Language Fuel Podcast

This week, we conclude our three-part mini-series on classroom management, which I have framed as a leadership issue. I propose that with great leadership skills, you can engage students in your lessons, and see results. We have been looking at classroom leadership through the lens of John C. Maxwell's "5 Levels of Leadership", as you can read about here: http://www.johnmaxwell.com/blog/5-levels-of-leadership

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This week, we continue our three-part mini series on classroom management, which I am framing as a leadership issue. I propose that with great leadership skills, you can engage students in your lessons, and see results. We are looking at classroom leadership through the lens of John C. Maxwell's "5 Levels of Leadership", as you can read about here: http://www.johnmaxwell.com/blog/5-levels-of-leadership

Last time, we looked at levels 1 and 2 (Position and Permission) and discussed what that meant for classroom teachers. In this episode, we focus on level 3, Production, which is where most of the traditional techniques for classroom management lie.

Classroom management is an issue that I have seen many teachers ask about in various online communities I'm part of. Given how frequently this comes up, I have decided to record a mini 3-part podcast series on it. I'd like to suggest that rather than focusing their attention on how to "manage" a class, teachers should think about how to engage students, and I propose this is a leadership issue. So our mini series will look at classroom leadership through the lens of John C. Maxwell's "5 Levels of Leadership" as published here : http://www.johnmaxwell.com/blog/5-levels-of-leadership

In this first episode, we talk about levels 1 and 2, which are Position and Permission.

If you want to be a better language teacher, be a language learner. In this episode, I first share some reflections on a teacher training day I recently attended. It's always great to have input with fresh ideas, and to be able to discuss things with other teachers. While pursuing ongoing professional development is important, my number one tip for language teachers is actually: Practice language LEARNING. Through language learning, we are reminded first hand, and get to know deeply, what it's like to acquire language. I reflect on my recent experiences in continuing my language learning practices in Spanish, German and Maori. These experiences have reminded me about some core language acquisition principles, and they have highlighted how easy it can be to get access to other languages with the use of modern tools.

Most teachers teach new words in every single lesson, so it pays to have a really great system in place. In this episode, I outline a great 6-step process for teaching new words, and list a couple common pitfalls to avoid. This is actually part of a series of mini courses we've developing in our ELT Training Library, so feel free to go check them out!

Download the process summary here, so you can prepare your next lesson with confidence!

Pete is somewhat of an expert in preparing students for the International English Language Testing System Exam, also known as the IELTS exam. He is the author of a free IELTS course online, located at http://www.freeieltscourse.com/ and he also has a YouTube Channel where he gives feedback on students' IELTS speaking activities, which is an excellent resource for both English learners and teachers alike. This work has gained him a nomination in the ELTons awards, the only international awards that recognize great practice in the English Language Teaching industry worldwide. We talk about how he got into the IELTS scene, what is on his website and YouTube channel, and we hear about some fun stuff, like the rap he created with Fluency MC.

This week for our podcast, we've got something a little different. My youngest daughter, Tessa, has recently been working on a speech to give at her primary school. Of her own accord, she chose the topic of "why everyone should learn a new or second language". I thought you might enjoy hearing a 10-year-old's perspective on a few language learning ideas, including what it has been like learning Spanish via Duo Lingo at home. (You may recall in one of our earlier episodes I mentioned that we're using Duo Lingo as a family to learn Spanish.)

It's a super-short episode this week (5 minutes). Enjoy!

It's the beginning of the school year for folks in the northern hemisphere. Amidst all the angst and excitement, we bring to you 8 key classroom management tips for teachers to remember as you get started with new groups of students. These tips are written by teachers, for teachers, so if you're just starting out, learn from those who have gone before!

In one tip, a teacher mentions body language for confidence. Find out more at: https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are

To download a summary of these 8 classroom management tips, click here.

Do you ever get stuck planning your lessons? In this episode, we present a lesson planning process which can apply to all different kinds of lessons; whether skills based (reading, writing, listening or speaking) or vocabulary or grammar based. The lesson planning process involves 6 steps. While it can be a lot of work to start off with, over time, it will become very easy. Click here to download a summary of the lesson planning process. There are two versions for you. You can use one to stick on the inside of your planning notebook, and the card can serve as a reminder in your wallet, or stuck to the side of your computer monitor.

Using your teacher talk wisely is an important skill for language teachers to develop. Teachers use language for giving instructions as well as for providing a model of the target language. When giving instructions, it's very important to make good choices around which language you will use, how many words you will use, and what gestures you will use to accompany your instructions. By being consistent with your teacher talk and body language, you can very successfully teach a language without needing much input in the students' mother tongue. This is certainly important for teachers teaching their local language to migrants, but just as important for teachers teaching a foreign language to students who share a language with them. I suggest recording yourself, either with audio or video where possible, to really see how you perform as a teacher.