TESOL Pop

When print textbooks are outdated the moment they're published, what do you do? If you’re Renata Kucharska, you build an alternative that can keep pace with the fast-developing needs of learners who are training for the workplace. In this episode, Renata shares how she ventured into tech to build a custom, gamified vocabulary app for her teenage mechatronics and programming students. We talk about the reality of teaching niche vocational English, how a simple leaderboard got her teenagers voluntarily running their own tournaments outside of school hours, and why a 'less is more' approach to design is as crucial as the content itself.

Watch with closed captions here.

TALKING POINTS
The vocational resource gap: Why traditional textbooks can't keep pace with fast-moving technical industries.
Accidental engagement: How adding points and a leaderboard got teenagers voluntarily studying outside of school hours.
The developer's golden rule: Why simple user experience and layout will always beat a complex system.
The classroom payoff: How instant digital feedback translated to an unexpected boost in student reading and speaking confidence.

ABOUT
Renata Kucharska is an experienced teacher of English with over 25 years in ELT. She is the founder of Idiom Be Heard English and E-Solutions for ELT, where she combines language teaching with practical EdTech solutions. Renata designs courses, creates exam-prep and vocational English learning applications, including vocational English for mechatronics students and programmers. She also creates websites, e-learning platforms, and automations for educators and online businesses, helping them build independent, professional online offers.

RESOURCES & REFERENCES
🔗 E-Solutions for ELT website
🔗 Connect with Renata on LinkedIn
🔗 Follow Renata on Instagram
👉 Contact Renata on LinkedIn or her website to get teacher-level access to check out the app's functions

SUPPORT US
☕ Buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/tesolpop
⭐ Leave a review wherever you listen

THE PRODUCER'S EDIT
Get inspired to record more. Weekly stories, insights, and content tips for standout educators delivered to your inbox.
👉 Subscribe here: https://communicating-for-impact.myflodesk.com/the-producers-edit

CREDITS
Producer: Laura Wilkes
Editor: Haven Tsang
Special thanks to our guest, Renata Kucharska
Production by Communicating for Impact

TIME STAMPS
01:13 - The vocational gap
02:05 - What inspired Renata to build an app
02:29 - How leaderboards sparked engagement
03:14 - The "Duolingo for Mechatronics" concept
05:35 - The surprise response
07:30 - Classroom impact
08:49 - The developer's golden rule
10:50 - How to connect with Renata to test the app
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From textbook dependency to a "Starter, Main Course, and Dessert" approach. Fiona Hunter, founder of Kids Club English shares how to confidently step away from set materials to create authentic, play-based language experiences for young learners. From managing the psychological hurdles of letting go of the coursebook to structuring lessons around picture books, Fiona explains how stepping back allows young learners to take true ownership of their language.

Watch with captions here.

TALKING POINTS
1. The textbook tension: engagement, syllabus pressure, and the progress gap
2. Why moving away from a coursebook requires us to rethink our teaching
3. The "Starter, Main Course, and Dessert" framework for structuring lessons
4. How giving young learners ownership over their activities sky-rockets motivation

ABOUT

Fiona Hunter is a teacher, teacher trainer and the founder of Kids Club English. Originally from Scotland and now based in the south of Spain, she has worked in ELT for over twenty years, teaching in Spain, the UK, Argentina and South Korea, including at the British Council. She holds a DELTA with Merit and specialises in teaching preschool and primary learners.

Now working independently, Fiona creates her own flexible, play-based courses built around stories, songs, games, crafts and drama - without relying on coursebooks. Through Kids Club English, she shares classroom-tested resources and runs an online Teacher Membership supporting freelance teachers and small language school owners who want to feel more confident, less overwhelmed and better equipped to build engaging, language-rich lessons for young learners.

RESOURCES & REFERENCES
🔗 Kids Club English Website: https://kidsclubenglish.com/
🔗 Download Fiona’s Quick Start Guide to Flexible Units (available in the teaching tips section)
🔗 Watch Fiona’s 4-part video series on teaching without coursebooks on her website
🔗 Kids Club English @kidsclubenglish582

Fab Videos on Kids Club English YouTube:
Getting Personal with Puppets - Teaching Tips
How to Prepare for Reading a Story -Teaching Tips
Sports Spinner Game Craft

SUPPORT US
☕ Buy us a coffee https://ko-fi.com/tesolpop
⭐ Leave a review wherever you listen

THE PRODUCER'S EDIT
Get inspired to record more. Weekly stories, insights, and content tips for standout educators delivered to your inbox.
👉 Subscribe here: https://communicating-for-impact.myflodesk.com/the-producers-edit

CREDITS
Producer: Laura Wilkes
Editor: Haven Tsang
Special thanks to our guest, Fiona Hunter
Production by Communicating for Impact @laurawilkes

TIME STAMPS
00:00 - Introduction to Fiona Hunter and the episode overview
01:12 - The three biggest engagement and pressure challenges of coursebooks
04:36 - The mindset shift: Rethinking your underlying teaching philosophy
06:39 - Moving from "off-piste" projects to a semi-structured storybook approach
11:08 - The "Starter, Main Course, and Dessert" lesson staging framework
11:36 - Fostering learner identity and confidence through classroom roleplay
12:00 - Where to find bite-sized teaching resources and closing thoughts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From outgrowing textbooks to collaborating across continents. Christian Fischer, Head of English at Gymnasium Schillerschule Hannover, shares how the Global Literature Circle project is transforming how teenagers engage with reading. From digital collaboration using Padlet to fostering student agency, Christian explains how giving learners creative freedom and a global audience can turn reading into a powerful, social experience.

Watch with closed captions.

TALKING POINTS
The challenge of students who outperform traditional textbooks
Why 'resilience' is the missing key in modern teenage reading habits
How Global Literature Circles connect classrooms worldwide
Using 'freeze frames' and digital tools for meaningful communication
Why letting 'good players play' is the secret to engagement

ABOUT
Christian Fischer teaches English and History at Gymnasium Schillerschule Hannover in Germany, which also offers the IB Diploma program. He is the head of the department of English and faces a growing number of students whose English proficiency has outgrown standard ESL textbooks. He is, to quote him, baffled that so many English teachers around the world teach English to students who could, technically, in their respective classrooms go back to speaking their Native language when teachers around the world could connect students to work in English only. That is the main idea behind his project “Global Literature Circle”, in which he connects students from around the world to work on literature through collaborative, creative, and engaging tasks.

RESOURCES & REFERENCES
🔗 Substack @christianfischer1
🔗 Contact Christian for more details about the Global Literature Circle: globalliteraturecircle@gmail.com

Backman, F. (2016) My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry. Atria Books
Ganda, M., Alifirenka, C., and Welch, L. (2016) I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Nazario, S. (2014) Enrique's Journey. Random House
Noah, T. (2016) Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. Random House Publishing Group

SUPPORT US
☕ Buy us a coffee or leave a review wherever you listen

CREDITS
Producer: Laura Wilkes
Editor: Haven Tsang
Special thanks to our guest, Christian Fischer
Production by Communicating for Impact
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From one class pack to a million hours of environmental education. ELT author and creator of Picker Pals, Patrick Jackson, shares how a single idea grew into a movement that’s transformed classrooms and communities. From storytelling and sustainability to litter-picking with families, Patrick explains how Picker Pals empowers children to take action, while learning along the way.

Watch with closed captions.

TALKING POINTS
How Patrick’s early ELT materials inspired Picker Pals
What a classroom teddy has to do with environmental action
Why creative projects lead to bigger career breakthroughs
The joy and power of collaboration — even with competitors
How to bring real-world issues into the classroom

ABOUT
Patrick Jackson is an ELT author known for publications such as Everybody Up and Shine On. From 1996 to 2008, he lived and taught in Japan, and has since travelled widely as a speaker, sharing practical, common-sense approaches to language education. Patrick is especially interested in how classrooms can connect meaningfully with the wider world — and believes they’re at their best when they become places of purpose.

Since 2018, he has been the Creative Director of Picker Pals, an award-winning programme that motivates and equips primary school children to lead their families on litter-picking adventures and build a positive environmental mindset. Picker Pals has now been adopted by 72% of Irish primary schools and is expanding internationally.

RESOURCES & REFERENCES
🔗 Picker Pals World
🔗 Follow on LinkedIn

SUPPORT US
💻 Sponsor us
☕ Buy us a coffee
⭐ Leave a review wherever you listen

THE PRODUCER'S EDIT
Get inspired to record more. Weekly stories, insights, and content tips for standout educators delivered to your inbox.
👉 Subscribe here

CREDITS
Producer: Laura Wilkes
Editor: Haven Tsang
Special thanks to our guest, Patrick Jackson
Production by Communicating for Impact
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Business English gets a bad reputation — stiff, overly formal, and filled with irrelevant vocabulary lists. But what if it didn’t have to be that way? In this episode, Megan Nicholls, multilingual educator and founder of Mega Language Coach, invites us to reimagine how Business English can be taught. From high-stakes presentations to hallway small talk, Meg shares how she co-creates flexible, relevant lessons that reflect her students' real communication needs.

Watch with closed captions.

TALKING POINTS
Why “two experts in the room” is Megan’s go-to teaching philosophy
How she tailors sessions on the fly (including maternity leave vocabulary)
Why spontaneous conversations can be more valuable than structured grammar drills
Her best tip for helping learners see their progress, even when they can’t
What Business English teachers can learn from language learners themselves

ABOUT
Meg is from Manchester, UK. Her 10 years of teaching experience inspired her to start Mega Language Coach, offering individual classes online. Her speciality is Business English for professionals, interview preparation and improving spoken fluency, thanks to her background in marketing. She has plenty of experience living abroad and working in multilingual international environments. Meg speaks German and French and is currently learning Spanish, whilst travelling in Mexico. She aims to bring joy to the learning process, focusing on active speaking in the classroom.

RESOURCES & REFERENCES
🔗 Mega Language Teaching
🔗 Follow on LinkedIn

SUPPORT US
💻 Sponsor us
☕ Buy us a coffee
⭐ Leave a review wherever you listen

THE PRODUCER'S EDIT
Get inspired to record more. Weekly stories, insights, and content tips for standout educators delivered to your inbox.
👉 Subscribe here

CREDITS
Producer: Laura Wilkes
Editor: Haven Tsang
Special thanks to our guest, Megan Nicholls
Production by Communicating for Impact
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.