Geoff Jordan is a Ph.D. Tutor in distance learning MA TESOL at Leicester University and a self-described anarchist.  His writing on Second Language Acquisition and English Langauge Teaching have earned him a reputation for being outspoken, and his passion for these topics shone through in this conversation.  

We talked about Geoff's history as an EFL teacher and his transition to teaching at the university level and touched on a vast array of research topics in the field of language learning. This one is particularly dense, so you might want to take notes and do some additional reading when you're done watching! The links below will point you in the direction of more depth on many of the topics we discussed  

Links 

 Geoff's Blog:  

Geoff's Book, "Theory Construction in SLA":

A recent article from Geoff on coursebooks:

And his course on TBLT:

Glen Fulcher on the CEFR:

Earl Stevick's "A Way and Ways":

 Works from John Fanselow:

Also mentioned: Long. M. (2007) Problems in SLA. Chapt. 3: Age differences and the sentitive periods controversy in SLA   

Watch the video of this conversation on the Rebel Teacher Network Youtube channel:

Sufyan is a passionate advocate of homeschooling and alternative education, inspired heavily by the works of John Taylor Gatto and Peter Grey. He currently holds a TA position in a UK Primary School.   

Sufyan is currently developing Edukate F1RST, which is intended to give all children the opportunity to identify and unlock their own version of genius by maximising their access to quality material and guidance.  

We talked about Sufyan's decision to homeschool his own children and how his thoughts on education have developed as he has had increasingly varied contact with the mainstream system. We also talked about Sufyan's experience of school as a person of colour in the UK and what that experience is like today.

Links  

Find Sufyan on LinkedIn:

You can watch the videos of these conversations on the Rebel Teacher Network:

A conversation with Emma Cann.  

Emma works with hardworking teachers and school leaders to develop strategies to find the clarity, confidence and calm to face challenges and manage stress without overwhelm or burnout.   

She helps them create healthy, mindful and productive teaching environments which allow passionate professionals to do what they love and have their greatest impact.   

We talked about Emma's journey away from and ultimately back into the classroom, the work she does to provide support and motivation to teachers and the ubiquitous problem of teacher burnout.  

Links  

Emma on LinkedIn:  

Emma on Facebook:

Emma on Twitter:  

Emma's Website:  

A conversation with Anita Modestova.  

Anita Modestova is a CELTA qualified teacher, psychologist and business trainer. She specialises in teaching general English to adults, low levels and also delivers seminars on how to build your career as a self-employed teacher.   

Anita manages her own professional development community for teachers of English - Teachers Teach Teachers: https://teachers-teach-teachers.com/ 

We talked about Anita's experience as an English teacher and occasional Russian teacher, her work in teacher development with Teachers Teach Teachers, and we looked at some of the similarities and differences between our teaching contexts, Indonesia and Russia  

Links

Find Anita on Facebook:

Teachers Teach Teachers:

Teachers Teach Teachers on Facebook:

And on Instagram:

The book Anita talked about is Advising and Supporting Teachers by Dr. Mick Randall:

Watch the video of this conversation on Youtube:

A conversation with Richard Jones-Nerzic.  

Richard is a History Teacher with a particular interest in the philosophy of history education and its relationship to epistemology and identity. He currently teaches in Switzerland and is an experienced teacher of the IB Curriculum. 

 We talked about the development of history as a corse subject in education and the different philosophical approaches to teaching history as well as the increasing influence of the IB curriculum and its strengths as an internationally oriented approach to education.  

Links  

Richard's website:

Richard's Youtube channel:

Schools Across Frontiers: The Story of the International Baccalaureate and the United World Colleges (which we reference in the video):

Watch the video of this conversation on Youtube:

A conversation with Richard O'Neill.  

Richard O'Neill is a master storyteller brought up in the nomadic storytelling tradition. Storytelling is at the heart of his culture and his professional life, where he works with children and adults alike.  

Richard is the author of a number of children's books, and award winning plays for adult audiences, a number of which have been broadcast on national radio. He has been awarded 'National Literacy Hero' status.  

We talk about the value of storytelling on a number of social and cultural levels, how Richard's Nomadic upbringing has affected his professional endeavours and the role of stories in education.  

Links 

Richard's personal website and blog:

Richard's corporate website:

Instructional Coaching with Karl Millsom:

Watch the video of this conversation on Youtube:

A conversation with Hugh Dellar.  

Hugh Dellar has over twenty-five years’ experience in the field and is the co-founder of the online school and training company Lexical Lab. He has co-authored two five-level General English series, Outcomes and Innovations, both published by National Geographic Learning, as well as one level of the high-school series Perspectives.   

His first methodology book, Teaching Lexically, came out via Delta Publishing in 2016. Most recently, he has worked on two levels of the new Pearson General English series, Roadmap.  

We talked about Hugh's experience authoring teaching materials and navigating the publishing industry as well as the value of textbooks in the classroom and the impact of the Lexical Approach on EFL teaching.  

Links  

English Questions Answered, a place for English learners of all levels to ask questions about English usage:

Lexical Lab, Hugh's website and blog packed with teaching resources:

Lexical Lab on Youtube:

and on Facebook:

Sign up to the Lexical Lab mailing list:

Watch the video of this conversation on Youtube:

A conversation with Monica Kochar.  

Monica is a maths educator and teacher trainer who was inspired to be a changemaker for maths curricula after she saw the damage to self esteem caused by bad maths teaching.   

Monica has worked over the years to create her own approach, drawing from many sources, which she calls Humane Maths.   

We talked about the reasons that so many students have an aversion to maths and how to turn that around as well as how she works with other teachers to implement her own approach, Humane Maths, more widely.  

Links  

Monica's Youtube channel:

Monica's Website:

Check out the video of this conversation on Youtube:

A conversation with Emma Hagedorn.  

Emma was born in the Philippines but has lived and taught in Thailand, and now resides in France, where she teaches Early Childhood in an international school. Emma's approach to teaching emphasises cultural diversity, and she truly believes that every child, is different, and every child, is uniquely amazing.

We talked about Emma's career, teaching in different countries and cultures, the challenges and joys of early childhood teaching, and the role of the parent in childhood education.   

Links 

Teach-Connect Worldwide:

TESOL France:  

Filipino Teachers in Thailand:

ESL Hub:

Watch the video of this conversation on the Talking Teaching Youtube channel:

https://youtu.be/l1tA4iAxM8M

A conversation with Jan MacWatters  

Jan has taught in Germany and the US and is now a teacher librarian in Texas.  

We talked about what a teacher librarian is, the value and changing face of libraries and the importance of copyright laws in education. I learned so much in this one, and I hope you do too...  

Links

Jan's professional website

Watch the video of this conversation on Youtube:

https://youtu.be/re3eQ-FNrSk