Teacher Talking Time

Escaping precarity in ELT? Join our free support group here.   Want to move faster? Book a free 1:1 to strategize your teaching business.  ELT provides the wrong input: language as it should be spoken not as it is spoken. This is wrong and Sheila Thorn gives us another way.  Sheila Thorn is a teacher, teacher trainer and materials writer whose niche focuses on teaching listening. She founded The Listening Business in 1998 and is the author of countless seminal books that have moved our industry forward. She has recently embarked on a new career as an artist, specialising in portraits of people and animals. Her latest publication, "Integrating Authentic Listening into the Language Classroom" is a must-read.  In this episode, Sheila discusses:  ELT having the wrong input  coursebooks as impoverished language learners being scared of real language  how teacher training fails teachers as much as coursebooks fail students the 5 listening goals every learner should have a 3-pronged approach to teaching listening the problem she is trying to solve in ELT For more from Sheila: 1. The Listening Business 2. Connect on LinkedIn 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  Ways we can help you right now: 1. Book a free 1:1 chat to strategize your teaching business.  2. 5in30: Get 5 clients in the next 30 days 3. Just starting your business? Get free guidance in our support group.  4. Download our free guides for teacherpreneurs. 

Join Tania Ionin and Silvina Montrul as they discuss grammar knowledge in language acquisition, intervention research, educator influence on grammar learning, conditions for effective grammar instruction, and the study of monolinguals to understand L2 acquisition. They explore adult language learning challenges, literate vs. illiterate native speakers in a study on grammatical knowledge, explicit vs. implicit grammar teaching, and the evolving nature of language classrooms.

Award-winning scholar Bill VanPatten discusses how teaching often contradicts SLA research, importance of understanding communicative classrooms, debunking grammar rules' psychological validity, ineffectiveness of explicit instruction, and flawed assignments if AI can complete them.

Robin Walker and Gemma Archer, pronunciation specialists and co-authors of 'Teaching English Pronunciation for a Global World', discuss the exclusionary nature of traditional pronunciation models in teaching. They argue for a focus on intelligibility and comprehensibility, emphasizing that unique accents can enhance communication. The conversation touches on the importance of the Lingua Franca Core, how to measure intelligibility, and why weak forms aren't essential. They advocate for an inclusive approach that celebrates diverse accents in language learning.

Lara Bryfonski, linguistics professor, discusses TBLT benefits, novice teacher myths, experienced teacher resistance, grammar in TBL approach, task design, navigating learner's syllabus, using TBL in strict syllabus, Twitch gaming in TBLT, advice for TBLT practitioners.

Donna Brinton, distinguished figure in applied linguistics, shares her experiences starting as a teacher, her focus on methods, and the impact of content-based instruction. She discusses developing a CBI syllabus, the 6 "t's" framework, and CBI case studies worldwide. They also explore the problem with minimal pairs, future methodology, and teacher development.

Our 5in30 helps you get 5 new clients in 30 days. Start here.  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: LYE's beginnings our process and struggles with niching down why the response "teachers will love that" to our first offer was a bad answer the highs and lows of developing your own business the "do one thing" philosophy to business growth unconventional niche fusions  how you can develop sustainable practices in your business in 2024  Watch the Pharrell Williams/Maggie Rogers niche-fusion video mentioned in this episode.  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  Ways we can help you right now: 1. 5in30: Get 5 clients in the next 30 days 2. Sandbox your own course ideas in our free support community for teacherpreneurs.  3. Map your first course in 60 minutes or less - your free guide here 4. See our free guides for teachers starting their own business  5. Try our TAP program free for 7 days 6. CPD: Teaching Listening Made Easy 7. Follow us on IG: @learnyourenglish

We help teachers start their own online business for free. Click here to join in. Cecilia Nobre is a Ph.D. student in Applied Linguistics at Warwick, has been an EFL teacher for over 20 years, and is a trainer on DipTESOL, CertTESOL, and Celta trainer. She has co-authored the book "Using Video to Support Teacher Reflection and Development in ELT" with Steve Mann and Laura Baecher. Her research interests lie in the areas of teacher development, video reflection, and reflective practice. 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  For more from Cecilia: 1. Follow her on LinkedIn 2. See her co-authored book "Using Video to Support Teacher Reflection and Development in ELT"  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  Ways we can help you right now: 1. 5in30: Get 5 clients in the next 30 days 2. Sandbox your own course ideas in our free support community for teacherpreneurs.  3. Map your first course in 60 minutes or less - your free guide here 4. See our free guides for teachers starting their own business  5. Try our TAP program free for 7 days 6. CPD: Teaching Listening Made Easy 7. Follow us on IG: @learnyourenglish

We help teachers start their own business for free. Click here to join in. 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 More on Geoff: 1. Follow him on Twitter/X 2. Check out his website 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  Ways we can help you right now: 1. Sandbox your own course ideas in our free support community for teacherpreneurs.  2. Map your first course in 60 minutes or less - your free guide here 3. See our free guides for teachers starting their own business  4. Try our TAP program free for 7 days 5. CPD: Teaching Listening Made Easy 6. Follow us on IG: @learnyourenglish

Paul Nation, an Emeritus Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Victoria, shares his insights on language education's evolution. He discusses the origins and importance of the Four Strands framework, revealing how it shapes course construction. Paul also touches on the courage it takes for teachers to promote extensive reading. Intriguingly, he reflects on the learning process, highlighting the belief that learners can thrive without direct instruction and hints at a possible fifth strand in language acquisition.