Do you know the differences between UK and USA words? Do you use British or American pronunciation? Do you think about the variation in spelling when writing? This week, Gav and Em will answer these questions and demonstrate fun and instructive ways to present and practice British and American English. Also, check out the amazing PingoLearn app to help you or your students improve their pronunciation and build confidence. Transcription with audio: https://share.descript.com/view/pnANOunPR9o⁠ Buy us a tea or coffee: https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

PingoLearn: https://pingolearn.page.link/howtoenglishpod_p

Other references:

Dictionary blog: https://www.dictionary.com/e/british-english-vs-american-english/

Espresso English: https://www.espressoenglish.net/british-english-vs-american-english-pronunciation/

Babbel: https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/what-are-the-differences-between-american-and-british-english

Can social media genuinely improve English teaching and language learning, or is it simply another distraction?

Gav and Em explore how teachers and learners can use Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and messaging apps more effectively. They discuss identifying your audience, defining the purpose of each post and deciding whether you want views, comments, shares, new students or professional connections.

The episode covers recommendation posts, quotations, quizzes, polls, reels, mini grammar lessons, vocabulary videos, podcast clips, testimonials, collaborations, memes and ask-me-anything posts. Gav and Em also consider branding, accessibility, posting times, captions and the importance of offering genuine value.

Several English-teaching content creators share practical examples. Marta from English Smart Llama demonstrates recommendation posts, Vivi from Ki-Bird English shares an attractive quotation graphic, and Mike from Mike English Academy shows how humour and role-play can make vocabulary memorable.

Andy from Andy’s Everyday English explains how learners can use social media wisely. She warns against misleading “Don’t say this; say that” content and encourages learners to follow reliable educators and check whether advice is current, culturally appropriate and useful in context.

Charlotte from English in Athens and Pearl from Pearl English Academy demonstrate how collaborations can connect audiences and teach useful language. Pearl also explains how she uses WhatsApp groups to share assignments, reminders, corrections, audio, video and other learning materials.

Drawing on their own experience, Gav and Em recommend establishing a recognisable style, keeping your message simple, interacting genuinely and creating content you enjoy. The episode concludes with eight practical takeaways and a Learn-A-Word exploration of engage and engagement.

Support the show:
https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Teaching ideas and resources:
https://howtoenglishpod.com

Guests

Marta – English Smart Llama
https://www.instagram.com/english_smart_llama/

Vivi – Ki-Bird English
https://www.instagram.com/kibirdenglish/

Mike – Mike English Academy
https://www.instagram.com/mike_english_academy

Andy – Andy’s Everyday English
https://www.instagram.com/p/CqBJx1jIgRZ/

Charlotte – English in Athens
https://www.instagram.com/english_in_athens/

Pearl – Pearl English Academy
https://www.instagram.com/pearl_english_teacher/

Sergio – Grammar Drops
https://www.youtube.com/@GrammarDrops

References

Social media marketing ideas for language teachers and schools
https://postfity.com/blog/promote-language-school-using-social-media-8-social-media-marketing-tips-language-teachers-schools-case-studies/

Hootsuite social media resources
https://blog.hootsuite.com

Chapters

00:00 Welcome and the importance of getting social
01:30 Choosing your audience, message and outcome
04:10 Likes, comments, saves, shares and views
07:35 Collaborations, products and sponsorship
09:05 Posting times and different time zones
10:55 Choosing useful hashtags
12:45 Branding, consistency and clarity
14:05 Gav’s tip for genuine engagement
15:30 Types of social media content
16:10 Marta’s recommendation post
18:00 Vivi’s quotation graphic
20:10 Quizzes that encourage comments
22:15 Reels, film clips and mini-lessons
23:10 Mike’s humorous vocabulary video
25:00 Reusing content and improving accessibility
27:35 Andy’s how-to video for learners
29:15 Red flags and unreliable advice
32:15 Stories and interactive polls
34:10 Collaborating with English teachers
37:00 Using WhatsApp groups with students
39:20 Milestones, memes and testimonials
42:00 Ask-me-anything posts and choosing platforms
43:30 Eight practical social media takeaways
46:15 Learn-A-Word: engage and engagement

Do you use social networks for your teaching and learning? How many different types of posts are there and what are the benefits of each? Take a trip with Gav & Em and their amazing social media influencers as they present the advantages of using social media for language learning and teaching. Transcription with audio: https://share.descript.com/view/jQa22w4c6Wh Buy us a coffee or tea: https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Guests:

Marta at English Smart Llama https://www.instagram.com/english_smart_llama/

Andy at Andy's Everyday English https://www.instagram.com/p/CqBJx1jIgRZ/

Charlotte at English in Athens https://www.instagram.com/english_in_athens/

Pearl at Pearl English Academy https://www.instagram.com/pearl_english_teacher/

Sergio at Grammar Drops: https://www.youtube.com/@GrammarDrops

Other references

https://postfity.com/blog/promote-language-school-using-social-media-8-social-media-marketing-tips-language-teachers-schools-case-studies/

https://blog.hootsuite.com

Do filler words and discourse markers make spoken English less accurate, or do they help us communicate more naturally?

Gav and Em explore expressions such as like, um, you know, I mean and so with sociolinguist Valerie Fridland, author of Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English. Valerie explains why these often-criticised features perform important jobs in conversation, from filling pauses and connecting ideas to expressing attitudes and making speech less robotic.

Why do younger speakers use like so frequently? Is it simply a sign of hesitation? Valerie examines its surprisingly long history and explains its different functions: giving an approximation, introducing an idea, expressing uncertainty and reporting the gist of what someone said.

Drawing on their classroom experience, Gav and Em consider why fluent learners can still sound unusually direct or unnatural. They share practical ways to teach filler words, discourse markers and active-listening responses without encouraging students to overuse them.

You’ll hear a classroom activity based on common English fillers and ideas for practising oh, you know, I mean and so. Gav and Em also demonstrate how learners can keep conversations moving through interest sounds, auxiliary questions, echoing and open questions.

The episode finishes with Learn-A-Word, examining the differences between kind, affectionate, amiable, charitable, compassionate, considerate, cordial, courteous, sympathetic and tolerant.

If you find the show useful, you can send us a thanks at https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Visit https://howtoenglishpod.com for practical English-teaching ideas and resources ready to use.

Valerie Fridland and episode resources

Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English:
https://www.amazon.com/Like-Literally-Dude-Arguing-English/dp/0593298322

Language in the Wild:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/language-in-the-wild

Valerie Fridland at The Great Courses:
https://www.thegreatcourses.com/professors/valerie-fridland/

Grammar Girl Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grammar-girl-quick-and-dirty-tips-for-better-writing/id173429229

15 Common English Filler Words You Should Know:
https://speechling.com/blog/15-common-english-filler-words-you-should-know/

Gav’s filler-word classroom activity:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1rYcCuH753GD55x_l2DbiIVgIakPOZbNJCgDOaNsguLc/edit?usp=sharing

Additional classroom activities

Cutting Edge Intermediate, 1B: Three Person Snap
Cutting Edge Pre-Intermediate, 3B: Neither Do I
New English File, Second Edition, Upper-Intermediate, 1B: Auxiliary Verbs

Chapters

00:00 What are filler words and discourse markers?
03:00 Valerie Fridland explains why fillers matter
04:38 The history and different uses of like
08:12 Using like to report speech
09:55 Why fillers make learners sound more natural
14:46 When should students use filler words?
16:23 How often do Gav and Em use fillers?
18:11 Classroom activity with oh, you know, I mean and so
23:51 Teaching learners to show interest
26:46 Avoiding unnatural or sarcastic responses
28:17 Keeping conversations going with auxiliary questions
29:42 Using echoing and open questions
31:44 Learn-A-Word: different meanings related to kind
35:28 Final resources and thanks

Do you use filler words and discourse markers? Do you teach and learn them in your classroom? This is Gav & Em's discussion topic today. Featuring a very special guest, Valerie Fridland, a sociolinguist studying the interactions between language and society and the author of the hilarious and educational book Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English (Viking). In today's show, Valerie explains the uses of one of the most common filler words, like. We hope you, like, enjoy the show, Gav & Em. Transcription with audio: https://share.descript.com/view/p4KnOH8DHdB Buy Gav & Em a coffee or tea: https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

ttps://www.thegreatcourses.com/professors/valerie-fridland/

Grammar Girl Podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grammar-girl-quick-and-dirty-tips-for-better-writing/id173429229

Speechling.com article:

Gav's activity based on Speechling's article:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1rYcCuH753GD55x_l2DbiIVgIakPOZbNJCgDOaNsguLc/edit?usp=sharing

Auxiliary activities:

Cutting Edge, Intermediate, 1B. Three Person Snap

Cutting Edge, Pre-Intermediate, 3B. Neither do I

New English File, 2nd Edition, Upper-Intermediate, 1B. Grammar - Auxiliary verbs

How can online teachers manage lessons, payments, calendars and students without constantly switching between different platforms?

Gav and Em examine the organisational challenges faced by freelance English teachers. Gav teaches through six different video platforms and accepts payments through Stripe, PayPal and bank transfers, while Em relies partly on a weekly paper timetable and Post-it notes. Cancellations, rescheduled lessons, missed notifications and competing calendar invitations can quickly make online teaching administration confusing.

They are joined by Alvaro Salvat, CEO of vei, to explore how an all-in-one platform could help teachers and other education professionals run their businesses. At the time of recording, vei brought together course creation, scheduling, video lessons, payments, email campaigns, student management and business tracking.

Alvaro explains the differences between vei’s free and premium options, its integrations with services such as Zoom, Google Meet, Google Calendar and Stripe, and how teachers can create a public profile where prospective students can view courses and book lessons. He also discusses discovery calls, data protection, customer support and the referral programme.

Gav and Em then walk through the process of creating an online group conversation course. They choose the class size, video platform, schedule, payment method, course description and image before producing a link that can be shared through social media or an email campaign.

Can one platform genuinely make an online teacher’s working life more organised? This episode offers an honest look at Gav and Em’s existing systems and the practical tools that vei provided.

Check out vei using the link here:
https://app.vei.live/referral/d37j2m

If you find the show useful, you can send us a thanks at https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Visit https://howtoenglishpod.com for practical teaching ideas and resources ready to use.

Chapters

00:00 How organised are Gav and Em?
01:06 Managing six online teaching platforms
03:11 Payments, lesson invitations and calendar problems
05:20 Why online teaching administration becomes confusing
06:18 Introducing Alvaro Salvat and vei
07:03 How an all-in-one platform supports teachers
08:27 Free and premium membership options
09:21 Video platforms, support and data protection
11:06 Discovery calls, student access and calendars
12:36 The vei referral and affiliate programme
13:24 Setting up an account and tracking payments
14:36 Public teacher profiles, video lessons and invoicing
16:12 Creating an online group conversation course
18:39 Sharing courses and keeping everything together
19:31 Final thoughts on becoming more organised

How can psychology help us understand language learning and create more effective English lessons?

In their 100th episode, Gav and Em explore three major types of behavioural learning: classical conditioning, operant conditioning and observational learning. What do these psychological concepts mean, and how might teachers already be using them in the classroom?

Drawing on their classroom experience, Gav and Em turn the theory into practical activities. They explore how teachers can help learners develop more positive associations with stressful situations such as presentations, first lessons and job interviews. Their unusual interview questions involving elephants, superhero powers and garden gnomes show how humour can reduce anxiety before learners tackle more challenging questions.

For operant conditioning, Em introduces a pronunciation maze from Pronunciation Games. Correctly matching sounds allows learners to progress through the maze, while mistakes require them to reconsider their choices. Gav and Em also discuss how praise, correction, points and other classroom responses can reinforce learning.

Observational learning is demonstrated through imitation activities involving film titles, pronunciation, sentence stress, connected speech and grammar. Em then challenges Gav to repeat and answer increasingly complicated “Would you prefer...?” questions using the second conditional.

Special guest Katy from Langscapes English explains why motivation supports long-term language learning. She introduces the L2 Motivational Self System and leads listeners through a visualisation activity designed to build confidence. Can imagining yourself speaking English successfully help you stay motivated and achieve your goals?

The episode finishes with Learn-A-Word and the pronunciation, meaning and word family of analyse, analysis, analyst and analytical.

If you find the show useful, you can send us a thanks at https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Visit https://howtoenglishpod.com for practical teaching ideas and resources ready to use.

Guest

Katy at Langscapes English:
https://langscapesenglish.com/
https://www.instagram.com/katy_langscapes/

References and activities

Kendra Cherry’s introduction to the psychology of learning:
https://www.verywellmind.com/learning-study-guide-2795698

Funny interview questions:
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/funny-interview-questions

Pronunciation maze:
Pronunciation Games, Cambridge

Would You Prefer...?
English File, Oxford, Second Edition, Intermediate, page 183

Chapters

00:00 Celebrating the 100th episode
03:37 Katy introduces motivation and successful language learning
05:28 The L2 Motivational Self System
06:46 Visualising yourself speaking English confidently
08:39 Gav and Em reflect on visualisation and long-term motivation
10:51 What is the psychology of learning?
11:36 Three types of behavioural learning
13:32 Classical conditioning in English lessons
14:50 Reducing interview anxiety through positive associations
18:04 Funny interview questions and classroom confidence
23:19 Operant conditioning, rewards and correction
25:21 Using a pronunciation maze to reinforce learning
29:10 Observational learning through imitation
30:25 Film titles, connected speech and grammar
37:04 Would You Prefer questions and the second conditional
41:30 Final reflections and teaching takeaways
42:06 Learn-A-Word: analyse, analysis and analytical
44:40 End

Welcome, everybody! Do you know the three major types of behavioral learning? Do you use any of these in your classroom? This week's episode takes Gav & Em on a deep dive into the psychology of learning languages. Plus, a motivational talk from their special guest, Katy from langscapesenglish.com, who leads us onto a path of reflection and confidence building. Enjoy the show! Transcription with audio: https://share.descript.com/view/dwDBnqXBBlu Buy Gav & Em a hot beverage here: https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Katy's links:

https://langscapesenglish.com/

https://www.instagram.com/katy_langscapes/

Kendra Cherry's article:

https://www.verywellmind.com/learning-study-guide-2795698⁠

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/funny-interview-questions

Em's activities:

Pronunciation maze from Pronunciation Games, Cambridge

Would you prefer...? English File, Oxford, 2nd Edition, Intermediate, page 183

What kind of English learner are you, and how can teachers adapt their lessons to different learner types?

Gav and Em are joined by Vivi from Ki-Bird English to explore how learners’ ages, personalities, objectives and previous experiences can affect their progress. They consider young learners, young adults and adult students studying general or Business English, while asking an important question: why does each learner want to improve their English?

Some students need English for an exam, university, travel or professional opportunities. Others want to maintain their level, communicate with international colleagues or simply feel more confident when using English abroad. Learners may also have lessons because of pressure from parents or employers rather than their own motivation.

Drawing on their classroom experience, Gav and Em discuss the challenges teachers can encounter. What happens when a beginner lacks confidence or wants a teacher who speaks their first language? How can teachers manage dominant and shy personalities in the same group? What if a learner resists correction, depends heavily on translation or analyses every piece of language?

The conversation also considers personality clashes, different teaching preferences, inappropriate behaviour and the importance of understanding what each student hopes to achieve.

Stay until the end for Learn-A-Word, when Em examines the different meanings and uses of “objective”.

Ki-Bird English

Website: https://ki-bird.com.br/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kibirdenglish/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KiBirdEnglish

If you find the show useful, you can send us a thanks at https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Visit https://howtoenglishpod.com for practical teaching ideas and resources ready to use.

Chapters

00:00 Different types of English learners
38:35 Learn-A-Word: objective