DEVELOPOD - The IATEFL TDSIG Podcast

In this episode, Cecilia Lemos-Harmer and Adrian Underhill explore how language learning is deeply connected to identity, emotion, and embodiment, rather than being a purely intellectual process. Adrian argues that effective language development happens when learners feel psychologically safe, engaged, and willing to experiment with new sounds and expressions. He emphasises the teacher’s role in creating conditions for learning by managing attention, presence, and classroom energy, rather than simply delivering content. He also highlights pronunciation and voice work as gateways to confidence, self-expression, and communicative competence, noting that learners often need permission to “be different” in another language. This conversation between Ceci and Adrian reframes language teaching as a human, relational practice, where awareness, trust, and physical engagement are central to meaningful learning.

Visit Adrian’s website: https://adrianunderhill.com/ 

To find the complete archive of Developod episodes, go to tdsig.org/developod-tdsigs-podcast 

Helen and Dr Harry Kuchah Kuchah reflect on his lifelong ELT journey, beginning with helping classmates in Cameroon and moving through roles as a primary-teacher educator, UK-based researcher, Ministry of Education policymaker, IATEFL President, Chair of the British Council’s English Language Advisory Group, and Director of the University of Birmingham’s MSc TESOL programme, where he also mentors four PhD students in multilingual education. Guided by the Ubuntu idea that “I am because you are,” he values community and collective work. Harry notes that ELT is becoming more context-sensitive and globally connected, and he advocates for deeper engagement with multilingualism and how languages enrich one another. Seeing language as a tool rather than a product, he argues for assessment that recognises meaningful, culturally situated communication instead of standard RP norms. Though he never sought leadership, relationships led him there, and he views education as a calling rooted in care, mentorship, and human connection.

Harry at the University of Birmingham: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/education/staff/profile?Name=dr-harry-kuchah-kuchah&ReferenceId=206555

Harry’s Plenary Session on 'Teaching English in Difficult Circumstances at 2015 IATEFL Conference in Manchester: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/news-and-events/iatefl-online/2015/plenary-harry-kuchah  

Harry’s contribution to the British Council Podcast series ‘Our World Connected’  on the theme: What role does English play in our multilingual world? https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/our-world-connected-podcast/english-multilingual-world

Harry’s autobiographical chapter in Alan Maley's open access edited book is available here: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/publications/case-studies-insights-and-research/developing-expertise-through-experience

The Publication from the Africa ELTA Teacher Research mentoring programme can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UIKoFKdwynMvNs4Mj5FyaZZioMgwwBPE/view

To find the complete archive of Developod episodes, go to tdsig.org/developod-tdsigs-podcast

In this episode, Helen and Ana Paula Biazon Rocha discuss Ana’s journey in ELT, emphasizing her passion for pronunciation and teacher development. She started teaching at 17 in Brazil, influenced by her family of educators and legacy. Anna's interest in pronunciation stemmed from personal challenges and feedback from teacher trainers – while seeking to improve, she discovered a passion. She highlights her shift from a teacher-centered to a student-centered approach, the importance of human connection in learning, and the need for us teachers to feel that we’re not alone but  part of a teaching community. Ana's career evolved through self-study, workshops, and courses, including a Cambridge Delta and an MA in TESOL. She says that students become teachers who become students… The learning cycle is ongoing! Ana advises novice teachers and those coming to another country to learn, grow, and teach to believe in themselves, study, and embrace continuous learning. Be an open teacher-learner and find your passions!

Ana mentions:
- Cambridge Delta

- MA in Applied Linguistics - University of Sheffield

- MA in TESOL - University of Sheffield

(Ana completed the MA in Applied Linguistics with TESOL in the academic year 2017-2018. After the COVID pandemic, this course was split into two: MA in Applied Linguistics and MA in TESOL, so her original Masters course does not exist anymore at the University of Sheffield. Students choose one or the other now.)

- An article Ana wrote: MA student Ana Paula Biazon Rocha on why she chose Sheffield

(Side note: This goes back when she was interviewed by the University of Sheffield to talk about my life as an MA student in 2018. After she finished her MA course, she started working as an English Language Tutor at the English Language Teaching Centre (ELTC) at the University of Sheffield and has been doing so for nearly seven years. So she was a student who became a staff member at the university.)

- IATEFL PronSIG blog

Listeners can contact Ana by email: [email protected] or on social media:

1. LinkedIn: (her full name: Ana Paula Biazon Rocha)

2. Instagram: @anapaulabiazonrocha

3. Facebook: Ana Paula Biazon Rocha

To find the complete archive of Developod episodes, go to tdsig.org/developod-tdsigs-podcast

In this episode, Helen & JPB Gerald discuss his professional foundation in ELT and his current work writing articles, essays, and books, focusing on language, race, neurodivergence, and critiquing the ELT industry. Justin talks about motivation, personal struggles, his writing process and style, and shares his evolution as a writer. He shares his perspectives on academic writing and the importance of grounding theory and personal connections in research. He also discusses slavery along with overt and subtle racism and oppression. and self-identifies as a "heckler", pointing out that if we don’t jump in and speak out, nothing will change. 

Check out his website: https://jpbgerald.com/

To find the complete archive of Developod episodes, go to tdsig.org/developod-tdsigs-podcast 

In this episode, Helen & Laura Patsko discuss her ELT journey, describing her career as a mix of diverse elements, like salad or spaghetti. She began in advertising, transitioned to ELT after influential conversations, and completed her CELTA and DELTA in Prague. Laura then worked in teacher training and for Cambridge University Press before going freelance. She emphasizes the evolving acceptance of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and the impact of technology, particularly messaging apps, on remote professional development. Laura advocates for embracing the “mess” of non-linear "squiggly" career paths following personal interests and values over a rigid career trajectory, if that is right for you.

You can find Laura on LinkedIN.

Laura’s Portfolio:
https://blackbirdlxd.com/?page_id=494

The “Continuing Professional Development through mobile messaging apps” project Laura did in 2023 with BC Argentina: 

https://americas.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/0412_cpd_report_eng.pdf

Laura mentions:
Sandy Millain’s Take your Time DELTA: https://www.takeyourtimedelta.com/
NILE’s distance teacher training:
https://www.nile-elt.com/catalog?pagename=NILE-Online

To find the complete archive of Developod episodes, go to tdsig.org/developod-tdsigs-podcast

In this episode, Helen and Chiara Bruzzano talk about her professional development journey, her work in teacher education, writing, and research, those who impacted her CPD, and the role of research in ELT and the importance of its accessibility. She points out that teachers are the experts in and know what’s best for their own context, and talks about keeping academic research accessible to ensure it isn’t overly-complex or opaque. She shares how ELT has changed over the 13 years she’s been immersed in the work, and how she’s witnessed a shift in nativespeakerism. She shares her passion for her freelance LanguageED work and pursuing her PhD research into the role of standardised tests and their impact on communities such as refugees, asylum seekers, and forced migrants. She wants teachers to always ask “the big questions” because they/you have the power and are the experts.

LanguagEd blog: https://languaged.org/blog 
LanguagEd YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@languaged 
Modern English Teacher blog: https://www.modernenglishteacher.com/blog-by-chiara-bruzzano?page=1
Sign up link for Chiara’s newsletter: http://eepurl.com/ha8Ea
Research project for the British Council: https://forcedmigrantsielts.weebly.com/
Chiara’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chiarabruzzano/
Also, feel free to get in touch via email: [email protected]

Chiara reached out to us at Developod after listening to Episode 56 “Becoming a Humanistic Teacher Trainer with Rachel Tsateri”, and from that email and written discussion came this episode!
If YOU want to talk to us about Developod, email: [email protected]

To find the complete archive of Developod episodes, go to tdsig.org/developod-tdsigs-podcast 

On July 17th, Phil Longwell passed away. He was an extraordinary teacher and remarkable human being who often attended TDSIG events, including our PCEs and recent 40th Anniversary celebration. We will miss him.

In tribute, we are reposting episode 20 of Developod, where he was interviewed by Christian to mark Mental Health Week in the UK. They discuss Phil's personal experiences with mental health issues, what ELT employers can do to help their employees, and what teachers can do to manage their own well being. It's a great example of how Phil used his own struggles to selflessly support teachers around the world.

Phil's blog: https://teacherphili.com/

IATEFL Q&A on Phil Longwell’s Webinar on Mental Health in ELT:
https://www.iatefl.org/news-views/q%26-phil-longwell%E2%80%99s-webinar-mental-health-elt

Screencast Recording from Phil Longwell on Improving the Mental Health of English Language Teachers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijFMplEgKWs

Blog from Phil Longwell on Covid-19 Mental Health and Wellbeing:
https://teacherphili.com/2020/03/21/covid-19-mental-health-and-wellbeing/

Mental Health First Aid Training Courses e.g.:
https://www.sja.org.uk/courses/workplace-mental-health-first-aid/

Free courses:

Understand the Physiological impact of lockdown on our Wellbeing and Mental Health on Maudsley Learning and Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust’s course (the UK's premier mental health training organisation): https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/psychological-impact-of-covid-19

Help Young People Manage Low Mood and Depression with the University of Reading: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/low-mood-during-covid-19

Manage Mental Health and Stress on Coventry University's course: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/managing-mental-health

In this episode, Didar speaks with Varinder Ünlü about her professional development journey in both teaching and training as well as the importance of inclusion and diversity in ELT at all levels. She explains how she makes an effort to stay current and aware while highlighting how things have changed. She encourages leaders and trainers to adapt to teachers’ needs and teachers to adapt to learners’ needs, and points out that all teachers should believe in themselves, ask for help when they need it, and push for change they want to see instead of waiting for someone else to do it.

Varinder is the coordinator of the IATEFL’s Global Issues Special Interest Group (GISIG) committee: https://gisig.iatefl.org/

Connect with Varinder on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varinder-%C3%BCnl%C3%BC-0238126a/

To find the complete archive of Developod episodes, go to tdsig.org/developod-tdsigs-podcast 

In this episode, you’re going to hear from two of our Early Career Teacher Scholarship winners. 

First is Wing Wu from Hong Kong. Wing actually won the award back in 2023, but was unable to attend the conference until this year. We’re delighted that he was finally able to make it!

Secondly, we’ll hear from Hang Vu from Vietnam, who won the Early Career scholarship for this year. 

It was really great to have all three of our scholarship winners together in Edinburgh, and if you want to join them in 2026, the clock is ticking! The deadline for our 2026 scholarships is the 18th of June. Head to our website TDSIG.org and click on scholarships in the menu to find out how you could be joining us in Brighton next year.

To find the complete archive of Developod episodes, go to tdsig.org/developod-tdsigs-podcast 

In this episode, Helen speaks with Jim Fuller about ways to become a leader in your educational context through your sphere of influence and understanding the culture, social skills, collaboration, and continuous professional development. He encourages us to seek out development opportunities and face challenges, and reminds leaders that the environment that they create has a huge impact on CPD for all.

Jim works as a teacher trainer for The North Station Academy in Zaragoza as well as for Cambridge University Press and Assessment. He’s also completing the NILE MADPLE, with a focus on Trainer Development and Management within ELT, and is the admin coordinator of the TTEdSIG committee.

As mentioned in this episode:

Jim’s blog: spongeelt.org 

Jim’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-fuller/

From teacher to teacher leader by Hayo Reinders: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/from-teacher-to-teacher-leader/80A191805ADF6E900418E692B3C93C1D

NILE MA: 

https://www.nile-elt.com/catalog?pagename=MAProgramme

Cambridge English Professional Development for Language Teachers site:  https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/teaching-english/professional-development/ 

To find the complete archive of Developod episodes, go to tdsig.org/developod-tdsigs-podcast