The Language Lab Podcast

Season 6 begins with a big question: what does it actually mean to teach languages like a global citizen?
In this episode of The Language Lab Podcast, Will Marks is joined by Amy Lennon to explore how language teaching can better reflect the wider world our pupils live in. From intercultural understanding to representation in the curriculum, Amy shares practical ways teachers can make meaningful changes without adding to an already heavy workload.
The conversation looks at the realities of primary language teaching, the role of drama in building confidence, and why starting small can often lead to the most powerful changes. As Amy explains in the episode, once you begin looking at your curriculum through this lens, it’s hard to see it any other way.
This conversation was recorded in October, so as always with the podcast there may be moments where events have moved on slightly since recording.
Season 6 is also about bringing more voices into the discussion. If you’d like to share a perspective from your classroom, you can now submit a voice note via the website and become part of the podcast.
For links from today’s episode, transcripts and more, head to
www.languagelabpodcast.co.uk
You can also support the show and get early access to bonus episodes:
patreon.com/TheLanguageLabPodcast
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/languagelabpodcast

In Part 2 of my conversation with Kedi Simpson, we move from theory to classroom reality.
We dig into segmentation — what it actually means, why students struggle to “hear” words in the stream of speech, and how listening tasks can either build processing… or just create the illusion of it. We talk about cognitive load, noticing, task design, and why ticking the box isn’t the same as understanding.
If Part 1 challenged how we think about listening, this episode pushes us to rethink how we teach it.
This is also the Season Finale of The Language Lab Podcast. We’re taking a short break and will return on 5th March for Season 6, with exciting news around Language World and some brilliant guests lined up.
During the break, you can submit your own voice note via the website and become part of the conversation next season.
🎙 Links, transcripts, all past episodes and voice note submissions:
www.languagelabpodcast.co.uk
☕ Support the show:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/languagelabpodcast

If this episode made you rethink listening, leave a review and share it with a colleague — it really helps us grow the community.
Season 6 starts 5th March.

Listening is often treated as passive. Dr Kedi Simpson explains why it isn’t.
In part one of this double-bill season finale, Will Marks is joined by Dr Kedi Simpson — head of languages and researcher with a doctorate from the University of Oxford — to unpack what’s really happening when students listen in a language classroom.
This episode digs into why “doing a listening” isn’t the same as teaching listening, how anxiety and segmentation shape comprehension, why mishearings are so revealing, and what practices like dictation and transcripts can tell us about learners’ thinking. It’s practical, thoughtful, and grounded firmly in classroom reality.
Part two drops next week, where the conversation turns to assessment, GCSE listening, and what listening could look like in the future.
For transcripts, links, and to send in your listener voice notes, head to
www.languagelabpodcast.co.uk
Sound engineered by Isla McIntosh
Executively produced by Isla McIntosh & Will Marks
If you enjoy the show, please follow, rate, and review — it really helps.
You can also support the podcast via Spotify subscriptions, buymeacoffee.com/languagelabpodcast.
Keep the conversation going.

One Lesson a Week — and yet somehow, real progress still has to happen.
In this episode of The Language Lab Podcast, Will Marks is joined by Clare Seccombe, founder of Lightbulb Languages and one of the most influential voices in UK primary languages. Together, they dig into what effective language teaching actually looks like when time is tight, expectations are high, and you’re often the only language specialist in the building.
They explore why listening and phonics have to come first, how oracy builds literacy, and why writing works best when it earns its place rather than being forced in every lesson. Clare shares practical insights from over 30 years in education, including how she plans for progression with just one hour a week, why activities like trapdoor work so well, and what primary languages get right that secondary sometimes forgets.
The conversation also tackles bigger questions around transition from KS2 to KS3, assessment, GCSE, curriculum pressure, and why collaboration between language teachers isn’t optional — it’s essential.
Thoughtful, practical, and refreshingly honest, this episode is essential listening for anyone teaching languages in the real world.
👉 Find transcripts, show notes, and send in a voice note at
www.languagelabpodcast.co.uk
☕ Support the show and keep it going:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/languagelabpodcast

In this episode of The Language Lab Podcast, I’m joined by Vincent Everett to explore The Language Snowball — a simple but powerful way of thinking about how language learning actually sticks, grows, or quietly melts away over time.
We talk about curriculum design, communication, spontaneity, GCSE reform, and why learning to use language matters far more than simply learning more of it. Vincent unpacks what happens when pupils don’t have the chance to practise language meaningfully, and what teachers can do to build momentum that lasts beyond the lesson — and beyond the exam.
This is a thoughtful, practical conversation about memory, trust, and what it really means to teach for communication in a system that doesn’t always make that easy.
🎧 Get involved
You can now leave a short voice note via the Language Lab Podcast website — a question, a reflection, something that worked this week, or something you’re still wrestling with. It only takes a couple of minutes and can be completely anonymous.
🔗 Episode links, full transcripts, and voice notes:
www.languagelabpodcast.co.uk
☕ If you’d like to support the podcast:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/languagelabpodcast