Teacher Talking Time: The Learn YOUR English Podcast

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 Read her work   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 Memberships Join Our Mailing List Our Online Courses Follow Learn YOUR English Follow Teacher Talking Time

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 LinkedIn And read his research     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 Memberships Join Our Mailing List Our Online Courses Follow Learn YOUR English Follow Teacher Talking Time

/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: Effectiveness (the what) Adherence (the why) 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: Our Memberships Our Website Join our Mailing List Follow Learn YOUR English Follow Teacher Talking Time

*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: learner motivation, and the role teachers play - or don’t play - in it the deficiencies in teacher training courses textbooks, the intention behind how they are written, and why they shouldn’t be used as recipes the ELT context in Brazil, including the hurdles to reaching proficiency, and why the English language rarely has any tangible benefits for Brazilians 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: Join Our Mailing List Our Online Courses Follow Learn YOUR English Follow Teacher Talking Time

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 Website Our Online Store Our catalog of online courses on Thinkific Join our Mailing List 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

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 Website Our Online Store Our catalog of online courses on Thinkific Join our Mailing List And follow us online: Instagram: @learnyourenglish Twitter: @LYEnetwork Facebook: Learn Your English Network Or shoot us an email: info@learnyourenglish.com

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: Check out her website here 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 Website Our Online Store Our catalog of online courses on Thinkific Join our Mailing List And follow us online: Instagram: @learnyourenglish Twitter: @LYEnetwork Facebook: Learn Your English Network Or shoot us an email: info@learnyourenglish.com

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 Website Our Online Store Our catalog of online courses on Thinkific Join our Mailing List Or shoot us an email: info@learnyourenglish.com

*The following episode contains subject matter pertaining to mental health. These topics may be sensitive in nature and could be triggering to some listeners. This episode is not intended to be a substitute for professional or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please visit your local emergency department or call 911. **Please see our blog post about this episode for a list of mental health services in the Toronto, Canada area. All of these come recommended by the professionals involved in this episode. World Mental Health Awareness Day is observed on 10 October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and talking about what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for everyone.  The topic of “care” was the inspiration for this episode. The original idea was drawn from our own struggles, as teachers, in helping our students, and feelings of frustration in not knowing what our school offered in terms of help - and how the school could actually help our students. Then, we realized that probably many teachers might be in the same position. Research for this podcast has helped us immensely, and we hope teachers and institutes will find it helpful. The episode’s focus is on post-secondary and international study, where Mental Health rates among university and college students are on the rise in Canada. Issues of Mental Health can be even tougher in a new country, in a new language, in a new culture. International students, refugees, and other newcomers experience mental health as anyone else would, perhaps moreso, with factors like stigma, shame, and survivor’s guilt lingering. ' For those of us in education, the question remains: what can we do? There are three segments to the show to help unpack all of these questions: In segment 1, we talk to three international students in Canada to hear their perspective on mental health. In segment 2, Natalie Roach, the mental health coordinator for Toronto’s Ryerson University joins us to talk about strategies instructors and programs can implement. In the final segment, we talk to Sakeena Mihar, one of the co-founders for startup Savyn Tech - an app designed to help newcomers and refugees with PTSD. Here, we want to advocate listening, learning, raising awareness, and continuing the discussion and ending the stigma, not only on World Mental Health Awareness Day, but every day. About the professionals involved with today’s episode: Natalie Roach: Natalie Roach is a wellness and mental health expert who is currently Ryerson University’s Mental Health Coordinator. She leads campus-wide initiatives on how to best serve students, staff, and faculty from a mental health and well-being perspective. She has been featured in national and Toronto conferences as a host, speaker, and moderator and delivers talks on topics such as the “intersection of mental health and inclusion” and “promoting mental health through policy change.”  Sakeena Mihar: Sakeena is one of the founders of Savyn Tech, an online platform designed to help those with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in multiple languages. Savyn Tech uses clinically proven techniques to overcome and reduce trauma, both with panic attacks and long-term healing.  Sakeena has PTSD and is an advocate for mental health awareness, dialogue, and providing assistance to those who need it.  Contact Sakeena: sakeena@gmail.com  Contact Savyntech: savyn.tech@gmail.com 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 Website Our Online Store Our catalog of online courses on Thinkific Join our Mailing List Or shoot us an email: info@learnyourenglish.com          

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 & Libeal 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 1, we ask our teachers the first four questions: What are the reasons you became a teacher, and do you feel that you have always been one? (10:30) What did you want to be growing up? (22:15) Did you have a favourite teacher when you were younger? If so, what made them that? (32:00) Have you had a “lollipop moment” in your teaching career *”lollipop moment” explained in episode. (38:30) Thank you for listening to Part 1! Part 2 of the mini series will be released on October 26. 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 Website Our Online Store Our catalog of online courses on Thinkific Join our Mailing List Or shoot us an email: info@learnyourenglish.com