Language Fuel Podcast

Are you thinking of becoming a language teacher? Or are you a language teacher thinking of changing jobs? Today, we talk about transferable skills that language teachers have, which can be used in any profession. It's worth giving language teaching a try, to develop these skills, and if you chose to leave the profession at any time, you can be confident that you have a bunch of skills to take with you in your next career move. The skills you develop as a language teacher include organization skills, people skills, personal skills and language skills. Of course you won't have them all when you first start out, so make an effort to improve yourself whenever you can. We encourage you, of course, to check out the courses on offer at the Language Fuel Academy. 

Today I follow up on our previous podcast, and complete the review of Duolingo, including some information about what it CAN'T do for language learners. Last time, we talked about some great features of the Duolingo app, in terms of software design, e-learning features, and second language acquisition ideas.  While I love the app, there are some things it can't do, and I go into these by looking at a variety of lenses through which one can view language, from phonetics right through to historical linguistics and seeing what aspects of language Duolingo is teaching, and recognize what it is not teaching. 

Have you ever tried Duolingo? Over 100 million people have, including my whole immediate family. I have been surprised at how good this app is, after initially dismissing it. In this episode, I share with you a bunch of great features of the app, including software design features, e-learning features, and second language acquisition features which all combine to make this a winning product. I recommend learners use it to supplement other language practice activities, and teachers should check out Duolingo for schools, where they can set up their own class on it. No, I'm not affiliated with Duolingo in any way, I've just been mighty impressed by the product, and wanted to share. 😊

What criteria should you use to choose a new textbook for your language class? We talk through a list, and explain why each criterion is important. We look at pedagogical issues around listening, speaking, reading and writing, and we look at practical issues, such as online components, price and availability. Download the criteria checklist today, and make sure you put it to good use next time you are responsible for selecting new textbook to use in your language class.

Ever wanted to teach English overseas? Meet Jackie Bolen. Jackie is from Canada, and spent over 10 years teaching English in South Korea. Although she originally went to Korea without any formal teaching qualification, during her time, she went ahead and qualified with a CELTA and a DELTA, both internationally recognized qualifications for teaching English to Adults. Now she spends her time, among other things, supporting English teachers with great resources online, and also providing information on the English teaching scene in Korea. Jackie's websites include www.jackiebolen.com and www.eslactivity.org and www.eslspeaking.org and www.teachinginkoreanuniversity.com. Listen to the interview to hear about Jackie's experiences teaching abroad, and her tips for anyone else considering doing the same.

Matariki is here! Matariki is the Maori new year, the season of the winter solstice, or summer solstice, if you are in the Northern Hemisphere. In line with this solar occasion, we reflect on rhythms, both macro and micro rhythms, and we look at ways that we as language teachers can make use of these rhythms, so they work for us, not against us. Take time out today to reflect on how you can become more in tune with your own personal rhythms, at both the macro and micro levels.

What different networks do you belong to? Networking can be a powerful tool for your professional and personal life. We discuss the different types of networks, different social roles that people play in networks, and some tips for networking. Why not connect with us on social media, too, as a first step towards increasing your own professional network? We're on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Should you allow your language learners to use dictionaries in their assessments? Does it matter whether students use electronic dictionaries or apps, or a printed one, in book format? How much should a student rely on dictionaries? What dictionary skills should teachers teach their students? We discuss these questions today, and also let you know about some cool courses we've just finished at the Language Fuel Academy. Check them out at www.languagefuelacademy.com and if you are looking for a great set of class dictionaries for your students, feel free to browse www.resourceroom.co.nz for ideas, or contact us at [email protected].

Today we talk about conflict – in particular, understanding causes of conflict, and 5 styles of conflict resolution. All teachers at some point have to manage conflict both within their classes, and with colleagues and managers.

We look at a very quick overview of 'Face Negotiation Theory' which talks about 6 core identities that can be threatened, which leads to conflict. Then, when looking at 5 styles of confict resolution, we look at some examples of when each style is called for, and when to recognise that you're using that style too much.

To read more about the ideas in this podcast, start with:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Face_negotiation_theory

To download a summary document with these ideas, click here

Immersion experiences can be hugely instrumental for language learners, providing a big boost to their language capability, and they are often described as life changing. But what if immersion experiences are simply unrealistic, due to distance and expense? I suggest that all language learning experiences can be put on an 'immersion continuum', and I encourage teachers to think about how they can push their activities one notch further along that continuum, in order to create more authentic and closer-to-immersion experiences as possible for their students.

Download the infographic which accompanies this podcast HERE.