This is Episode 2 in our Corrective Feedback series in partnership with Carleton University. This episode is a sit down with Dr. Hossein Nassaji.

Specifically in this episode, Dr. Nassaji tells us about:

• the roles corrective feedback plays in language learning

• how culture impacts feedback effectiveness

• the debate between immediate and delayed feedback

• written vs oral feedback and the efficacy of written feedback

• the what, when, why, and if of explicit & implicit feedback

• how teachers can learn about and implement corrective feedback in their classes

*This interview was conducted by Kelsey Ulrich-Verslycken and Lana Haj Hamid

This is the introductory episode to our Corrective Feedback series. 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, they 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?

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!

Looking to develop effective language learning habits? Check out the LYE School of Learning for only $5/month.

Scott Thornbury joins Leo, Mike, and Andrew in studio. 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

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:

why most people fail to create good habits

• 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!

For the 2-year anniversary of TTT, 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:

• why and how Teacher Talking Time came to fruition

• using podcasting as a tool for CPD

• using podcasting as an asset for classroom assessment

• 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.

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!

As the year comes to an end, 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

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

Luke reflects on the Dogme movement, why it was viewed as controversial, where it is now, and if he still views it as controversial.

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)

Mike and Leo discuss "visualization" and how it can help you become a better language learner. It’s a wonderful technique, and this episode talks 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"

In this episode, Dr. Sato tells us:

• how he became a researcher (2:00)

• misconceptions on the purpose of second language research (12:00)

• what the "research-pedagogy" dialogue is and why it's important (18:00)

• why he believes teachers usually don't interact with research (30:00)

• what researchers need to do for their work to be more useful to teachers (34:00)

• why motivation cannot be the cause of learning (47:00)

• his study analyzing motivation and the "ideal self system" and its link to second language learning (52:00)

In this episode, Andrew joins Leo in studio and they discuss reasons for learning a new language, both good and bad. In the last segment, the guys talk about motivation vs discipline, and how to make language learning a habit and not a chore.

Why do you learn new languages? What habits have you developed along the way?

In this episode, Ana-Marija delves into:

• how her feeling of being "suspended in identity" led her to a career in ELT

• her work in Kosovo - what it was, why she went, and how it happened

• the challenges of re-constructing education in a post-war region

• how identity impacts language learning and teaching

• why she believes neutrality does not exist in education

• why teachers need to embrace tension and discomfort in their classrooms, and have tough, meaningful, and impactful discussions with their students that will impart social change

This is the last episode in our series on Setting Clear Language Goals. In this series, we discuss the seven “Cs” of goal setting. In Part 1 and II, we discussed the first 5. In Part II, we discuss the final two Cs.

The Sixth C: Character

• A good CHARACTER to guide us and keep us on a proper course.

The Seventh C: Capacity

• A capacity to enjoy the PROCESS along the way

• Playing the long game

Marc and Chiara help us parse what current research and findings on listening says, and discuss what strategies and approaches we as teachers can utilize in our classes to best help our students.

This episode is divided into 3 sections:

1. The Differences between teaching, practicing, and testing listening (3:20)

2. Analyzing the standard approach to teaching listening (34:00)

3. Looking at what can be improved and suggestions of how to go about it. (1:02:00)

In this episode, we talk about the next 3 Cs: Concentration, Consistency, and Commitment:

• What are they?

• How do they help us learn?

• Why are they important? 

Mike and Leo also talk about very exciting announcements for Learn YOUR English:

A. Free E-book for Students called "The 3 Myths of Learning" - download for free now!

B. The LYE School of Learning - learn for only $5 for your whole life!

C. LYE Quick Fixes: Improve one part of your language quickly and effectively.

In this episode, Jason discusses:

• His recent project in India (4:00)

• The history of the PPP Framework (11:00)

• Why the Zone of Proximal Development is misunderstood in second language acquisition (19:00)

• Lexis, Grammar, the lexical approach and a synthetic syllabus (22:00)

• If TBLT is appropriate in developing world contexts (28:00)

• What it means for an approach "to work" (36:00)

• Creating appropriate outcome measures (39:30)

• Research and practice together in a reflective model of teacher education (50:00)

• The TATE model (57:30)

In this episode, we talk about the first 2 Cs:

1. Conception:

The first condition to success is establishing a clear conception of what we want to achieve or accomplish.

2. Confidence

We cover this and more in Part 1 of our series on setting clear language goals. Send us a message and let us know how you plan for success.

The second step is developing confidence.

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)