Steve Smith, EPI and Why Grammar Drill Isn’t the Answer

03/07/2025 1h 9min Temporada 2 Episodio 4

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Episode Synopsis

Steve Smith — MFL veteran, author, blogger, and founder of FrenchTeacher.net — joins Will Marks for a full-throttle deep dive into how we teach languages, why we might be getting some of it wrong, and how to do it better.From his early fascination with Stephen Krashen and language acquisition theory to co-authoring Breaking the Sound Barrier with Gianfranco Conti, Steve walks us through decades of research and reflection on what works — and what doesn’t — in the classroom.Topics include: Input vs. grammar: What actually drives language acquisition?Sentence builders, repetition, and building linguistic self-efficacyWhy GCSE reform still misses the markVocab tests and the illusion of masteryAI as a teacher’s assistant, not enemy of creativityHe also shares how AI is saving him hours writing resources — and what teachers can do to keep their lessons engaging without burning out.📚 Steve’s blog: frenchteachernet.blogspot.co.uk📖 Breaking the Sound Barrier🎒 Resources: frenchteacher.net🎵 Theme: “Jump and Jive” by All Good Folks via Uppbeat🔗 Support us: patreon.com/TheLanguageLabPodcast💡 Our Website: languagelabpodcast.co.uk

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