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PODCAST

Rants, Ramblings, and Reflections from an ESL Teacher

Christopher Kowalchuk

In this podcast series, I"ll share my thoughts on language learning. In particular, I"ll talk about it from the perspective of an ESL teacher as well as a former language learner. I"ll also reflect on my experience of learning Japanese and living in Japan. I"ll try not to talk too much about cats, but I may not be able to resist at times.

education language learning

All Episodes

17:38

Ep 14 Using AI for Writing AND Learning

Rants, Ramblings, and Reflections from an ESL Teacher ·

2025/03/15

This is a special video episode. Check out the YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p350cCpGb-8Full transcript and chat history: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Mwm1rQWzKa8xtlqW6jyNXw4BR_4RroCfFMbYmvSkY60/edit?usp=sharing

en

16:24

Ep. 13 – How Do You Measure Language Learning,...

Rants, Ramblings, and Reflections from an ESL Teacher ·

2025/03/03

Just a quick, somewhat incoherent ramble about what it means to be "proficient" in a language.Somebody pay my rent and vent bills so I don't have to work so much, and then I can make longer podcasts :-DFull transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Sa46ivYg2BFH7l1vvcBhClTz0OEuKf3fRP9-FkK-o5g/edit?usp=sharing

en

24:24

Ep. 12 All Day, Every Day

Rants, Ramblings, and Reflections from an ESL Teacher ·

2025/02/23

In this episode, I talk about a couple things: note taking and audio in the background.Make sure to take notes, and don't forget to review them!Play podcasts or radio program in the background, even if you don't understand everything.Full transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1B05oc9nfZSID6fpY5pIdZV3QQWtGlS5dR6CYXiXMPLQ/edit?usp=sharing

en

20:17

Ep. 11 – Language as Necessary

Rants, Ramblings, and Reflections from an ESL Teacher ·

2025/01/26

In this episode, I try very hard to keep it under 30 minutes. The original goal was 15 minutes, but it went nearly 20 minutes, but . . . there you have it.My main message in this rant is to make sure you have an activity or goal that requires English. I use my experience playing Japanese-language video games as an example. The only way I could fully enjoy or progress in text-heavy role playing games like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest was to improve my Japanese reading ability. Even when I was

en

42:46

Episode 10 – AI for Language Learning

Rants, Ramblings, and Reflections from an ESL Teacher ·

2025/01/13

In this video episode I'll share my thoughts on how to use ChatGPT for language learning.Check out the full video version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7M_9R3a__gFull transcript available: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uZJmZcgLqNcDiArXDX37Man8l6123oaeeBBMYdWMjTk/edit?usp=sharing

en

30:35

Episode 9 – One Word at a Time

Rants, Ramblings, and Reflections from an ESL Teacher ·

2025/01/06

In this episode I share my thoughts on and experience with the concept of "one word at a time." First, I talk about author Stephen King's two answers to the question "How do you write your books?" Here's an interview where he talks about something similar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR7XMkjDGw0Then, I get into how this relates to language learning, including my own experience learning Japanese while living in the US and in Japan.I also talk about how this principle of "one word at a time"

en

33:24

Episode 8 – Reading

Rants, Ramblings, and Reflections from an ESL Teacher ·

2024/12/22

In this episode, I talk about the concept of "reading" in a second language.First, I touch on the difference between intensive/close reading and extensive reading.Then I ask listeners to ask themselves why they read in the first place, whether that's in their native language or second language. Of course, I address the big question: "Why read in English when you can just use translation software or get information in your first language?"As usual, I share my experiences studying Japanese and living

en

30:17

Ep. 7 – Fillers, Gestures, Body Language, and Intonation

Rants, Ramblings, and Reflections from an ESL Teacher ·

2024/12/08

In this episode, I touch on the following regarding fillers, gestures, non-verbal communication in general, body language, and intonation:Communication is more than just vocabulary and grammar.Why it's difficult to communicate on the phone, especially in a second language.Different ways to learn or observe these aspects of communication.My own experiences learning them and applying them in Japan.Full Transcript:

en

35:48

Episode 6 – What Does an ESL Teacher Do?

Rants, Ramblings, and Reflections from an ESL Teacher ·

2024/12/08

In this sixth episode, I go go a little off topic and focus on what I do as an ESL teacher. I cover the following topics: What is my role? Addressing students' various wants, interests, and needs. Personal views on learning and how they sometimes clash with other people's views. Continuously evolving as a teacher. Keeping students engaged. Expending, conserving, and restoring mental energy. The limitations and illusions of test scores. (What is actually being learned?) My general schedule for the

en

32:49

Episode 5 – Using Media for Listening Proficiency

Rants, Ramblings, and Reflections from an ESL Teacher ·

2024/12/08

In this fifth episode of the podcast, I'll talk about using media, such as TV shows, audiobooks, and podcasts, for improving your listening proficiency. I'll cover these topics: Making sure you're interested in the subject matter or people involved. (It always helps if you have a crush on the actors!) Going over it three times: enjoy it, analyze it, then review it. Getting out of your comfort zone by listening to unscripted content. (Also, the difference between scripted, rehearsed, and unscripted

en

31:49

Episode 4 – Divorcing Language from Writing

Rants, Ramblings, and Reflections from an ESL Teacher ·

2024/12/07

In this fourth episode I focus on the idea of separating spoken English from written English. My main point is that as adult learners we often learn a target language through the written form, which is not inherently bad, but then sometimes get stuck in that way of approaching the language.Even when we watch TV, movies, listen to music, etc., those are still largely scripted or rehearsed forms of the language. English, and all languages, are really just tools for communication, and so it's vital to

en

32:11

Episode 3 – Dating in a Second Language

Rants, Ramblings, and Reflections from an ESL Teacher ·

2024/12/07

In this third episode I’ll talk about my thoughts about and experience of dating people using a second language.Of course, I’ll share stories of my own language learning experience by talking about dating Japanese-speakers in the U.S. as well as during my time working in Japan. It’s definitely fun and exciting to date someone who speaks the language you are trying to learn and practice. Language is a tool for communication, so any situation in which you must use English is interesting.However, there

en

64:55

Episode 2 – Accents

Rants, Ramblings, and Reflections from an ESL Teacher ·

2024/12/04

To those of you who don't know me, I'm an ESL teacher based in Southern California. I've been teaching English since 2007. My career started in Japan, where I lived for about 6 years, and then continued in the U.S. I'm also half-Japanese, spent every summer as a child in Japan with family, and studied the language and eventually go to the point where I could conduct my daily affairs with nearly zero difficulty. I use this experience of learning a language and living in a foreign culture when

en

58:19

Episode 1 – Creating Opportunities for Conversation

Rants, Ramblings, and Reflections from an ESL Teacher ·

2024/11/26

In this inaugural episode I talk about creating opportunities for conversation for English Learners. As usual, I use my personal experience of learning Japanese and living in Japan as well as my observations from an ESL teacher's point of view.My three main suggestions for creating opportunities are volunteer work, group activities, and public spaces. The beauty of these suggestions is that the focus is not on learning or practicing English; rather, English conversation (or even just listening) is a

en

34 results

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