Teacher Talking Time

"People ask me all the time, 'Are you worried that AI's gonna take your job?' and I tell them, no, but I'm worried that you would ask me that question, because it tells me a lot about what you think my job is." We chat with researcher Matt Coss. Matt is a professor of applied linguistics in the Department of Modern Languages & Classics at the University of Alabama (USA). A research-practitioner who has taught Mandarin and Spanish across all proficiency levels for 13 years, his work focuses on task-based language teaching (TBLT), assessment, language program design, and student retention. He is also the Interviews Editor for TASK: Journal on Task-Based Language Teaching and a founding co-editor of the Focus on Practice section of Language Awareness. In this episode, we discuss: How a childhood happenstance and an adopted aunt bypassed traditional language learning methods completely. Why tracking technical language gains as an absolute baseline sets a language program up for total institutional collapse. A direct look inside a Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) classroom where a student successfully performed a task but swore their teacher "didn't teach them anything." Why language classrooms are the ultimate retention machine for universities, outperforming massive STEM cohorts by fundamentally validating student identities. How rigid vocabulary lists and zero training in meaning negotiation caused fluent clinicians to completely misdiagnose a critical patient case. Real strategies for working inside a strict curricular environment by identifying functional communication gaps rather than forcing artificial vocabulary drills. How to bypass structural paralysis by simply asking learners what they tried to say this week but couldn't. Why a student asking for a complex grammar rule is actually a cry for comprehensibility, and how to serve chunks over metadata. *Prefer video? Watch the episode on YouTube. FOR MORE FROM MATT COSS: 1. Connect on LinkedIn 2. Visit his website OUR PARTNER: FLUENTIZE Get 25% off with the code "TTT25" Want to teach your best lessons — without all the prep? Fluentize turns real-world videos into interactive ESL lessons for teens and adults. Explore 650+ ready-to-teach lessons designed to engage your students, simplify lesson planning, and save you hours of preparation. Start for free here. SUPPORT US: 🫶 Integrate your brand with our podcast in an effort to improve language education. ⭐ Leave a review where you listen. WORK WITH US: 1. CPD & Teaching Resources 2. Book a free 1:1 chat with us to strategize your teaching business. 3. Monetize your teaching skills THE THRIVING TEACHERPRENEUR Get inspired to start and grow your own education business. Weekly insights, stories, and reflections on education entrepreneurship. Subscribe on Substack here.

Want to chat with us about your business? Book a free meeting here. "I have no shame whatsoever in marketing my own courses because I feel proud. I know for sure that it works." We chat with entrepreneur Anna Aleksenko Anna is an entrepreneur based in Georgia who runs Voice it English, a program that helps professionals turn English into their career superpower. She's been teaching for over 17 years and has had to reinvent herself many times: something every entrepreneur can relate to. With a focus on connection, community, and client results, we're thrilled to have Anna on the show. Her mission is simple: To turn English from a daily challenge into her clients' career strong point. In this episode, Anna discusses: understanding that everyone has an accent burnout and setting boundaries expatriating and starting a new life how language can shape identity emotional barriers in language learning moving from hourly to results-based pricing focusing on ideal clients and how to identify them leveraging LinkedIn for client acquisition the power of community advice for new education entrepreneurs FOR MORE FROM ANNA ALEKSENKO: 1. Connect on LinkedIn 2. Voice It English 3. Her free Friday speaking club 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. Connect with us on our Substack. 2. Book a free 1:1 chat with us to strategize your teaching business. 3. Follow the LYE YouTube Channel 4. Learn how to monetize your teaching skills with TAP 5. Download our free guides for teacherpreneurs.

*This is episode two of our series highlighting education entrepreneurs. New episodes every first of the month. Want to chat with us about your business? Book a free meeting here. "If it doesn't go according to plan, what is the worst thing that could happen that is the minimum I can be satisfied with?" We sit down with entrepreneur Jessica Dias to discuss growing a business. Jessica is an English teacher and founder of Jessy Academy — an online school that helps Brazilian learners break free from the intermediate plateau and develop real communication skills in English. She started her teaching business in 2020 and has since helped more than 2,000 learners speak with more clarity, confidence, and naturalness. After years of working in traditional schools, Jessica decided to ride solo and build a business that truly reflects her teaching philosophy: practical, human, and focused on real communication. In this episode, Jessica discusses: Overcoming Failure and Setting Realistic Goals The Genesis of the Itch: From School to Side Hustle Turning Passion into a Full-Time Business Embracing Change and Growth Building a Sustainable Business Model Challenges of Running a Business Balancing Client Work and Business Operations Delegation and Use of AI Tools Scaling While Maintaining Quality Advice for Handling Business Slumps FOR MORE FROM JESSICA DIAS: 1. Follow her on Instagram: @msjessydays 2. Jessy Academy 3. Her Clear Pronunciation Program 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. 5. Connect with us on our Substack.

*This launches the beginning of a new series of our show: education entrepreneurship. We'll release an additional episode monthly, highlighting entrepreneurial voices in our industry doing great things. Want to chat with us? Book a free meeting here. In this episode, we introduce the series and discuss what it takes to start and run your own business. Specifically, we explore the transition from traditional teaching roles to entrepreneurial ventures. We chat about: Why waiting until you're uncomfortable might be too late to start your business The real difference between commitment and consistency and why one matters more How teachers can build businesses without a one-size-fits-all model What Andrew's beach business (and Bob the Book) taught him about resourcefulness, scrappiness, and getting started Why belief in yourself is the most underrated strategy in entrepreneurship Who this series is for and who it’s not for 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. 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. "Don't teach at the students. Teach off them." Scott Thornbury becomes our first repeat guest and helps us dissect this and more. Scott Thornbury is a teacher, teacher trainer, and award-winning author in English language education. He has taught and trained teachers around the world, including on the MA TESOL program at The New School in New York, and is widely recognized for his contributions to ELT methodology and teacher development. He co-authored Teaching Unplugged (2009) and Dogme in Practice (2025), both with Luke Meddings. His latest book is called Scott Thornbury's 66 Essentials of Lesson Design. In our chat, Scott delves into: tensions between planning & spontaneity what an effective lesson design process looks like if the communicative approach can be rehabilitated shifting from surface-level communication to meaningful interaction adapting teacher training and institutional expectations the role of technology in education FOR MORE FROM SCOTT THORNBURY: 1. Visit his website 2. Book: Domge in Practice 3. Book: 66 Essentials of Lesson Design 4. 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 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 5. Join our Substack community

Want to monetize your skills as a teacher? Book a free 1:1 with us to see if we can help. "It's such social injustice to expect people to use English like native English speakers, whichever country they're in." We dive into this and English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) with Jennifer Jenkins. Jennifer Jenkins is a British linguist and academic. She was Chair Professor of Global Englishes at the University of Southampton until her retirement in 2019. She is a leading figure in the study of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), and is an expert on communication in English between non-native speakers. She has published and lectured widely and is a founder editor of the Journal of English as a Lingua Franca. In this episode, Jennifer tackles: what English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) is native speakers vs local speakers why she was shunned from many rooms for her views the cultural and linguistic bias in language testing how tests are not predictive of academic success the myth that ELF lowers English standards the role of adjusting language rather than mimicking it having a pioneer mindset even when people dismiss you how international universities have hypocritical linguistic standards the future of English as a global language FOR MORE FROM JENNIFER JENKINS: 1. Her Google Scholar page 2. Her page at the University of Southampton 3. Accommodation in ELF: Where from? Where now? Where next? 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 free 1:1 to strategize your goals for your teaching business. Native speaker or non-native speaker? Monolingual or plurilingual? Why do we have a binary bias in modern society? These are some of the questions we tackled with Dr. Angelica Galante. Dr. Angelica Galante is an Associate Professor in Second Language Education and Applied Linguistics, and William Dawson Scholar at McGill University. As the Director of the Plurilingual Lab, Dr. Galante conducts studies with language learners, teachers and educational leaders in the areas of plurilingual education, language teaching and learning, linguistic discrimination and justice, teacher education, and curriculum design. She speaks Portuguese, English, Spanish, and a bit of French and Italian. In our conversation, Dr. Galante talks about: Linguistic and Cultural Discrimination Strategies to Combat Prejudice in Education Plurilingual and Pluricultural Competence Navigating Binary Bias in Language Discussions Exploring Common Ground in Controversial Topics The Role of Language in Identity and Mental Health Practical Applications of Plurilingualism in Education Balancing Plurilingualism and Language Acquisition Challenges and Facilitators of Plurilingualism For more from Angelica Galante: 1. Her professional page 2. McGill's Plurilingual Lab 3. Her 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.