The Language Lab Podcast

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Grammar is one of those things we assume we understand… until we try to teach it properly.

In this episode of The Language Lab Podcast, I’m joined by literacy educator and author Patty McGee to rethink what grammar actually looks like in the classroom. Moving away from rules, correction, and one-off lessons, Patty shares a much more practical approach — starting with sentences, building understanding over time, and focusing on how grammar helps students make meaning.

We get into why traditional grammar teaching often falls flat, how short, repeated “grammar experiences” can lead to real progress, and why teachers don’t need to know everything to teach it well.

There’s loads here for language teachers too — especially around sentence building, repetition, and how grammar transfers across languages.

If grammar has ever felt like something students should get but don’t… this one’s worth a listen.

🌐 Website: www.languagelabpodcast.co.uk
📚 Patty McGee: https://www.pattymcgee.org
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🎙 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheLanguageLabPodcast

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This week’s episode is something a little different.

Recorded live at ALL Language World 2026, we’re bringing you voices, reflections and moments from across the weekend — from teachers, trainees, researchers and leaders in language education.

You’ll hear what stood out, what people are taking back into their classrooms, and what makes Language World such a unique space for collaboration.

We’ve also got exclusive recordings from the conference itself, including:

The official openingReflections from attendees across the event

And the keynote from Ian Gilbert, exploring motivation, learning, and what sits at the heart of education

As always, it’s a reminder of the energy, generosity and thinking that runs through the languages community.

🔗 Links & More:Find transcripts and more at:👉 www.languagelabpodcast.co.uk

💬 Get involved:Send in a voice note and be part of the conversation.

☕ Support the show:Spotify subscription (£2.99/month), Patreon, or Buy Me a Coffee:https://www.patreon.com/TheLanguageLabPodcasthttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/languagelabpodcast

Next week: Patty McGee on literacy journeys.

If you want it even leaner (Spotify character cap safe), I can compress it further.

Thank you so much to Ian Gilbert of Independent thinking, for his contributions. Please visit his website

https://www.independentthinking.co.uk/

Thank you so much for the support of the ALL for making this episode happen!

Become members below:

https://www.all-languages.org.uk/

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

No full episode this week… and yes, that is entirely on me.

In this short update, I explain why the usual episode isn’t dropping — and what’s coming instead. After recording a lot (read: far too much) at Language World, I’m currently deep in the edit, pulling together something a bit special.

This episode is a quick reflection on an incredible few days — from catching up with familiar faces like Jérôme Noguès, Dr Kedi Simpson, Saleh Patel, Vincent Everett, Marie Massé, Kate Clifton and Jane Driver, to the wider conversations happening across the conference.

More than anything, Language World was a reminder that language teaching is a genuinely collaborative, evolving space — and that the real magic often happens in the conversations between sessions.

Next week, you’ll hear it all:
🎙️ Exclusive recordings from the keynote
🎙️ The co-presidents’ panel
🎙️ Voices from across the conference
🎙️ And the moments that made it all matter

Trust me — it’s worth the wait.

For links, transcripts and more:
👉 www.languagelabpodcast.co.uk

Support the show:
👉 Spotify subscription (£2.99/month)
👉 patreon.com/thelanguagelabpodcast
👉 https://www.buymeacoffee.com/languagelabpodcast

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

German has been declining in UK schools for years — but in many classrooms the fightback is already underway.

In this episode, Will speaks to Isla MacEachern, a German teacher with nearly two decades of experience, contributor to BBC Bitesize, and recipient of the German Embassy Teacher of German Award.

Together they explore what it really takes to keep languages thriving in schools.

They discuss:

• why authentic materials matter in language teaching
• how culture can bring language learning to life
• the realities of German in UK schools today
• how teachers can boost engagement at Key Stage 3
• and why mistakes are essential to language learning

Isla also shares insights from her work writing new BBC Bitesize GCSE German resources, and reflects on how teachers can keep languages relevant, accessible and exciting for pupils.

It’s a conversation about culture, curiosity and the quiet work teachers do every day to keep languages alive.

Next week: a special episode from Language World, including exclusive audio from the President’s Panel.

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Season 6 begins with a big question: what does it actually mean to teach languages like a global citizen?

In this episode of The Language Lab Podcast, Will Marks is joined by Amy Lennon to explore how language teaching can better reflect the wider world our pupils live in. From intercultural understanding to representation in the curriculum, Amy shares practical ways teachers can make meaningful changes without adding to an already heavy workload.

The conversation looks at the realities of primary language teaching, the role of drama in building confidence, and why starting small can often lead to the most powerful changes. As Amy explains in the episode, once you begin looking at your curriculum through this lens, it’s hard to see it any other way.

This conversation was recorded in October, so as always with the podcast there may be moments where events have moved on slightly since recording.

Season 6 is also about bringing more voices into the discussion. If you’d like to share a perspective from your classroom, you can now submit a voice note via the website and become part of the podcast.

For links from today’s episode, transcripts and more, head to
www.languagelabpodcast.co.uk

You can also support the show and get early access to bonus episodes:
patreon.com/TheLanguageLabPodcast
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/languagelabpodcast

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

In Part 2 of my conversation with Kedi Simpson, we move from theory to classroom reality.

We dig into segmentation — what it actually means, why students struggle to “hear” words in the stream of speech, and how listening tasks can either build processing… or just create the illusion of it. We talk about cognitive load, noticing, task design, and why ticking the box isn’t the same as understanding.

If Part 1 challenged how we think about listening, this episode pushes us to rethink how we teach it.

This is also the Season Finale of The Language Lab Podcast. We’re taking a short break and will return on 5th March for Season 6, with exciting news around Language World and some brilliant guests lined up.

During the break, you can submit your own voice note via the website and become part of the conversation next season.

🎙 Links, transcripts, all past episodes and voice note submissions:
www.languagelabpodcast.co.uk

☕ Support the show:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/languagelabpodcast

If this episode made you rethink listening, leave a review and share it with a colleague — it really helps us grow the community.

Season 6 starts 5th March.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Listening is often treated as passive. Dr Kedi Simpson explains why it isn’t.

In part one of this double-bill season finale, Will Marks is joined by Dr Kedi Simpson — head of languages and researcher with a doctorate from the University of Oxford — to unpack what’s really happening when students listen in a language classroom.

This episode digs into why “doing a listening” isn’t the same as teaching listening, how anxiety and segmentation shape comprehension, why mishearings are so revealing, and what practices like dictation and transcripts can tell us about learners’ thinking. It’s practical, thoughtful, and grounded firmly in classroom reality.

Part two drops next week, where the conversation turns to assessment, GCSE listening, and what listening could look like in the future.

For transcripts, links, and to send in your listener voice notes, head to
www.languagelabpodcast.co.uk

Sound engineered by Isla McIntosh
Executively produced by Isla McIntosh & Will Marks

If you enjoy the show, please follow, rate, and review — it really helps.
You can also support the podcast via Spotify subscriptions, buymeacoffee.com/languagelabpodcast.

Keep the conversation going.

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One Lesson a Week — and yet somehow, real progress still has to happen.

In this episode of The Language Lab Podcast, Will Marks is joined by Clare Seccombe, founder of Lightbulb Languages and one of the most influential voices in UK primary languages. Together, they dig into what effective language teaching actually looks like when time is tight, expectations are high, and you’re often the only language specialist in the building.

They explore why listening and phonics have to come first, how oracy builds literacy, and why writing works best when it earns its place rather than being forced in every lesson. Clare shares practical insights from over 30 years in education, including how she plans for progression with just one hour a week, why activities like trapdoor work so well, and what primary languages get right that secondary sometimes forgets.

The conversation also tackles bigger questions around transition from KS2 to KS3, assessment, GCSE, curriculum pressure, and why collaboration between language teachers isn’t optional — it’s essential.

Thoughtful, practical, and refreshingly honest, this episode is essential listening for anyone teaching languages in the real world.

👉 Find transcripts, show notes, and send in a voice note at
www.languagelabpodcast.co.uk

☕ Support the show and keep it going:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/languagelabpodcast

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

In this episode of The Language Lab Podcast, I’m joined by Vincent Everett to explore The Language Snowball — a simple but powerful way of thinking about how language learning actually sticks, grows, or quietly melts away over time.

We talk about curriculum design, communication, spontaneity, GCSE reform, and why learning to use language matters far more than simply learning more of it. Vincent unpacks what happens when pupils don’t have the chance to practise language meaningfully, and what teachers can do to build momentum that lasts beyond the lesson — and beyond the exam.

This is a thoughtful, practical conversation about memory, trust, and what it really means to teach for communication in a system that doesn’t always make that easy.

🎧 Get involved
You can now leave a short voice note via the Language Lab Podcast website — a question, a reflection, something that worked this week, or something you’re still wrestling with. It only takes a couple of minutes and can be completely anonymous.

🔗 Episode links, full transcripts, and voice notes:
www.languagelabpodcast.co.uk

☕ If you’d like to support the podcast:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/languagelabpodcast

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Teaching abroad gets talked about a lot — but what does it actually change about the way you teach languages?

In this episode, I’m joined by Megan Crean, who began her career teaching in Belper before moving to the Cayman Islands and is now teaching IB French in Bogotá. Together, we talk honestly about what teaching abroad really looks like beyond the Instagram version: the paperwork, the uncertainty, the culture shock, and the professional growth that comes with stepping outside the UK system.

We explore the differences between GCSE, IGCSE and IB, why culture and geography aren’t optional extras in language teaching, and what international education can offer teachers who feel ready for something different. Megan also shares practical advice for anyone considering a move abroad, from recruitment agencies to mindset shifts, and reflects on how teaching in different contexts has reshaped her classroom practice.

If you’ve ever wondered whether teaching abroad is for you, or what languages education looks like beyond UK borders, this conversation offers a grounded, thoughtful starting point.

You can find all episodes, transcripts, show notes and submit a listener voice note to join the conversation at www.languagelabpodcast.co.uk

If you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. You can also support the podcast via Buy Me a Coffee at buymeacoffee.com/languagelabpodcast.