"Don't teach AT the students. Teach OFF them" - Scott Thornbury

Want to move away from 1:1 and build your teaching business? Book a free 1:1 with us to see if we can help.   "Don't teach at the students. Teach off them." Scott Thornbury becomes our first repeat guest and helps us dissect this and more.  Scott Thornbury is a teacher, teacher trainer, and award-winning author in English language education. He has taught and trained teachers around the world, including on the MA TESOL program at The New School in New York, and is widely recognized for his contributions to ELT methodology and teacher development. He co-authored Teaching Unplugged (2009) and Dogme in Practice (2025), both with Luke Meddings. His latest book is called Scott Thornbury's 66 Essentials of Lesson Design.   In our chat, Scott delves into: tensions between planning & spontaneity what an effective lesson design process looks like if the communicative approach can be rehabilitated shifting from surface-level communication to meaningful interaction adapting teacher training and institutional expectations  the role of technology in education   FOR MORE FROM SCOTT THORNBURY: 1. Visit his website 2. Book: Domge in Practice  3. Book: 66 Essentials of Lesson Design 4. Connect on LinkedIn    Thank you for listening. Your support has been overwhelming and we couldn't do what we do without you. We hope this podcast serves as an effective CPD tool for you. If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: [email protected]    RESOURCES TO HELP YOU: 1. Book a free 1:1 chat with us to strategize your teaching business  2. Follow the LYE YouTube Channel 3. Learn how to monetize your teaching skills with TAP  4. Download our free guides for teacherpreneurs  5. Join our Substack community