Part two of our interview with Marek Kiczkowiak! This week Alan and Chris are delighted to be interviewing Marek Kiczkowiak from TEFL Equity Advocates who talks to us about informing students on teacher qualifications, teacher nightmares in the

Interview with Marek Kiczkowiak Part One

Aug 17th, 2020 30m 24s

This week Alan and Chris are delighted to be interviewing Marek Kiczkowiak from TEFL Equity Advocates who talks to us about all things native speaker-ism, English as a Lingua Franca, IELTS examiners taking the IELTS exam (!) and labeling termin

Elephant in the Room -The 2020 Podcast

Jul 25th, 2020 24m 29s

This week we talk about ...that thing. The year 2020. And it's only July! We had to eventually, so after putting the podcast on hiatus during the school-year lockdown to cut down on our screen time, we look back on it now. Below we've sup

Planting New Parsnips

Jul 11th, 2020 47m 12s

This week Alan and Chris (joined very briefly by Victor) go gardening and discuss the old view of Parsnips in ELT, and discuss what the new Parsnips should look like, introduced by Aleksandra Popovski in her MaWSIG blog last year. And Alan gets

Sweat the Small Stuff

Jul 1st, 2020 40m 48s

This week Alan and Chris discuss the little things in the classroom that makes a big difference. Alan likes thumbs on table, while Chris prefers to give the finger.From what should be on your class walls (if possible), entering the classroom,

Feedback

Jun 24th, 2020 41m 19s

This week we discuss feedback in the classroom as a teacher, as a student, what we like and use, plus some interesting stats from courses, as well as Alan goes to Emerald City on the Yellow Brick Road.One of the methods we mention is the Stop-

Our Language Learning Journeys

May 1st, 2020 45m 55s

This week we talk about our own language learning journeys and how that has influenced our own teaching.Being two bookish English teachers, our first recommendation is get students reading, reading and a bit more reading - but alas, they might

Pronunciation in English, Portuguese and Spanish with Victor Hugo Medina

Apr 5th, 2020 42m 11s

This week Alan and Chris are joined by Victor Hugo Medina in Belo Horizonte, Brazil to discuss all things pronunciation. What difficulties do students have, what problems do teachers have, and is there an issue with academic native speaker bia

World Englishes with Claudia Schiavon

Mar 27th, 2020 34m 23s

This week Alan and Chris are honoured to be joined by teacher and World Englishes researcher Claudia Schiavon for a chat about English all around the world.We go into detail about what World Englishes are, the craic you can have with them, wha

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) in the ELT Classroom

Mar 20th, 2020 32m 2s

This week Chris interviews Alan after he presented his research into Emotional Intelligence at the annual ELT Ireland Conference in Dublin.Alan discusses the importance of knowing about Emotional Intelligence and Mood in the classroom, and bas

Raise Up for ELT! With James M. Taylor and Ilá Coimbra

Feb 10th, 2020 36m 20s

This week Chris and Alan are delighted to be joined by James M. Taylor and Ilá Coimbra who discussed their self published book Raise Up!. We discussed all things ELT, diversity, inclusion and what is next for the Raise Up! book series.You can

Classroom Management

Feb 4th, 2020 32m 28s

How do you rule your classes? Alan and Chris discuss the do's and don'ts of classroom management, and talk about what works for us when teaching different levels.----more----The two books mentioned that we recommend in this podcast areLearn

A Wee Chat with Arthur McKeown

Jan 28th, 2020 15m 48s

This week Alan caught up with Arthur McKeown for a quick chat. Arthur, now retired (apparently), created The Belfast Programme with the help of the Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre and HAPANI to help pre-esol level students gain enough Engli

Countering Language Difficulties

Jan 10th, 2020 36m 55s

We offer tips on how to counter some of the English Language's worst offenders for learners, such as phrasal verbs, prepositions, pronunciation and word order. Check our blog for more detailed show notes and some material you might find useful

Seasonal and One Off Lessons

Dec 9th, 2019 28m 7s

We share some ideas on seasonal and Christmas lessons, one off lessons to get students heads out of the books, plan for low class numbers and some recommendations and ideas you can take into your classroom. Extended show notes with links avail

Teaching and Managers and Managing Teacher Managers

Nov 27th, 2019 23m 11s

This week we try something new, Chris and Alan attempt a live podcast! The subject of this week being what do managers not get about teachers? And what do teachers not get about managers? Also we discuss career trajectories available to ELT tea

Lesson Plans and Mallards

Nov 9th, 2019 35m 24s

We're all teachers so we have to plan what we are going to do in the year. Also mallards?This week Chris and Alan offer some tips on lesson planning, our own ideas, some other teacher tips, and some reading material that we think may help.Ext

Masters, Personality and Workload

Oct 29th, 2019 21m 12s

In a break from the norm, Chris and Alan discuss some listener questions - and not just about teaching. We discuss our Masters programmes, empathy, vocation vs professionalism, workload and good lessons vs good teachers.----more----We're two

What Makes a Good Teacher?

Oct 13th, 2019 32m 35s

Welcome to season two! This week Chris and Alan take a deep dive into some really loaded questions about good teachers, good lessons and good practices.----more----We're two teachers who have worked across the UK, Ireland, Spain and Italy. We

First Lessons and New School Year

Sep 9th, 2019 30m 38s

Bonus Episode! This week Chris and Alan discuss things to do in that very first class of the new year, plus ideas to take into the year ahead.----more----We're two teachers who have worked across the UK, Ireland, Spain and Italy. We worked to

The Interview Process

Jul 31st, 2019 26m 18s

This week Chris and Alan give their opinions on the ELT interview process and give some tips to other teachers out there.----more----We're two teachers who have worked across the UK, Ireland, Spain and Italy. We worked together for two years

Summer CPD

Jul 10th, 2019 27m 21s

This week, since it's the start of summer we talk about what things we do in our 'off season' to recharge and get ready for September.----more----We're two teachers who have worked across the UK, Ireland, Spain and Italy. We worked together f

Professionalism in ELT - Part 2 - The Academies

Jun 16th, 2019 23m 42s

This week Chris and Alan discuss the role professional academies should play in the industry.----more----We're two teachers who have worked across the UK, Ireland, Spain and Italy. We worked together for two years in Cáceres, Spain. We've pl

Technology in the Classroom

Jun 10th, 2019 31m 50s

Technology in the Classroom. What is it, what counts, what works, what doesn't. Chris and Alan give their views on what technology works as a learning tool, and what still has some ways to go. Sometimes the old tools are the best tools.----m

TEFLing - The Verb

May 27th, 2019 25m 47s

This week on the podcast, Chris and Alan discuss the verb 'TEFLing' turning standard activities into more 'head out of the book' activities, so students aren't just filling in gap fills all day long. Don't forget, it's not what you would enjo