The Language Lab Podcast
Episodes
ALL Language World Special: Collaboration at the Heart of Languages Education
26 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s episode is something a little different.Recorded live at ALL Language World 2026, we’re bringing you voices, reflections and moments f...
This Is Not the Episode You Were Promised
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
No full episode this week… and yes, that is entirely on me.In this short update, I explain why the usual episode isn’t dropping — and what’s c...
Isla MacEachern Authentic Materials and the Fight for German
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
German has been declining in UK schools for years — but in many classrooms the fightback is already underway.In this episode, Will speaks to Isla Ma...
Amy Lennon Teaching Languages Like a Global Citizen
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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, ...
S5 E7 Dr Kedi Simpson: Part 2 Inside the Listener’s Mind
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 stud...
Season 5 Finale Double Bill: Dr Kedi Simpson: Listening isnt Passive
12 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Clare Seccombe: One Lesson a Week Done Properly
05 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 Se...
Vincent Everett: The Language Snowball, Why Language Only Sticks When It’s Used
29 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 thinkin...
Megan Crean: From Belper to Bogotá - Teaching Languages Abroad
22 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Teaching abroad gets talked about a lot — but what does it actually change about the way you teach languages?In this episode, I’m joined by Megan ...
Dr. Liam Printer: Motivation, Storytelling, and What Actually Works in the Language Classroom
15 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Language Lab Podcast, Will Marks is joined by Dr Liam Printer (International School of Lausanne, Switzerland) — French and Sp...
Andy Goldhawk Effective Professional Development for Language Teachers
08 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this season premiere, Will Marks is joined by Dr Andy Goldhawk — lecturer at the University of the West of England, teacher educator, and author ...
Season Finale Reflections on Language Education with Silvia Bastow
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when we stop chasing frameworks and start asking more careful questions?In this season-finale episode of The Language Lab Podcast, Will M...
Multilingual Classrooms, Real-Life Teaching: With Hannah White
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Will is joined by Hannah White — languages teacher, EAL lead, international schools coordinator, School of Sanctuary coordinator, t...
A WalkThru the Rainforest with Tom Sherrington
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Will sits down with Tom Sherrington, better known as Teacherhead, to explore what great teaching really looks like. From evidence inf...
The One Where the Laptop Quit
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week in The Language Lab, technology staged a quiet rebellion.A key piece of hardware and a key piece of software decided they would no longer sp...
Ellie Chettle Cully: Beyond Bonjour, The Real KS2 Languages Curriculum
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does a high-quality Primary French curriculum actually look like in 2025? In this episode of The Language Lab Podcast, host Will Marks sits down ...
Our Newcastle, Our World: Declan Baharini & Sarah Edgar on Building a City of Languages
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when a city decides that languages belong to everyone?In this episode, Declan Baharini (CEO of International Newcastle) and Sarah Edgar (...
Maud Waret Pt. 2 Teaching in Colour: Space, Equity and the Future of Learning
08 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the second half of her conversation with Will Marks, Maud Waret turns from curriculum to culture — asking what schools could look like if they we...
Season Premier Maud Waret Pt 1 Decolonising the Curriculum: Who Gets to Tell the Story
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does it really mean to decolonise the curriculum — and why is it important?In this first part of Will’s conversation with Maud Waret, French ...
Carmen Santos: Teaching the World in One Classroom
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the Season 3 finale, Will Marks is joined by Carmen Santos, former Head of Languages at Queen Katharine Academy, to explore what inclusion really l...
Martin Lapworth: TaskMagic to Textivate – The Quiet Revolution in MFL
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Will Marks sits down with Martin Lapworth, the quiet innovator behind TaskMagic, Textivate, TeachVid, and Sentence Builders — the t...
Jonathan Mumford: Whiteboards, Workload, and Why Teaching Still Matters
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this extended episode, Jonathan Mumford joins Will Marks to explore the realities of language teaching in 2025. Together they discuss how audio fee...
Julia Vogado: Bringing the World Into the Classroom
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Founder of the All Abroad Bus project, Julia joins me to talk about immersive pop-up language and culture experiences that use VR, food, smells, sound...
Ben Levi: Teaching Languages for Real Life
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Teacher and Language Sofa host Ben Levi joins me to cut through MFL myths and argue for languages as life skills, not tick-box exams. We talk about wh...
Ryan Smith: What Students Really Think About Languages
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Season 3 kicks off with a double drop. In this episode, I chat with Ryan Smith — one of my former students who’s gone from GCSE Spanish to living ...
Jane Driver: Hope for the Future of Languages
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Season 3 begins with a double drop! In this episode I’m joined by Jane Driver — Headteacher, mentor, innovator of Spelling Bees and Eurovision pho...
Esmeralda Salgado Rewriting the MFL Rulebook With Joy
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Esmeralda Salgado is one of the most influential voices in UK language teaching — and not just because she’s been writing game-changing blog posts...
Darren Paffey Acronyms, Ai and Arguing for Languages
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I’m joined by Darren Paffey Mp - newly elected MP for Southampton Itchen and one of the very few members of Parliament with a serio...
Steve Smith, EPI and Why Grammar Drill Isn’t the Answer
03 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Steve Smith — MFL veteran, author, blogger, and founder of FrenchTeacher.net — joins Will Marks for a full-throttle deep dive into how we teach la...
Claire Cuminatto Higher Education, Employability, AI and French With Flair
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Will catches up with Claire Cuminatto, Associate Professor at the University of East Anglia—and, memorably, one of his own former l...
Rebecca Mitchell, National Linguistics Day and Other Radical Ideas
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Will sits down with Dr. Rebecca Mitchell — Cambridge lecturer, sociolinguist, and founder of National Linguistics Day — for a conversat...
Crista Hazell, Engagment, Student Voice and Safe Spaces
12 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
To kick off Season 2, Will is joined by consultant, author and languages powerhouse Crista Hazell to talk all things MFL — from building student con...
Episode 6. Lara Callow and David Binns - Engagement, Uptake and Policy
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In our final episode of Season 1, we’re looking at what actually makes students engage with language learning – beyond the data points, initiative...
Episode 5. Isla McIntosh and Alasdair Harris Ai, Engagement and LingoTeach.ai
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Guests: Isla McIntosh & Alasdair HarrisIn this episode of The Language Lab, we speak to two people at very different ends of their teaching journeys —...
Episode 4 – Pancakes, Playlists & AI with Jérôme Noguès
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Language Lab Podcast, I’m joined by Jérôme Noguès – a teacher, AI advocate, and all-round creative force in the MFL worl...
Episode 3. Kate Clifton KateLanguages Crossover Episode
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Language Lab, I engage with Kate Clifton, founder of Kate Languages, as she shares her transition from traditional classroom te...
Episode 2. Gianfranco Conti EPI and MARS EARS
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Language Lab, I discuss Extensive Processing Instruction (EPI) with Dr. Gianfranco Conti, a prominent figure in language educat...
Episode 1. John Marks, Joe Dale Technology in the MFL Classroom
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the very first episode of The Language Lab – the podcast for language teachers who love their job (most of the time) and wouldn’t mind ...
Season 1 Trailer
06 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Coming soon… Welcome to Language Lab — the podcast where language teachers get real.We’re diving into the classroom, the staffroom, and the big ...