audrey Rousse-Malpat. We at Learn YOUR English are thrilled to be a part of it coming to life.

Episode Description:

The CEFR is a useful tool for assessment and can be used to better align assessment across Europe. But is this what is actually happening? In this podcast episode, assessment and the CEFR in the Dutch school system will be discussed from the perspectives of experts in the field of research, secondary school teachers of English, and students studying to become teachers of English

Anthony Gaughan is a teacher and teacher-trainer with over 25 years of experience. Together with his then-colleague, Izzy Orde, Anthony first applied Dogme ELT principles to running CELTA courses in 2009, and has been advocating for simplifying initial teacher education ever since.

In this episode, Anthony dives into:

• how a Japanese balloon pushed him towards Dogme

• teaching versus teaching-like behaviours

• transforming CELTA training into unprescribed, dogmatic experiences

• why he was called irresponsible and dangerous at IATEFL

• training as a suspension of disbelief

• debunking myths about beginner students, beginner teachers, and new beginnings