The ESL Breakroom - Business Class Language Solutions

Boelo van der Pool, an ESL Professional who focuses on raising Dyslexia awareness among language teachers joins us on today's show.  A native of the Netherlands, Van der Pool is no stranger to learning other languages himself, having lived in Asia, the UK, and now Spain since 1994. He is an active speaker, teacher trainer and former language school owner as well as a certified coach and a memb...

Join us for an eye-opening chat with Konstantin Mikaberidze, a Paris-based certified CELTA instructor with a background in media training, film, and photography. In his role at the Pole Universitare Léonard de Vinci in Paris, Konstantin has developed a popular course called Media Training for Future CEOs. Bringing together presentation and communication skills, he helps English learners put their...

Join us for an informative conversation with Sanja Ždralović and Petra Blajić , two passionate, Croatian-based ESL educators, who gave an energizing and reassuring talk on AI at the TESOL France Conference (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) last fall. These seasoned ESL professionals bring a wealth of experience and creativity in their approaches to teaching English. Sanja Ždralo...

December is a busy time of year as we all juggle more than usual on our plates. We may find ourselves exasperatedly making vows to “take better care” and “get more organized”  in the ‘New Year.’ We thought it was the perfect time to revisit Rachael Roberts’ helpful conversation on burnout and how to avoid it.  Spot Burnout Before it Starts , recorded in 2021, still holds true today, and even more...

Weren’t able to make it to last week’s IATEFL Besig’s annual conference for Business English trainers in Stuttgart, Germany? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Listen to Episode 29 to get the low-down. Business Class’s founder, Daphne Chisholm-Elie, was there presenting her latest CPD Program, Training as an Agile Project, and came by to fill us in on the hot topics and industry buzz at this year...

In Episode 28 of the Business Class ESL Breakroom, we are joined by Tanya Meyer, the Founder of the Confident English Training program to talk about her unique, holistic approach to English language training rooted in mindfulness. Tanya believes that the journey to effective communication goes far beyond the words we speak. After her own positive experience with stilling the mind, she has come to...

In this thought-provoking episode of the ESL Breakroom Podcast, we sit down with Meri Maroutian, an English language teacher and passionate equity advocate for the rights of non-native speaker ESL teachers. Together, we delve into the topic of "Native Speakerism," the perception that native English speakers are inherently better as language models or teachers, and its impact on the ESL i...

On today’s ESL Breakroom Podcast we’re joined by Rob Howard, one of the joint coordinators of IATEFL Besig, President of IATEFL Poland, and an incredibly experienced trainer, teacher trainer and speaker and author. Today he’s joining us to talk about his newly released book,  One To One: An Updated and Practical Guide to Teaching  written with Andrzej Stęsik now available on  Amazon. Rob sheds lig...

Join us for an eye-opening look at Neurodiversity, and in particular dyslexia, with Dr Martin Bloomfield, a trainer and consultant in Neurodiversity from an international and intercultural perspective. In this very enlightening conversation, Martin helps us better understand what Dyslexia is and isn’t and offers insights into how we can set the scene for an improved learning experience for our lea...

As technology continues to transform education, blended learning has become a significant component of ESL programs. As trainers, we must adapt our approach and become eLearning coaches, guiding and inspiring learners through digital resources that are often part and parcel of their learning package. Join us for an enlightening talk with Deirdre Cijffers, formerly Head of Learning Design and Devel...

Today’s ESL Breakroom Podcast takes us out of our ESL Business English training sessions and into our bank accounts! Where’s the connection? These two seemingly divergent paths converge with our special guest, Nicola Prentis, former ESL trainer and materials writer who’s uncovered an exciting new use for her skill set: teaching newbies about passive, low-risk investing. This episode is one where a...

Are you a language trainer who wants to improve your on-camera presence and confidence? Today, we are thrilled to have Ashley Griffiths as our guest. Ashley is a Confidence On Video Coach who works with coaches and online service providers to improve their on-camera presence. As a former ESL trainer, Ashley knows firsthand the challenges of teaching and communicating with learners online. In this...

In this episode of the Business Class ESL Breakroom, we are joined by special guest Rob Howard, Joint Coordinator for the IATEFL Besig and a well-known figure in the ESL community. If you’ve attended any ESL conferences live or online in recent years, there’s a strong chance you’ve heard Rob present. Both an active facilitator of Advanced Communication Skills, and an EFL trainer and teacher traine...

Ep. 20  “How Dogme ELT Saved Me” with Language Coach and Passionate ELT Business Owner Nina Hanáková Join us for an energizing chat with the delightful Nina Hanáková, coach, language school owner, and champion of the freelance ELT professional, as we discuss her experiential-based learning approach, and the influence of the emergent-language focused, materials-light model known as Dogme ELT o...

Materials That Make a Difference  -  Task Variety with Silvina Mascitti In Episode 19, we are talking with Silvina Mascitti, both a passionate EFL teacher and materials writer and the very creative mind behind EFL Creative Ideas.com. Silvina generously provides the ESL training community with a trove of dynamic ideas through her website and we at Business Class particularly enjoy collabo...

Join us for a sneak preview of Daphne Elie and Gabriella Benkő's upcoming TESOL France workshop on Making Learning Stick with Agile Teaching.  The creators of Training as an Agile Project (TAP), walk us through their upcoming workshop at the TESOL France conference on November 18th, 2022. Don't miss their hands-on workshop which will demonstrate how we as trainers can boost learning using the...

There’s a new way to do ESL role plays!  Business English coach and trained actor Amanda Croft shows us how to breathe new life into ESL role play activities both online and in-person . Amanda, a sought-after trainer and Neurolanguage Coach®️, has created a career path that combines both passions: training ESL and acting, weaving what she has learned on stage into her language training sessio...

It’s a new season and a great time to breathe new life into your ESL Business English training sessions by trying something new. Join Business Class ESL trainers and coaches Sue, Manuel, and Anthony for a chat about tools and resources they are currently experimenting with. From super pronunciation resources and hands-on techniques for listening practice, to tools that increase learner engagement...

Breathe new life onto your whiteboards and capture learner attention in a distracted world with the help of a fun, easy-to-learn and easy-to-draw visual vocabulary known as sketchnoting, or graphic facilitation. Well-known ELT materials writer, National Geographic Learning’s Voices series author, and graphic facilitation champion Emily Bryson shows us how. Before proclaiming, “I can’t draw,” see h...

High level learners can keep trainers on their toes. With solid vocabulary and grammar skills in place, learners at the C1/C2 level require a trainer who can provide both language expansion and stimulating Business English topics along with advanced level activities. Luckily, seasoned ESL teacher trainer and ESL materials writer Rachel Appleby joins us on Episode 14 with a host of useful ideas and...

On Episode 13 of the ESL Breakroom we talk with Heather Johnston, the calming voice behind the Thrive in ELT Podcast and the impassioned instructor and coach behind the ELT Resource Room Website. We explore Heather’s “Plan. Do. Thrive.” philosophy for ESL instructors and see how elevating our attention to planning and inserting self-reflection into our planning stages can bring about positive chan...

Don’t miss this part-two podcast with popular ESL Breakroom guest Dave Delaney. Listeners raved about visually-impaired mindfulness educator Dave Delaney’s inspiring story. In part one, Episode 11: Handling Learning Blocks, we explored blocks to learner engagement and how awareness powerfully contends with learning stress of all stripes. He’s back this month with practical, applicable techniques t...

Today, we are all experiencing stress and distraction in one form or another for a variety of reasons: Covid, work, past traumas…. Your learners are no different. Stress, be it chronic stress or periodic stress may be causing blocks in their ability to learn effectively. The impact of stress on learning is becoming a subject of great interest in our culture. On this episode of the ESL Breakroom we...

Don’t be fooled into thinking that training people in Business English always has to be “serious business.” Games are a great way to relax and energize your learners, and studies have shown that we learn better when we are relaxed and enjoying ourselves. There’s no reason not to try a few in your next session. Join us on the next episode of the ESL Breakroom as we talk with experienced trainer Max...

Join us for an enlightening chat with Business Class trainer Anthony Schoch ! Anthony is not only a linguist with four languages under his belt, but also a passionate trainer and avid study of learning processes. He shares with us his motivation for recently re-certifying, and takes us on a surface dive into a concept he’s currently experimenting with as a result of his recent TESOL: Task-Based Le...