James Taylor is one of the busiest English teachers I know.
He has a lot going on and he is heavily involved in ELT, both online and off. We get into a lot during this interview, including:
- how he got into teaching
- why he started a blog
- Twitter and #eltchat
- his podcast
- BELTA
- TEFL Equity Advocates
- teaching methods
What We Discussed
James fell into language teaching out of circumstance (I did too), but fell in love with it. He’s moved around a lot and now works for Cultura Inglesa.
Blogging
James started blogging five years ago. He had already read other blogs and had things he wanted to say. Here is his blog.
Twitter and ELT Chat
James joined Twitter over six years. He is a moderator for #eltchat. This is a Twitter-based discussion where English language teachers discuss different topics.
Each chat has a transcript and summary.
Podcast
James also has a podcast called The TEFL Commute Podcast. As James put it, it’s a podcast fo English language teachers that isn’t about language teaching.
BELTA
When James moved to Belgium, he noticed that there wasn’t a teaching association in the country.
After discussing this with colleagues, they decided to set one up in 2013. Being the President has taught James a lot about teaching and helped him pick up new skills.
TEFL Equity Advocates
James has also worked with TEFL Equity Advocates. Part of his work was to write a post called Why I Wish I Was a Non-Native English Teacher.
This has gained a lot of attention (and is a great example of a headline getting interest).
Teaching Methods
James’s teaching style changed after taking his CELTA in South Korea. This is where he “made the transition from someone who taught English to becoming an English teacher.”
He then discovered Teaching Unplugged. This is a method that is light on materials and conversation driven. He has also recently been influenced by Philip Kerr.
Finding the Time
Finally, I asked James how he found the time to do all this. He talked about how it’s his hobby and that he feels it’s his responsibility as a teacher.
About James
You can find out more about James by visiting his blog and can connect with him on Twitter and Facebook.
