Teacher Talking Time

Want to move away from 1:1 and build your teaching business? Book a free 1:1 with us to see if we can help. "There's this myth that kids learn faster than adults. Research shows it's not true; adults are actually better language learners" - Dr. Karen Lichtman. Dr. Karen Lichtman recently moved to Binghamton University after ten years training language teachers at Northern Illinois University. Her research focuses on instructed second language acquisition, including age differences in language learning and implicit vs. explicit language teaching. Karen presents nationally and internationally to audiences of teachers and researchers. In this episode, we dive into: the bad teaching that exists and how to address it the myth of children learning faster than adults why adults make better language learners why easier materials is almost always better designing a beginner course from scratch balancing implicit & explicit teaching addressing skeptical teachers the role of TPRS in language learning (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) FOR MORE FROM KAREN LICHTMAN: 1. Connect on LinkedIn 2. Her website 3. Her publications 4. Her book "Teaching Proficiency Through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS): An Input-Based Approach to Second Language Instruction." Support Teacher Talking Time: Do you help students prepare for the TOEFL test? Check out My Speaking Score - an AI platform with data-driven feedback to help students get 26 on TOEFL speaking. Trusted by over 100,000 TOEFL test takers. My Speaking Score: https://www.myspeakingscore.com/ RESOURCES TO HELP YOU: 1. Book a free 1:1 chat with us to strategize your teaching business. 2. Subscribe to the LYE YouTube Channel 3. Learn how to monetize your teaching skills with TAP 4. Download our free guides for teacherpreneurs. 5. Connect with us on our Substack.

Want to move away from 1:1 and build your teaching business? Book a free 1:1 with us to see if we can help. From beginner to intermediate in 9 months: yes, it's possible and Claudia Fernandez tells us how. Claudia runs her Spanish program at the University of Illinois-Chicago using a task-based curriculum. One result was bringing fifteen A1 students to intermediate over 9 months. She shares her story and how others can do the same. At the University of Illinois-Chicago, Claudia is a Clinical Associate Professor, where she directs the Spanish Basic Language Program using a task-based curriculum. Her research and teaching focus on task-based language teaching, materials development, and classroom-based language acquisition. She is an award-winning educator, published author, and active contributor to both national and international professional organizations in the field of language education. In this episode, we dive into: Implementing task-based language teaching from scratch Why there is still pushback against TBLT Mindset shifts every institution needs Aligning tasks with assessments Claudia’s experience of helping students go from absolute beginner to intermediate in 9 months Effective task design How learners acquire grammar through input-based approaches Instruction habits that get in the way of learning How to create needs analyses in task-based learning FOR MORE FROM CLAUDIA FERNANDEZ: 1. Connect on LinkedIn 2. Her university page 3. Her publication on moving from grammar to proficiency-driven programs Support the show: Do you help students prepare for the TOEFL test? Check out My Speaking Score - an AI platform with data-driven feedback to help students get 26 on TOEFL speaking. Trusted by over 100,000 TOEFL test takers. My Speaking Score: https://www.myspeakingscore.com/ RESOURCES TO HELP YOU: 1. Book a free 1:1 chat with us to strategize your teaching business. 2. Subscribe to the LYE YouTube Channel 3. Learn how to monetize your teaching skills with TAP 4. Download our free guides for teacherpreneurs. 5. Connect with us on our Substack.

50% off our CPD courses for podcast listeners - click here and use the code "TTT" Does the grammar that is normally taught match the evidence corpus linguistics shows? Dr. Graham Burton helps us dissect the big beasts of English grammar. Dr. Graham Burton is assistant professor at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (Italy). His main research interests are applications of corpus linguistics to language teaching, materials development, pedagogic grammar, academic writing and multilingualism. He has two recent book publications, Grammar in ELT and ELT Materials: Evaluating its History and Current Practice and The Big Beasts of English Grammar: An Exploration of Form and Function in Conversations *Discount codes: 40% off Grammar in ELT using code ELT40 (valid until the end of July, 2025) 25% on ebook of The Big Beasts of English Grammar via Payhip only, using code bigbeasts25 (valid for 10 downloads only) In this episode, Graham discusses: Corpus Linguistics in Language Teaching Benefits of Corpus for Learners The Big Beasts of English Grammar Example-Driven Grammar Teaching What Teachers Should Unlearn about Grammar Challenges in Teaching Grammar Prototypical vs. Natural Grammar Usage Misconceptions in Grammar Teaching The Evolution of Grammar Teaching What the CELTA Should Do to "Re-do" Grammar The History of Pedagogical Grammar Why the word "grammar" was negative (and "structure" was used instead) FOR MORE FROM GRAHAM BURTON: 1. The Big Beasts of English Grammar: An Exploration of Form and Function in Conversations Discount of 25% on ebook via Payhip only, using code bigbeasts25 (valid for 10 downloads only) 2. Grammar in ELT and ELT Materials: Evaluating its History and Current Practice Discount of 40% on hardbook or ebook, using code ELT40 (valid until the end of July, 2025) 3. Connect with Graham 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 RESOURCES TO HELP YOU: 1. Book a free 1:1 chat with us to strategize your teaching business. 2. Follow the LYE YouTube Channel 3. Learn how to monetize your teaching skills with TAP 4. Download our free guides for teacherpreneurs.

Want to monetize your skills as a teacher? Book a free 1:1 with us to see if we can help. Learner autonomy is something that happens INSIDE the classroom, not out of it. Teachers can't sit back and wait for their students to become autonomous. This is part of what the esteemed Dr. David Little shared with us in our conversation. David Little is Fellow Emeritus at Trinity College Dublin and a leading scholar in learner autonomy, linguistic diversity, and the application of the CEFR in language education. He played a key role in developing the European Language Portfolio and has led several national and international projects focused on language support for migrants and refugees. He currently coordinates the Council of Europe’s Romani–Plurilingual Policy Experimentation and is the author of influential works on educational inclusion and language learning. In this episode, David discusses: Understanding Language Learner Autonomy Defining Autonomy in Language Learning Pedagogical Models for Autonomy Autonomy in Diverse Educational Contexts Challenges and Collaborative Solutions for Teachers Language Learner Autonomy and Writing Developing Reflective Dialogue in Classrooms Practical Advice for Fostering Learner Autonomy FOR MORE FROM DR. DAVID LITTLE: 1. His page at Trinity College, Dublin 2. His Research Gate page 3. Language Learner Autonomy: Theory, Practice, and Research 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 RESOURCES TO HELP YOU: 1. Book a free 1:1 chat with us to strategize your teaching business. 2. Follow the LYE YouTube Channel 3. Learn how to monetize your teaching skills with TAP 4. Download our free guides for teacherpreneurs.

Book a complimentary meeting with us to help grow your business. Learners can think a native teacher is a vaccine against poor pronunciation. Equally, native teachers can be misinformed in thinking that students should just follow them. We dive into pronunciation, intelligibility, and teacher effects on learner performance with the great John Levis. John is Professor of Applied Linguistics and Technology at Iowa State University. He is founding editor of the Journal of Second Language Pronunciation and the founder of the annual Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference. His research focuses on pronunciation, intelligibility, pronunciation, and accent. John has received university awards for Excellence in Graduate Teaching, for Career Achievement in Research, and was named Angela B. Pavitt Professor of English in 2018. In our conversation, John talks about: accent vs pronunciation the nativeness principle vs the intelligibility principle how he coined "the intelligibility principle" high and low value features of pronunciation why some vowel sounds don't matter native and non-native teacher effects on learner performance learners viewing native speakers as a vaccine for poor pronunciation some native teachers believing learners should just follow them getting "caught" with accent For more from John Levis: 1. Pronunciation for Teachers 2. His faculty page 3. His publications 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 with us 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.

Book a free 1:1 to strategize your goals for your teaching business. Escaping precarity in ELT? Join our free support group here. Why do some teachers thrive as entrepreneurs while others struggle? We dissect this question. Many teachers want to earn more, teach online, and gain more clients - but struggle to implement a sustainable strategy. We go over seven "Cs" to help. In this episode, we dive into the "seven Cs of success for teacher entrepreneurship" and discuss: confidence as a skill rather than a feeling getting granular on goals strategizing goal achievement at both the macro and the micro reflecting on why having a business is (or isn't) a priority how consistency compounds over time why getting more clients is nearly impossible if you have nothing to sell normalizing struggle and self doubt first steps to starting your business in 2025 Your Action Plan from this Episode: Pick one “C” to focus on this week. Journal daily to track your progress and reflect on your journey. Share your experience in our community to inspire and be inspired. 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 with us 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.

Book a free 1:1 to strategize your teaching business goals. Escaping precarity in ELT? Join our free support group here. Education is designed around focusing on the learner first and the teacher as a medium to support the learner. Sarah Mercer tells us why this leads to unhealthy teachers. Sarah Mercer is a Professor of foreign language teaching at the University of Graz, Austria. Her research interests include all aspects of the psychology surrounding the foreign language learning experience. She is co-editor of Multilingual Matters’ Psychology of Language Learning and Teaching book series, currently vice-president of IAPLL, and ambassador for IATEFL. In this episode, Sarah expounds on: why connecting with learners is fundamental cell phone addiction and what we CAN'T do about it re-framing what "student-led" means defining "engagement" and pedagogical caring students faking engagement out of respect for their teacher burnout and stress are the result of the systemic element of teacher well-being For more from Sarah Mercer: 1. Visit her website 2. Read her publications 3. Her handbook "Teacher Wellbeing" 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.