Advancing Learning Podcast
The Advancing Learning Podcast, hosted by Will Rixon and Harry Waters, is a conversation and debate platform focused on English Language Teaching (ELT). It is part of Macmillan Education's Advancing Learning Academic Programme, which offers teacher training webinars, blog articles, and resources. The podcast aims to share ideas and advance learning in the ELT field.
Episodes
Festival Special - ELT Trends: Past & Future with Pilar Capaul
For this Global Teachers' Festival Special, Harry and Will are joined by the British Council and International House's Pilar Capaul.This episode looks at the role of a trend. While exploring some of today's most talked about subjects, they explore how (and if) discussions being had at conferences and social media transfer to the reality of today's classrooms.What do you think?
S02 E14 Critical Thinking in Language Education
Do you teach critical thinking skills in your classroom? How do you go about it? And why do you feel the need to teach them?The unstoppable Chia Suan Chong at long last joins the Advancing Learning Podcast to discuss what forms critical thinking takes, and how it can be addressed in all its many shapes and forms in today's world.Equip yourself and your students with the skills they need to su
S02 E13 Neurodiversity Questions Answered - ADHD
ADHD expert, Vicky Allan, joins Will and Harry on an episode getting into depth on ADHD, how teachers can identify it, what is actually is (and isn't), and how you can create a learning environment that includes all students present.This is the final part of 3 episodes where we'll be focusing on neurodiversity and the burning questions you had during the festival we just didn't have
S02 E12 Neurodiversity Questions Answered - Dyslexia
World-renowned dyslexia expert Boelo van der Pool joins Will and Harry to share his responses to the enormous number of questions we received about supporting students with dyslexia during the Global Teachers' Festival.This is part 2 of 3 episodes where we'll be focusing on neurodiversity and the burning questions you had during the festival we just didn't have time for!Check out Ma
S02 E11 Neurodiversity Questions Answered - Autism
The wonderfully talented and experienced Claire Hart joins Will and Harry to answer some of the questions you all asked throughout the Global Teachers' Festival around neurodiversity, more specifically, about supporting learners with autism.This is part 1 of 3 episodes where we'll be focusing on neurodiversity and the burning questions you had during the festival we just didn't have
S02 E10 Using Plays to Explore Language and Emotion
Jody Medland joins Will to share his unique experience using manuscripts from plays to allow students to explore them linguistically and also the motivations behind the lines, and therefore, the emotions their character is feeling.Listen as Jody explains his truly awe-inspiring technique to help our learners feel more open and helping teachers get one step closer to an inclusive and open learning
S02 E09 Mindfulness and Its Journey to the Classroom
Mindful learning and mindful practices are gradually becoming a staple of an effective and efficient learning environment. Why has it become so important? Where did it's journey to education start? And why should all teachers be aware of ways to use it to their pedagogical advantage in the classroom?Emma Reynolds tells Harry and Will all in this episode about the history, both ancient and mod
S02 E08 The Autonomous Teenager: Key Ingredients
What does it take for a teenager to be in control of their learning? Is it the subject matter? The pedagogy behind the content? Or is it a simple matter of having a good relationship with the teacher?Karolina Kotorowicz-Jasińska proposes exactly this in an episode digging deep into how and why to tune-in to teenagers to help them get the most out of learning (despite themselves, in some cases).Bro
S02 E07 Results are in!: Teen Emotions Survey Roundtable
Alicja Gałązka picks apart your responses to questions we posed to you in a recent survey aiming to find out more about your experience of teenagers' emotions when they reach teenagehood and how they manifest during learning.What are the most common 'big emotions' your notice in your classroom?What strategies do you use to ensure all students feel included and valued in your classro
S02 E06 Making Learning Meaningful to Engage Your Learners
Monica Rodriguez Salvo joins Will and Harry to delve deep into making learning as relevant as possible to make the absolute best of the time you have with your learners.They discuss if you tap into a student's agency and the things they advocate for, you can find a true purpose for their learning within their own world. The content with which you teach can be based on this information, in ord
S02 E05 Learning Grammar in L1 vs. L2
Anna Parr-Modrzejewska joins Harry and Will in an episode that digs deep into how grammar is taught in a whole variety of circumstances, from L1 to L2, from implicit to explicit instruction, and from younger to more mature learners.What's your opinion on how grammar should be taught?Do you look forward to teaching it, or avoid it wherever possible?This episode is generously brought you by Aca
S02 E04 What's the Point of Assessment?
Pere Cortiella Ibàñez and Will Rixon pull apart the true purpose of assessment why it's regarded in the way it is by all its players: the teacher, the student, the parent, the institution and the government.What is the true purpose of assessment?How does it help the student?How might the process of assessing be improved from all the aforementioned perspectives?
S02 E03 Good results should reflect good learning
The third episode of the Advancing Learning Pod brings Claudia Rey into the fray (rhyming intended). Claudia sets Harry and Will on the straight and narrow with what's important when preparing learners for exams.I'll give you a clue...it's not repeatedly offering exam practice tasks. It starts with 'fee' and ends with 'dback'.This episode is brought to you by Mac
S02 E02 Inclusivity, We All Matter
Do you feel your classroom is inclusive? To what extent? What does 'inclusive' mean to you?Sarah Hillyard joins Will and Harry to discuss the multitude of meanings of 'inclusion' and how this might be achieved in the English language learning environment. This episode is sponsored by Share with Friends, an engaging 7-level primary course that empowers children to speak confiden
S02 E01 Curiosity, Classrooms and Beavers
To kick-off the second season of Macmillan Education's Advancing Learning Podcast, Will and Harry are joined by the Eltonix pair, Sea Steele and Sarah Smith to discuss what curiosity is, how brains work when they're curious and how it can be leveraged as one of the most crucial elements to make learning productive.Learn more about Curious Kids here: https://www.macmillanenglish.com/catal
S01 E16 SDGs: An Infinite Classroom Resource
Harry is joined by Marcela Villan to explore a whole range of classroom ideas that you can use to help your learners to explore the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals in class.Bookmark this session to keep these ideas in your back pocket for future lesson planning and let's make sure we include our learners in making a positive impact on the environment in how they live and be
S01E15 Instagram, Tik-tok & Short-form Content
Claire Bowes, with more than 1.5 million followers across her Instagram and Tik-tok profiles, Englii, joins Will and Harry (not the Princes, the other two) discussing some best practices for getting heard amongst the social media din!They take a closer look at how teachers can get started if your thinking about creating more student-facing English language content for social media, specifically In
S01 E14 Proactively Diminishing Bullying Part 2
For the second part of this conversation with the wonderful Donna Lee Fields, she probes Harry and Will on their own reactions to certain behaviour in the classroom.The 3 of them look at 2 scenarios and how might a teacher label them in order to decide on an appropriate response at the moment it happens.You might also want to know that if this episode is your 'cuppa', then you will almos
S01 E13 Becoming an ELT Author
Ethan Mansur, author of the recently published Ready For C2 joins Harry and Will on the metaphoric sofa, to discuss how he got into authoring (and others might do so) from being a teacher and teacher trainer. Hear from 3 differing perspectives on how a coursebook is written as well as some advice on how you might enter the world of publishing as an author!This episode is brought to you by the Rea
S01 E12 Pronunciation: Get Out of Your Head
Harry and Will are joined by Adrian Underhill, a true icon of pronunciation and a lifelong advocate for supporting our language learners with the relevant knowledge and skills to develop their own pronunciation.The conversation begins with a look a the why behind explicit teaching of pronunciation, quickly followed by how it should be taught, and importantly, how it should not be taught for the le
S01 E11 To C2 or not to C2
Elspeth Pollock (teacher training, assessment and exams extraordinaire) joins Will and Harry for a brilliant discussion about C2 proficiency. They look at the student that has ambitions to achieve a C2 level on paper, and also what it takes to be a teacher preparing students for that paper.This episode is brought to you by Ready For, a course that has been helping students prepare for their exams
S01 E10 Beyond the Classroom: Face-to-face Vs Online CPD
In this second part to the 'Beyond the Classroom' episodes, Harry and Will delve in the wheres, whys and hows of teaching and learning, focusing on the comparisons between face-to-face vs. online teacher training.What do you think? Does online teacher training's convenience compare to the social and collaborative nature of face-to-face training? Do you prefer a networking 3-4 days a
S01 E09 Beyond the Classroom: Expanding Horizons in ELT
From their relatively unique perspectives within the wild world of ELT, Harry and Will discuss the life of a teacher outside the day-to-day of the language learning classroom.This episode looks at some ways teachers might explore to diversify where they take their career outside of the teaching profession itself. Looking at various roles within publishing, teacher training and also a few curve bal
S01 E08 Proactively Diminishing Bullying Part 1
In this standout episode with Harry and Will, we are joined by Donna Lee Fields to get her eye-opening perspective on reinforcing your students positively.This episode looks at so-called 'bullying', and specifically 3 scenarios and how a teacher might respond in order to foster both positive relationships and kind environments.You might also want to know that if this episode is your &apo
S01 E07 Learning to Love Learning
This episode takes us right back to the origins of learning, with our special guests from Eltonix.com, Sea Steel and Sarah Smith.How can a teacher make the best of those natural urges we all had when we first tried to understand the world as babies? What skills can we build on that have already blossomed before they even set foot in a classroom?This session is sponsored by Curious Kids, a dynamic
S01E06 What is Grammar's Role in the ELT Classroom?
With special guest David Spencer joining Harry and Will, listen as they dive into the role of grammar in a classroom of 2023, and if indeed, there is a wrong or right way of approaching grammar instruction.Flipped grammar classroom videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTApB9Jm5oIGateway to the World: https://www.macmillanenglish.com/catalogue/courses/teenagers/gateway-to-the-world/course-inform
S01E05 Representation is More Than a Photo
Is every household the same throughout the world? Does everyone look more or less the same? Do we all think in the same way, roughly? Of course not!In this very special episode, Harry Waters is joined by Tamires Gama, who shares her incredible insights into how a teacher can present the world as it truly is, in terms of the beautiful differences that can and should be represented in classrooms.
S01E04 Teen Perspective: English Skills for Life
How many ways are there to learn a language? Will and Harry are joined by two inspirational guests, Evita and Jan, both of whom have reached a stage in their learning journey where they can confidently and competently tell us all about it. Have a listen to two very different ways that might be taken to reach a goal in language learning!
S01E03 Can Creativity be Learned, or is it Innate?
Of course, there is a pretty obvious answer to this question, but the real question is HOW is creativity learned and, therefore, taught? This episode explores the various ways that teachers could help their learners explore creativity in and out of the classroom.
S01E02 Smartphones in the classroom. Yey or Ney?
Talk about 'splitting the room'...depending on the teacher, one might think that smartphones can provide some really helpful learning opportunities, where another might ban them in the classroom altogether. Join Harry and Will as they pull this argument apart from two differing perspectives.
S01E01 What is the role of an ELT teacher?
ELT teaching is one of those professions that doesn't seem to want to keep still. This episode explores what stage teachers are at right now in terms of their role in the language learning process, and a little reflection on what things were like historically.
S01E00 Teen Focus:The Motivation Mystery
Harry and Will explore their own teenagehood, their own teen classrooms they have taught in and how they developed ways to help teenagers remain motivated and on a path to succeeding in English.
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