Sponge Chats – Training, Materials Writing and Freelancing with Nik Peachey

This blog post is part of the Sponge Chats video series.

Some time ago I had the pleasure to speak to someone who really needs no introduction – Nik Peachey from PeacheyPublications Ltd. Nik was kind enough to spend part of his Friday evening talking about teaching, training, materials writing and, of course, technology with me. We also looked at numerous aspects of the freelancer life – with some very important tips for those thinking about moving into it.

This is the first Sponge Chat of the 21/22 academic year, and I am so happy that I was able to get Nik. It was very insightful and I am sure that there will be many of you out there who will enjoy it as much as I did.

If you do like this Sponge Chat, please let me know with a like, comment, subscribe, or all three! Remember to check it out on YouTube and on Spotify.

Book recommendations

Nik Peachey – Digital tools for teachers

Nik Peachey – Hacking creativity

Martin Parrot – Tasks for Language Teachers

Scott Thornbury – About Language

Christine Frank, Mario Rinvolcuri and Marge Berer – Challenge to think

John Morgan and Mario Rincolcuri – Once Upon A Time – Using Stories in the Language Classroom

Stephen Neale, Lisa Spencer-Arnell and Liz Wilson – Emotional Intelligence Coaching

BTW, this is the teaching machine that Nik was talking about in the video. Very interesting indeed!

Sponge Chats – Perspectives on teacher training with Peter Lucantoni – SPONGE ELT

In this Sponge Chat, I had the pleasure to sit down with renown teacher training and author, Peter Lucantoni. Peter was kind enough to share his thoughts on teacher training, with a specific focus on early-career teacher trainers. We spoke about how one might move into teacher training, how trainers can develop, and also the importance of being proactive as a teacher who wants to be a teacher training position. 00:00 Introduction 03:00 Sponge Chats 03:55 Who is Peter? 06:00 Teacher training qualifications 13:20 Difficulties early-career teacher trainers face 17:15 How do trainers develop? 20:30 Is training 'giving ideas'? 25:00 Peter's preference: INSET or PRESET or Train the Trainer? 29:30 The importance of breadth and depth as a trainer 33:30 The importance of context 37:00 Peter's advice for those looking to move into teacher training 42:00 Peter's book recommendations (and an overview of From Teacher to Trainer!)

1. Sponge Chats – Perspectives on teacher training with Peter Lucantoni 48:08
2. Sponge Chats – Perspectives on Educational Technology in ELT with Joe Dale. 01:04:09
3. Sponge Chats – Perspectives on TBLT with Daniel O. Jackson 01:23:26
4. Sponge Chats – Perspectives on Assessment with Fatime Losonci 59:31
5. Sponge Chats – Materials writing and OtterELT with Laura Broadbent and Billie Jago 01:09:14