TEFL Commute
TEFL Commute is a podcast aimed at language teachers, offering light-hearted conversation to brighten the daily commute to class. Each episode centers on a topic that can be used in teaching, with accompanying articles, questions, and resources on the podcast's website. Listeners are encouraged to contribute their own mp3 snippets for future episodes or suggest topics. Hosted by Lindsay, Shaun, and James, the show is more about enjoying the listen than strictly about language teaching.
Episodes
TEFL Commute S17 ep6
It's the last one of this run, we reflect on our AI influenced season experiment and play a game of AI inspired 'would you rather'. See you for season 18
TEFL Commute S17 ep 5
.....in which we change the AI asking us questions and as a result find out what would be in a staffroom vending machine, as well as talk far too long about board markers. We also discuss which model verbs, and rename the present perfect…..towards the end we go bananas
TEFL Commute S17 ep 4
.......in which the chatbot combines two of our favourite things - board gaming and teaching English. Among other things, we answer what game mechanics might work best in the classroom, and whether teachers are dungeon masters!
TEFL Commute S17 ep 3
....in which the chatbot makes us consider irregular verbs, what our teacher face looks like, and what phrases we over use. We also find out why water and toilets play part of our teaching routines and if we correct our friends grammar.
TEFL Commute S17 ep 2
....in which the chatbot throws up questions about ELT as a reality show and a fictional novel. It also asks how we'd explain ELT to an alien using only mine and gets us to explore our stick figure board work.
TEFL Commute S17 ep 1
It's been a while but we're back. Welcome to season 17 of the TEFL commute in which a chatbot decides the content. In this episode amongst other things it asks us about a new language we'd like to learn, if we could speak in passive for a whole day, the rise of edutainment, what our whiteboard writing reveals, and what we'd befriend on a desert island.....
TEFL Commute S16E04 - Snow
In the deep mid-winter it’s time for the TEFL commute to talk about snow. Lindsay, Sandy Shaun bring you a snow-filled this episode, considering what has happened to Snow days, discussing words for snow as well as brining you staple commute fair such as quizzes and jokes.
TEFL Commute S16E03 - Gifts
Given its holiday time we thought it was apt to give you all a gift - a new episode on the topic of gifts and gift giving. In this episode Ceri, Lindsay and Sandy discuss the ethics and their experiences of gift giving for educators, before discuss and rating various types of gift. Happy Holidays listeners!
TEFL Commute S16E02 - Sports
Despite 15 seasons talking of all things ELT, the podcast has never tackled the ELT staple of sport so this episode rectifies that. Ceri, Lindsay and Shaun tackle (see what I did there😉) the topic deciding how sporty they are, and what they love and hate about teaching sports. They also talk about sports words and idioms before unbelievably letting shaun talk about cricket!
TEFL commute S1601 - Commute revisited
It's time for season 16 and the 108th episode of the TEFL commute. We kick off the new season by revisiting our very first episode - commute. Lindsay, Shaun and Ceri talk about what has changed since then, and what the commute to work looks like now. We examine some of the things we said in episode 1 and wonder why we aren't now commuting by jetpack!
TEFL commute season 15 ep7
Greetings commuters, here’s an another episode in our eclectic look at things related to English teaching. In this episode Lindsay wants to discuss military language, which leads Shaun to go all woke and discuss something he found on violent language before the resident tefl commute nerd, Ceri, gives us a lesson on portmanteaus.
TEFL Commute season 15 ep6
Our latest episode is a bit like the old days - just Shaun and Lindsay both with something to get off their chests. Shaun gets all sweary by considering if certain words are still taboo or not, and Lindsay's turns part film reviewer with his overview of the film the whale. Listen to find out what he thought of the portrayal the English teacher within that.
TEFL Commute Season 15 ep5
We'll call this one the lost episode, it was recorded in December last year but for various reasons it got forgotten about and never got uploaded. In it Sandy, Ceri and Lindsay talk continue our eclectic topic for this season bringing you chat about AI, wonky English and erm Taylor Swift.
TEFL Commute Season 15 ep4
In episode 4, Lindsay provokes memories of first resource books, and reintroduces us to a profound dictation about guns. Ceri, avoids world cup fever by talking about dominant grammar and teaching us some Welsh, and Shaun explores the different chosen words of the year. NB this episode was recorded before one dictionary announced their choice.
TEFL Commute season 15 ep 3
It’s episode 3 and in it you’ll find Lindsay talking about vegetables, in particular vegetable metaphors. We’ll also discover Ceri spends a lot of time on Tik Tok allegedly researching quiet quitting, and Shaun has more than a small bone to pick about the prefix micro. Enjoy our latest eclectic gathering.
TEFL Commute season 15 ep2
In episode 2, Ceri, Lindsay, and Shaun once more bring an eclectic mix of topics to the table. Ceri wants to talk Literacy, while Lindsay tells us about a simulation he has been running, and Shaun shares his refound love of interactive fiction. Add into all that a quiz and some algorithm and hat’s your episode 2 sorted. Enjoy.
Episode 100: TEFL Commute 100th Episode
Season 14 episode 7: Numbers is the last episode for this season and marks the 100th episode of our podcast. To celebrate the 100, we've done an episode on numbers. In this roundtable each of the team brings some numbers related to teaching to discuss. Since it is a milestone episode we also look back over some of our episodes and Shaun quizzes the team on TEFL commute related numbers. Enjoy our
Episode 99: Season 14 Episode 6: Party
In this episode the team show they have the finger on the pulse of politics by talking about parties. Lindsay decides he wants to dissect 10 Downing street’s party invite and this leads into a discussion about the party vocabulary, the language of the parties, and ELT and parties (both political and the fun kind) in ELT. Get ready for the TEFL commute does discourse analysis!
Episode 98: Season 14 episode 5: Drama
We’re back after our mid-season break and we’re getting all dramatic. In this episode Ceri, Lindsay and Shaun discuss drama and ELT. Are they ELT thesps? Do they use drama? What are the benefits? In addition Lindsay tells us about academic drama and Shaun finds out if they other two can recognise a Shakespeare quote.
Episode 97: Season 14 Episode 4: Hotch Potch
We reach the half way point of the current season just in time for the festive season. In this episode the TEFL commute gang foolishly leave Shaun alone in a zoom room so expect some terrible jokes at some point. In a different type of episode each of the regular commuters has their own little section as the commute team get ready for their Xmas Breaks.
Episode 96: Season 14 Episode 3: Volunteering
In this episode the TEFL commute gang talk about volunteering and ELT. They start by talking about asking for volunteers in class before discussing their volunteering within the world of TEFL and how volunteering might be different to having a hobby.
Episode 95: Season 14 Episode 2: Authors
In this episode, Lindsay Ceri and Sandy talk about authors and English language teaching. Did you know there are many famous authors who taught English? Why do materials writers not always consider themselves authors? We also have an interview with an English teacher who went into materials writing and then wrote a novel. And Sandy leads a classic TEFL commute quiz about books and writers and tea
Episode 94: Season 14 Episode 1: Cheerful
We're back, it's our 14th season and we get underway by discussing reasons to be cheerful. After nearly two years of the pandemic, lockdown, online teaching and very little commuting we begin this season by looking at some of the positives we've taken from this time.
Episode 93: Season 13 Episode 6: Words
We bring our 13th season to a close with our round table episode. This season we talk words, words we like, words we don't like, words that have caught our attention and words that don't translate. The team are joined by @lexicojules to add a touch of gravitas to their discussions and get some insight into which of our chosen words might hang around. See you in the Autumn.
Episode 92: Season 13 Episode 5: Young
From old to young – in this episode the topic of teaching most certainly comes up as Lindsay Sandy, Shaun discuss teaching young learners. They discuss many aspects of the topic from looking at what ages are considered YL to if there is a point that is too young to learn a second language. The episode also features several YL trainers whose contributions give practical advice to those teaching
Episode 91: Season 13 Episode 4: Old
Are the TEFL Commute crew feeling their age? In this episode Ceri, Lindsay and Shaun discuss language associated with 'old', and consider language teaching with older students. Lindsay chats with Mark McKinnon about what it's like to teach senior learners, and Shaun leads the team through an Olde English quiz.
Episode 90: Season 13 Episode 3: Plateau
In episode 3, Shaun and Lindsay return to find themselves stuck on a plateau so use this as an opportunity to discuss what the so-called Intermediate plateau is in language learning, how it happens and what things can be done to try and avoid / get off it.
Episode 89: Season 13 Episode 2: Women
In this episode, we celebrate International Women’s Day with a takeover by Sandy Millin and Ceri Jones. They look at the history of the day, talk about their experiences as women in ELT, reflect on representation in ELT, and maintain the TEFL Commute tradition by having not one, but two quizzes!
Episode 88: Season 13 Episode 1: Animals
Our 13th season begins by looking at animals. Lindsay ponders when we teach animal vocabulary, while Shaun gets carried away with onomatopoeic sounds. After joining us at the end of the last season, we welcome Sandy back with her new feature. Add in some quizzes, idioms and collective nouns and we have a bumper first episode of the season,
Episode 87: Season 12 Episode 5: Podcasts
It’s the final episode of season 12 so it’s our traditional round table (well, round zoom) episode. This season’s theme is podcasts with Shaun and Lindsay joined by James, and a new additional to the TEFL commute team. This year’s rules are simple – bring one podcast related to language, one about teaching and one you’d recommend to others. So come listen and find out what we’ve chosen
Episode 86: Season 12 Episode 4: Adventure
In the penultimate episode of the season, Shaun and Lindsay discuss adventure. They look at how TEFL is often marketed as an adventure, and the part adventure plays in course materials as well as discussing how to go about utilising ‘adventure’ with students from timeless classroom activities through to the latest craze of escape rooms.
Season 12 Episode 2: Dictator
In the week of the US election it seemed fitting to do an episode called dictator but don’t worry, we are not giving him too much airtime. While we do look at Trump's impact on the English language, the episode also discusses authoritarian teachers, and explores the use of dictation as a teaching activity.
Season 12 Episode 1: Normal
Shaun and Lindsay kick off the 12th season of the TEFL commute by discussing ‘normal’. The talk about the use of the word ‘normal’, and discover the phrase ‘ the new normal’ is older than it seems. Lindsay regales Shaun with a tale of Mr. Average, and since it’s a new season we even let Producer James join the episode.
Who’s zooming who? The future
In the final instalment of our mini-series Shaun and Lindsay take ten-minutes to discuss the future. With lockdown beginning to undo in many places and schools working out how to start up again we discuss some of the ideas that have been suggested
Who’s zooming who? Breaks
In our penultimate instalment Lindsay and Shaun discuss taking breaks. We consider how to ensure that we take break in and between lessons and little trips for our well-being.
Who’s zooming who? Slow
In this instalment Lindsay and Shaun talk slow. No that will never happen, they only have ten minutes afterall. By slow we mean what to do when the internet slows. Lindsay gives you tips on making sure you have enough bandwidth while shaun gives you some ideas to help you with students on a slow connection.
Who’s zooming who? Breakout Rooms
It's WZW 12 and this time Lindsay and Shaun talk about breakout rooms. In the ten minutes they cover What they are? How they work? And of course things that they are good for from jigsaw reading through to escape room games.
Who’s zooming who? Sounds
In one of our favourite instalments of WZW, Shaun and Lindsay discuss sound, how you can do listening lessons, and what you can do with sound effects in an online room. From animal noises through to sounds around the house the ten minute challenge suggests how they can be used in online lessons.
Who’s zooming who? Participation
In the 10th instalment of WZW Shaun and Lindsay talk about the participation tools that you find in online classrooms. From emojis to polls they go through the features suggesting ideas for using each - all in ten minutes of course!
Who’s zooming who? Realia
Realia - the ELT term for Real world stuff we use in teaching. In this episode Lindsay and Shaun fill their ten minutes with the teaching ideas based around real world stuff. Enjoy.
Who’s zooming who? Guests
This is time out Shaun and Lindsay talk about Ideas for using a guest in your online lessons. The ideas they talk about include a teacher swap, getting guest judges and even having mystery guests. Listen now to find out about those and other ways you can utilise getting a guest
Who zooming who? Powerpoint.
Online teaching often means using a slide so for this installment Shaun and Lindsay give you tips for the perfect slidedeck. Ten minutes means ten tips so off we go....
Who’s zooming who? Warmers
It's another instalment of WZW and this time Lindsay and Shaun talk warmers, in their ten minutes they try and give you a few activities you could try with your online classes. Enjoy!
Who’s zooming who? Lockdown Syllabus
In this instalment Shaun and Lindsay use their ten-minutes to suggest language areas that would fit into a lockdown syllabus. From the vocabulary of fridges to the grammar of wishes listen and decide if you agree.
Who’s zooming who? - Pictures
In this instalment of WZW, Shaun and Lindsay talk about some of their favourite picture activities for online rooms. As usual they set themselves a ten-minute time limit which, when trying to share anecdotes and ideas, once again might prove to be challenge.
Who’s zooming who? - Zoom
Lindsay does like getting all meta so join this episode of who's zooming who we meet in zoom to talk about zoom. Shaun and Lindsay discuss zoom, zoom bombing and its effects and suggest some ways to ensure zoom security.
Who’s zooming who - where’s the whiteboard?
In this instalment Lindsay and Shaun's ten-minute challenge is online whiteboards. They discuss the different things teachers are using as a whiteboard from washing lines to cupboards. What do you use?
Who’s zooming who - the language your students need now
With very few teachers commuting but with Lindsay and Shaun still feeling the need to podcast, here's a spin off. Over a few mini episodes they will look at some of aspects of teaching live online, setting themselves the challenge to do it in just ten minutes.
Season 11 Episode 4: Home
In this episode, Lindsay is joined by Ceri to discuss all things home, which is perfect as they are both under quarantine at the moment! They talk about home expressions in English, how difficult it is for materials writers to find the right images of homes, and some activity ideas for lockdown. And as Shaun isn’t there, you don’t need to worry about hearing any of his jokes!
Season 11 Episode 3: Sick
In this episode we talk sick but don’t worry we won’t bang on about a certain virus! In this somewhat bumper episode we talk to Kate in Italy about what it’s like when the government imposes quarantine rules, and how to cope when a school is closed. Lindsay and Shaun talk about the best song to wash your hand to and discuss the metaphors of illness and the language we teach. Realising that neith
Season 11 Episode 2: Private
In this episode we talk privacy (and try to work out how to say it!). Lindsay and Shaun talk privacy in the classroom, private lessons and technology and privacy and the implications for the classroom. On this last point we talk with Chia Suan Chong who has written about this issue. Oh and we also 'fight' about which is better group or 1-2-1.
Season 10 Episode 6: Deserted
Another comes to end with our traditional end of season round table. So join Lindsay, Shaun, Ceri and James to see what they would take with them if they were stranded on a dessert island.
Season 10 Episode 5: Disruption
In episode 5 we get disruptive though Lindsay would probably say Shaun is every week! This episode we explore disruption in education both from a technology point of view and a disruptive classroom. And since we're being disruptive we bring back the TEFL fight feature, and there can be only one winner.
Season 10 Episode 3: Fear
Since Halloween is upon us (well, to be honest, it's been and gone) Shaun and Lindsay discuss fear. They talk about teacher fears, scary teachers and finally other things that make students afraid. We also explore some common phobias in the return of our listener quiz.
Season 10 Episode 2: Recipes
Time to talk food, in this episode, we explore recipes in ELT. In this episode, Lindsay and Shaun discuss the language of recipes and what makes them such a useful and often used piece of ELT material? What is it that makes them a good metaphor for teaching? On a less serious note, Lindsay discovers the joys of traditional English recipes and is that the returning sound of angels?
Season 10 Episode 1: Green
We're back and to start the new season we've gone green. We meet two of the people behind ELT footprint to talk about the ELT profession with regards to climate change.
Season 9 Episode 5: Pairs
In our latest episode, Lindsay and Shaun discuss pairs - why do teachers love pair work but then refuse to work in pairs in a workshop? Do we use pair work too much? Lindsay shares some of his favourite ways of putting people in Paris (yes, Paris) and the duo discuss binomials, reduplications and the rules governing the word order within them.
Season 9 Episode 4: IATEFL Debrief
We're back after our conference enforced mid-season break. In this episode we are post-IATEFL and more significantly post TEFL commute games night. We took our recording stuff with us so this episode features amongst others Ceci, Ceri, Chia, Craig (our new number one fan :-)), Graham, Daniel, Dennis, Mike, Olga, Tyson, Sandy, Vicky, and lots of games!
Season 9 Episode 2: Instructions
In episode two Lindsay and Shaun discuss instructions and the complexity they hold for teachers. We discuss what makes a good instruction, how we wish other jobs took on board ELT instruction giving, as well as what makes them go wrong. Later in the episode, we consider what ELT activities have complicated instructions and Lindsay shares some advice about writing good instructions. There is also
Season 9 Episode 1: Sleep
We're back with a new season and in this episode Shaun and Lindsay discuss sleep. They talk about sleep vocabulary and look at the importance of sleep on learning as well as discuss different sleep routines. Then, Lindsay gets 8 seasons of joke revenge by putting Shaun on the spot. Welcome back.
Season 8 Episode 6: Christmas
In this episode Lindsay, Shaun and James (yes we've let him on mic again) give it their best shot at a cheesy Christmas episode. After stumbling across a website that proclaims the recipe for an unforgettable Xmas lesson for adult learners we decided to put it to the test....Happy Christmas everyone.
Season 8 Episode 5: Stereotypes
In the penultimate episode of this season Shaun and Lindsay talk stereotypes. They discuss teaching stereotypes in movies and what the real-life equivalent might be. They also consider if they have any stereotypical behaviours in the classroom before touching on class materials and the students they teach.
Season 8 Episode 4: Irregular
It’s an irregular episode! First because one of the regular hosts (Shaun) isn’t here. Instead, Lindsay and Ceri sit down to talk about all things irregular in language teaching. First off, this means the infamous irregular verb list. We were both surprised at how much research and writing has been done on these approximately 180 verbs. We begin to go deep on the origins of irregular verbs and whe
Season 8 Episode 3: Conversation
Inspired by James' foray into publishing the team gather to discuss conversation. Lindsay and Shaun discuss what makes a good conversation and talk all things conversation class. Are they a boon or a bane? While James joins the podcast to throw in some unusual conversation starters.
Season 8 Episode 2: Cheating
Have you ever cheated on a test? Have your students? If so how imaginatively did they do it? In this episode, the TEFLcommute team explore cheating in education. From different types of cheating through to why people do it, Shaun and Lindsay talk about it all.
Season 8 Episode 1: Family
It's the start of a new season and in episode one Shaun and Lindsay talk family. They discuss whether teaching runs in someone family before looking at how families are dealt with in ELT. Which famous family tree would use in class? Do you know what a nibling is? Just how many types of cousin are there? All this and more in our season 8 opener.
Season 7 Episode 5: Classic
Lindsay and Shaun bring the curtain down on another season by discussing the classics - not Greek or Latin but what they consider to be classic ELT books and activities. Will you agree their choices? Since it's also the last episode we let producer James have a turn on mic as well.
Season 7 Episode 4: Puzzles
In episode four Shaun and Lindsay talk puzzles. From crosswords to jigsaw reading we look at the types of puzzles we use in class and discuss the advantages of using them. Shaun takes the opportunity to puzzle Lindsay and we bring you a puzzle related timeline.
Season 7 Episode 3: Room 101 revisited
In season 4 Lindsay and Shaun sat down with James and Ceri to talk about their pet teaching peeves. Three seasons later we sit down again to discuss what irks us in three areas of language teaching. Have a listen and see if you agree with our new peeves.
Season 7 Episode 2: Accents
Have you noticed the use of the English accent in films? Lindsay has. The RP accent, once the goal of many language learners, is often used to voice 'the bad guy' or the 'fantasy character'. In this episode Shaun and Lindsay explore this use of accent.
Season 7: Bonus Episode
TEFL commute has turned three years old and over that time we have brought you 40 episodes. Since we have lots of new listeners, and to celebrate both our birthday and being added to Spotify, we bring you a special episode that looks back over some of our best bits from the last three years.
Season 7 Episode 1: Bad Students
We're back for our 7th season what better way to start a new season than with the positivity of bad students. In this episode Shaun and Lindsay discuss different types of 'bad students' and decide if they would call themselves bad students. Lindsay also decides to see what Shaun's knowledge of bad students in film is like.
Season 6 Episode 6: Fun
It's the final episode of the season and Lindsay and Shaun tackle the topic of 'fun'. Well, actually they planned to tackle to subject fun but got so carried away talking to Diana England about 'fun in the classroom' that we let her do all the talking. Enjoy this final episode and see you in the New Year for another season of the commute.
Season 6 Episode 5: Games part 2
In this episode Lindsay and Shaun return to the topic of games (see season 5 episode 2). This time they invite Dave Dodgson to join them to talk about using digital games. Over the episode they discuss digital games they have used, why they use them and give listeners advice on how to get started with them.
Season 6 Episode 4
In this episode Lindsay returns to chat with Shaun about Robots. It's almost a hundred years since the first teaching machine was suggested so are we finally at the point were robots can take over from us? Shaun and Lindsay discuss this and put it to the ultimate test as the topic of a TEFL fight.
Season 6: Episode 3 Teacher or Therapist
In this episode Lindsay is away so we can actually talk about teaching :) Ceri and Shaun discuss the line between being a teacher and being your students' therapist. They talk about some of the psychological aspects involved in teaching and ponder how qualified the average teacher is to deal with the area. This leads their discussion into that of teacher well being so Shaun has a chat with Sarah
Season 6 Episode 2: Truth or lie
In episode 2 Lindsay and Shaun jump on the post-truth bandwagon and discuss how post truth maybe the norm in the typical ELT grammar rules we give students. They explore the rules for their validity and manage to get tangled up in when to add er or not. James makes a rare appearance to test their fake newsdar and the angels yet again grace us with their wisdom.
Season 6 Episode 1: Openers
It's time for a new season of the TEFL commute and in this first episode of the sixth season Lindsay and Shaun discuss lesson openers. They explore if an opener is warmer and therefore if warmers are always openers! We welcome back the angelic host with their philosophy and test your musical opener knowledge. Here we go again......
Season 5 Episode 5: Clothes
After a small break, the TEFL commute returns to talk about clothes. Lindsay and Shaun discuss what teachers wear to work, dress codes and whether teachers should dress in particular way. Lindsay tries to educate Shaun in Northern American Vocabulary while Shaun gets revenge with some clothes related humour.
Season 5 Episode 4: Video and films
In this episode we meet with Ben Goldstein to discuss video. We take a walk down memory lane and look at how video has been used in ELT courses and discuss where it might go in the future. We also ponder whether the ELT classroom would work well in film, considering how the teachers are often portrayed on the silver screen. We think this one of the most interesting episodes we've ever recorded
Recommended
Uk Mix RadioShow
CAA on General Aviation
Nick Ferrari - The Whole Show
World Questions
InsideAIR
Off Court With Greg Rusedski
IELTS, OET and UKMLA PLAB 2 Made Easy Podcast For Medical Professionals
The Systemic Way
Trauma Bonding to Secure Relationship
Golden's Oldies
Lucy & Sam's Perfect Brains
The ADHD Adults Podcast
