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TKT Core Module 3:Teachers' and learners' language in the classroom
Using language appropriately for a range of classroom functions

shout

I'm foreign, not deaf.

This guide is about your language and your voice – the most important language input your learners get (probably).


keys

Key concepts in this guide

By the end of this guide, you should be able to understand and use these key concepts:

  • types of teacher language
  • three characteristics of good teacher talk
  • management
  • teaching
    • explaining
    • informing
    • eliciting (and nominating)
    • giving feedback
  • the use of learners' first language(s)

Look out for these words like this in the text.
There will be tests at the end of the guide for you to check that you understand the ideas.


3

Three reasons to speak

Teachers speak in the classroom for three main purposes.

  1. To manage the learners and the classroom.
  2. To teach (not necessarily to tell) and model.
  3. To maintain relationships between the teacher and the learners and between the learners.
    Often this is a question of maintaining engagement, discipline and motivation.
thinkwrite Task 1: Here are 12 examples of things that teachers say in the classroom.
Divide them into three lists (management, teaching and maintaining relationships) and then, when you have written the numbers against the three categories, click here to check.
  1. John, please sit here with Mary.  Thank you.
  2. Now, hate is a regular verb so the past tense is ...
  3. OK.  Listen again and choose the right answers.
  4. Why are you so late?
  5. Please try to help each other with this.
  6. That was excellent.  Well done!
  7. You will present the findings of your survey to the whole class.
  8. I had a terrible day yesterday, listen while I tell you about it.
  9. Now, are you going to work alone or in pairs?
  10. No, that's not quite right.  What time are we talking about?
  11. You spell that with two m's
  12. Good morning.  How are we all today?  Ready to do a little work?  Great!


clear

Good teacher talk is ...
C L E A R

You may remember that remembering the word CLEAR was a mnemonic to help you remember the characteristics of good lesson aims.  You can use the same trick here and the categories are also almost the same.

Good teacher talk is:

Clear not mumbled, spoken facing the board or spoken too quickly.  If instructional language is in English, plan it so that it is comprehensible to the weakest students.
Limited Too much teacher talk is often criticised and it is true that the more the teacher talks, the less the students can say.  However, the quality of teacher talk is what is really critical.
Explicit Learners need to be aware of the teacher's intentions.  If a learner is thinking (or saying):
    Is this an instruction, some information or just a chat?
then the teacher talk has not been explicit.
Developing tones to make intention clear is a key skill so that your learners become accustomed to recognising your intention by the tone of your voice.
Another skill is not mixing intentions in the same utterance.  Don't say:
    That's really good, isn't it but you need to write it on the board and correct the spelling problem
because that mixes social talk with instruction with teaching and is very confusing.  Prefer then:
   Good! [Pause for student response] Check the spelling of this word, please. [Pause for student response] Now go and write it on the board, please.
Appropriate Teacher talk to should tell learners what they need to know and no more.  You may know, e.g., that something is an example of an ungradable adjective but your learners may not want or need to be burdened with this knowledge right now because it has nothing to do with the lesson focus.
Relevant This just means maintaining your focus and not using teacher talk to fill silences or go off on tangents.  Resist talking about what you are doing.  Do it.


manage

Management talk

Here's a (real) example of management talk in a classroom:

Err, Jaime, no, I don't mean that.  Pedro, yes, Pedro, can you ... err ... please come and .. um ... sit here with ... err Maria, isn't it?  Yes, that's right ... now ... Helena and Miguel ... what I'd like you to do is, perhaps, yes, one of you come and join Jaime.  Oh, yes, bring a pen and paper with you.  Pedro: do you have a pen? No? Oh, would you like to go and get one then, please.  Right now ... OK?

thinkwrite Task 2: Think about what is wrong with that instruction and make a few notes.  What should the teacher have said and why did it all go wrong?
Click here when you have two problems and the probably reason.

teaching

Teaching talk

When we are teaching, too, the same advice applies.  We need to be CLEAR and unambiguous and keep things short.
When it comes to language teaching, lecturing rarely helps.

think Task 3: Think about what kinds of function teachers express when they are teaching.
Click here when you have thought of two.

Although you don't need them for TKT, there are two other guides on this site that you may find helpful.  They both open in a new tab.
Being clear
Feedback


language

Using the learner's first language

There are those who will tell you that we should avoid the use of the learners' first language where possible.  We want to establish an English-only environment because:

However ...

think Task 4: There are times when using the learners' first language(s), if you know them or it, can be very helpful.
Think about when and why you might use the learners' first language(s) in a classroom?
Click here when you have thought of something.

self test

Self-test questions

Before you go on, make sure you can answer these questions.  If you can't, go back to the sections which give you trouble.

If you are happy with your progress, go on.


practice

Tests and practice for TKT

You have done some tests in this guide already but there's one more to do.

Test 1 A matching task

Now you can return to the Module 3 index: arrow
or go on to the next guide which is to sequencing instructions.