Liberty

About Liberty

A podcast for discussing language, ideas and particularly English language teaching (ELT), often with reference to a key text in the field. Views expressed are mine and my interlocutors' only and do not reflect the views of our employers.

Publisher

Liberty Fitz-Claridge

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

4 Nov 2025

Latest episode

12 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

9 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   12 Jun 2026

   Chapters 6-7 - Mike Long 2015 Second Language Acquisition and Task-Based Language Teaching

   I sit down with teacher trainer Arthur Laing to discuss Chapters 6 and 7 of Mike Long's book Second Language Acquisition and Task-Based Language Teaching.

2. 

   10 Apr 2026

   Discussing Chapter 5 of Mike Long 2015 Second Language Acquisition and Task-Based Language Teaching

   This episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rWe7gl_sieo (https://youtu.be/rWe7gl_sieo) Brandon and I discuss Chapter 5 of Mike Long's book Second Language Acquisition and Task-Based Language Teaching. This chapter focuses on the rationale for and different approaches to needs analyses in second language instruction.

3. 

   9 Apr 2026

   Discussing Allwright (2005) "From Teaching Points to Learning Opportunities & Beyond"

   Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/n1zP_Js0gS0 (https://youtu.be/n1zP_Js0gS0) Arthur and I discuss the concept of aims in language lessons through a discussion of this paper: Allwright, D. (2005). From Teaching Points to Learning Opportunities and Beyond. TESOL Quarterly, 39, 9-31. It can be accessed here (page 9): https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bryan-Smith-20/publication/227762726_The_Relationship_Between_Negotiated_Interaction_Learner_Uptake_and_Lexical_Acquisition_in_Task-Based_Computer-Mediated_Communication/links/5490463c0cf214269f266472/The-Relationship-Between-Negotiated-Interaction-Learner-Uptake-and-Lexical-Acquisition-in-Task-Based-Computer-Mediated-Communication.pdf#page=9 (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bryan-Smith-20/publication/227762726_The_Relationship_Between_Negotiated_Interaction_Learner_Uptake_and_Lexical_Acquisition_in_Task-Based_Computer-Mediated_Communication/links/5490463c0cf214269f266472/The-Relationship-Between-Negotiated-Interaction-Learner-Uptake-and-Lexical-Acquisition-in-Task-Based-Computer-Mediated-Communication.pdf#page=9) If you enjoyed this episode, consider subscribing!

4. 

   20 Feb 2026

   Ch 4 Mike Long 2015 Second Language Acquisition and Task-Based Language Teaching

   Brett and I discuss Chapter 4 of Mike Long's 2015 book Second Language Acquisition and Task-Based Language Teaching. 00:00 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEOaZ0oew2o) Intro with guest Brett Hall 03:08 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEOaZ0oew2o&t=188s) Chapter overview 04:23 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEOaZ0oew2o&t=263s) 'Teaching is a political act' 08:23 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEOaZ0oew2o&t=503s) Can teachers be neutral? 12:45 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEOaZ0oew2o&t=765s) Freedom and Coercion in Education 15:45 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEOaZ0oew2o&t=945s) William Godwin 18:19 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEOaZ0oew2o&t=1099s) Adult Learning vs. Child Education 18:50 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEOaZ0oew2o&t=1130s) Freedom in education 30:32 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEOaZ0oew2o&t=1832s) Exposure vs manipulation 34:55 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEOaZ0oew2o&t=2095s) Is learning biologically determined? 39:55 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEOaZ0oew2o&t=2395s) Freedom, curiosity and TBLT 48:55 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEOaZ0oew2o&t=2935s) Who decides what gets taught, and how? 53:47 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEOaZ0oew2o&t=3227s) AI in Language Learning 01:03:01 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEOaZ0oew2o&t=3781s) Cooperation vs. Biological Imperatives 01:09:02 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEOaZ0oew2o&t=4142s) Adapting Teaching Methods to Student Needs 01:14:06 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEOaZ0oew2o&t=4446s) Secondary school vs private language schools 01:20:01 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEOaZ0oew2o&t=4801s) Activism in the classroom 01:27:30 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEOaZ0oew2o&t=5250s) Towards a conclusion and summary Brett's podcast can be found at:    / @bretthall9080   (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmP5H2rF-ER33a58ZD5jCig) Episode with Brett reading and discussing the essay 'In Praise of Ignorance':    • In praise of ignorance - the podcast. With...   (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W91VxkX6jJM) The book under discussion can be bought here: https://www.amazon.com/Second-Languag... (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqazhIdDRGRWNVdnFzalpjalVNZGRUMVVWaEp0QXxBQ3Jtc0ttdWl2OE00MW5sSnM3cjdhb2tEZjdNQVRPNTd4WnZQdHZMRmNOenhlaGs0aXpjMjFHRlZ0RDBGdGh1WHE3U2FsVk1FRmI4SEJVUVlOclBmVHFkdWdCLVE2TE9YbzVfUlhJbTh4MUUxQnVXd1BIa0xDRQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSecond-Language-Acquisition-Task-Based-Teaching%2Fdp%2F0470658940&v=nEOaZ0oew2o)

5. 

   13 Jan 2026

   (2/2) Ch 3 Long 2015 Second Language Acquisition and Task-Based Language Teaching

   In this episode I finish the discussion of Long 2015 Chapter 3 by talking about implicit and explicit learning. In this episode we hear about empirical studies into implicit/explicit learning, the Interaction Hypothesis, and two key conditions for SLA: sensitivity to input and saliency of the target items. This episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niqjAm2D7SI First episode (1/2): https://youtu.be/MvW0rOxCPHk ReferencesGass, S. M., & Mackey, A. (2007). Input, interaction, and output in second language acquisition. In B. Vanpatten, & J. Williams (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition (pp. 175-200). London: LEA.Long, M. H. (2015). Second Language Acquisition and Task-Based Language Teaching. Wiley-Blackwell.

6. 

   9 Jan 2026

   (1/2) Ch 3 Long 2015 Second Language Acquisition and Task-Based Language Teaching

   This episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MvW0rOxCPHk I read and discuss excerpts of Mike Long’s 2015 book Second Language Acquisition and Task-Based Language Teaching. I focus on two key topics: 1) The status of second-language acquisition (SLA) as a science 2) The Critical Period Hypothesis In the next episode I will talk about implicit and explicit learning. References DeKeyser, R. M. (2000). THE ROBUSTNESS OF CRITICAL PERIOD EFFECTS IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 22(4): 499–533. doi:10.1017/S0272263100004022 DeKeyser, R., & Larson-Hall, J. (2005). What does the critical period really mean? In Kroll, J.F., & De Groot, A.M.B. (eds.), Handbook of bilingualism: Psycholinguistic approaches: 88–108. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Ioup, G., Boustagui, E., El Tigi, M., & Moselle, M. (1994). Re-Examining the Critical Period Hypothesis: A Case Study of Successful Adult SLA in a Naturalistic Environment. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 16: 73-98.https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263100012596 Laudan, L. (1983). The Demise of the Demarcation Problem. In: Cohen, R.S., Laudan, L. (eds) Physics, Philosophy and Psychoanalysis. Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, vol 76. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7055-7_6 Long, M.H. (2005a). Problems with supposed counter-evidence to the critical period hypothesis. International Review of Applied Linguistics 43: 287–317. Long, M.H. (2013a). Maturational constraints on child and adult SLA. In Granena, G., & Long, M.H. (eds.), Sensitive periods, language aptitude, and ultimate L2 attainment: 3-41. Amsterdam and Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins. Long, M. H. (2015). Second Language Acquisition and Task-Based Language Teaching. Wiley-Blackwell. Thornton, Stephen, "Karl Popper", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2023 Edition), Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman (eds.), URL = https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2023/entries/popper/ Vanhove J. (2013). The critical period hypothesis in second language acquisition: a statistical critique and a reanalysis. PloS one, 8(7), e69172. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0069172

7. 

   20 Dec 2025

   Discussing Chapters 1-2 of Long (2015) Second Language Acquisition and Task-Based Language Teaching

   Arthur and I discuss chapters 1-2 of Mike Long (2015) Second Language Acquisition and Task-Based Language Teaching.Quotations read out during the podcast, with added context:§1.1, page 3: 'Most of us are familiar with traditional student populations: captive school children required to “pass” a foreign language (often for no obvious reason), college students satisfying a language requirement or working toward a BA in literature, young adults headed overseas for university courses, as missionaries or to serve as volunteers in the Peace Corps and similar organizations, and adults needing a L2 for vocational training or occupational purposes in the business world, aid organizations, the military, federal and state government, or the diplomatic and intelligence services. Typically, these students are literate, well educated, relatively affluent, learning a major world language, and, the school children aside, doing so voluntarily.'§1.2, page 7: '[W]hat is gained by blurring the original meaning of (in this case) ‘task-based’ until it denotes something quite different, and indeed, opposed to the original meaning of the term? In fact, it is not hard to see what is gained and by whom. Synthetic approaches, especially grammatical syllabuses, are palatable to commercial publishers and various politically powerful LT institutions because they are what underlie at least 90% of existing, commercially highly successful textbooks sold around the world.'§1.3, page 8: 'As with any theory, the embryonic cognitive-interactionist theory goes beyond the data in hand, so may eventually turn out to be wrong, wholly or in part, thereby under- mining the validity of parts of TBLT. That is the nature of theories, which by definition go beyond the facts in an attempt to fill in the gaps in our knowledge and, more importantly, seek to explain the facts we think have been established.'§1.3.2: 'The principles [of TBLT] are ones to which most language teachers and students subscribe in their everyday lives – principles that need not be forgotten in the classroom. They include educating the whole person, learning by doing, rationalism, free association, learner-centeredness, egalitarian teacher–student relationships, and participatory democracy. Interestingly, the implications of these philosophical principles and those of TBLT’s psycholinguistic underpinnings converge in most cases.'§1.3.6, page 13: 'There is some evidence, after all, that a certain degree of tension, or classroom anxiety, can have a positive effect on learning (Scovel 1978), probably because it activatesa process known to be critical for language learning: attention.'Other references: Taking Children Seriously: https://takingchildrenseriously.com/ (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa3RIUS1DWWY1WlVKQklSeVozZUQyQnh6eDVlQXxBQ3Jtc0ttSjVTUFlQaEFJMjhXd1FvWnRpWG1DNkd6Z2lldkhDNFozWENXZ3lFMUMyMy1sb3djUEdLeTdBeUdDUnJvQmJrdHc2YlJJdVg5V0NMMEU0Y1kwMXE1eHhJTzU5b25tWngwUzVmcDNJZm1lVXEwMC1jcw&q=https%3A%2F%2Ftakingchildrenseriously.com%2F&v=RB-wY6carww)Sponge ELT's discussions of Long which talk about how to apply it to children:Sponge Chats - Perspectives on TBLT teacher education with Lara Bryfonski   • Sponge Chats - Perspectives on TBLT teache...   (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsAzZd86iGM&pp=0gcJCR0AztywvtLA)Sponge Chats - Perspectives on TBLT with Martin East   • Sponge Chats - Perspectives on TBLT with M...   (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-EOYs8bwnY)

8. 

   24 Nov 2025

   Discussing Nunan (1988) Syllabus Design, Chapters 1-3

   I and my colleague Brandon, a new teacher, discuss chapters 1-3 of David Nunan's 1988 book Syllabus Design.The book can be accessed here (https://vulms.vu.edu.pk/Courses/ENG522/Downloads/David%20Nunan%20-%20Syllabus%20Design%20(1988,%20Oxford%20University%20Press).pdf). Key concepts discussed in this video include: - product-oriented and process-oriented syllabuses - the grammatical syllabus - the functional -notional syllabus - analytic versus synthetic syllabuses

9. 

   4 Nov 2025

   Do we need aims? Discussing Allwright 2005 "From Teaching Points to Learning Opportunities & Beyond"

   Arthur and I discuss the concept of aims in EFL lessons through a discussion of this paper: Allwright, D. (2005). From Teaching Points to Learning Opportunities and Beyond. TESOL Quarterly, 39, 9-31. It can be accessed here (page 9): https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bryan-Smith-20/publication/227762726_The_Relationship_Between_Negotiated_Interaction_Learner_Uptake_and_Lexical_Acquisition_in_Task-Based_Computer-Mediated_Communication/links/5490463c0cf214269f266472/The-Relationship-Between-Negotiated-Interaction-Learner-Uptake-and-Lexical-Acquisition-in-Task-Based-Computer-Mediated-Communication.pdf#page=9If you enjoyed this episode, consider subscribing!

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