The internet is full of fascinating information for language teachers, it’s also full of terrible information for teachers! So we've done the hard work for you by trawling the internet and curating a list of the best podcasts around, all about languages: teaching them, learning them, or just loving them!
Despite its questionable name, this is probably one of the most relevant podcasts for our language teachers as it offers free professional development for world language teachers. It offers discussions on best practice, methodology, fun activities and teaching tips. New episodes are uploaded on a regular basis, recent titles include: ‘world languages for students with learning disabilities’, ‘teaching indigenous languages’, ‘teaching online’, ‘making videos to use in class’ etc.
You can access the website and listen here. Or download the podcast on iTunes or Spotify. Click on the episode number to see the summary with the show notes and relevant links. Enjoy!
This is a new podcast from the BBC, it’s not necessarily linked directly to language teaching but for anyone interested in languages in general, it’s truly fascinating…and motivating for both students and teachers!
This podcast is now perhaps more important than ever, with the majority of all language lessons moving online. Teach Languages Online is for you if you already teach languages online, if you teach offline and are thinking about switching to online tuition, if you’ve just started teaching languages online and are looking to develop and grow. You can listen to it where you normally find your podcasts – Spotify, Apple etc. or on the website.
This is a podcast and blog which explores the question, “what does excellent language teaching look like?” - all from the diverse perspectives of real teachers. New episodes are generally uploaded every Friday. Click on the link above and have a listen!
If you’re interested in the student’s perspective, or indeed if you’re learning a language yourself – this podcast will be of interest to you. The 2 hosts have learnt over 15 languages between them and on this podcast they share all their stories, news, tips and ideas about learning languages – really interesting! Click on the link above and have a listen!
This is definitely one for the linguaphiles among you! Lexicon Valley is a podcast about language from syntax, and etymology to neurolinguistics and the death of languages. Hosted by linguist John McWhorter. Recent episodes include:
- In what order did languages arrive in Europe?
- Verbs on the move – coming and going in languages around the world
- A Bisl Yiddish (a little bit of Yiddish) - Add to German a large helping of Hebrew and a dollop of Slavic. Stir. Let marinate. Enjoy!
Now, I invite you to take a listen and let us know what you think, or even better – start your own podcast!
About the author:
Anna is a CELTA and Trinity Dip-TESOL qualified English language teacher, with a background in Academic Management. |
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