The English Language T-Ching

011 Karate ... and the Politics of the Language Classroom

What makes karate classes so different from language teaching lessons? What does this suggest about the value of learner-centredness, choice, decision-making and self-discipline? Should we approach different types of classroom subject in different ways? Who has the power in a classroom? Who decides the goals and the route? If you have a question, suggestion or comment we'd love to hear from you. Write to: adrianandjimpodcast@gmail.com

010 Praise, Encouragement, Feedback and Power

Adrian worries about whether he should have praised his four-and-a-half year old grandson's map-reading skills. He relates this to his own attitude to praise, encouragement and feedback in the classroom. Should we praise in class? Or does praising reduce the learner's ability to recognise and value their own achievements? If you have a question, suggestion or comment we'd love to hear from you. Write to: adrianandjimpodcast@gmail.com

009 Slow Learning

What do we miss when we speed through our coursebook pages? Does a “fast lesson” reduce the quality of experience for teachers and learners?  Is there time in our busy classrooms for “slow learning”? Could going slow actually be pacier and less boring than going fast? The article Adrian refers to is at: Slow learning - by Alexandra Mihai - The Educationalist [https://educationalist.substack.com/p/slow-learning] If you have a question, suggestion or comment we'd love to hear from you. Write to: adrianandjimpodcast@gmail.com

008 Movement in ELT

This episode we're following a suggestion from one of our listeners - Thanks, Elvira! We're looking at how much movement and physicality play a role in the ELT classroom. If you have a question, suggestion or comment we'd love to hear from you. Write to: adrianandjimpodcast@gmail.com

007 Intuition ... Morphic Resonance and a Supposition

What is intuition? How can a student access it? Does intuition come from our store of previous experiences or might it be something more esoteric? Could intuition be tapping into some universal field? Might it be similar to Rupert Sheldrake's idea of Morphic Resonance? Even if these ideas are nuts, what would happen if we went into class as if they were true?