Tackling teacher talk time: Q&A

How much do you talk in class as the teacher or tutor? What is the ratio of teacher talk to student talk? Are these questions even important to ask?

Our teacher talk may tell us something of our beliefs about teaching and learning. Is the learner seen as an ’empty vessel’ to be filled with knowledge, for example? In that model of teaching and learning, teacher talk is likely to be high, with the consequence that students may disengage from learning. Reducing teacher talking is not just about talking less, but exploring how to engage learners through student-centred tasks and more co-operative models of learning.

Following a recent webinar, we asked David to re-visit some of the key points and explain some of the theory behind ‘teacher talk’, as well as looking at some interactive tasks you can try out in your own lessons, workshops, lectures and even everyday meetings.

About the presenter:
David Barrs is a Teacher Trainer with Navitas’ Australian TESOL Training Centre (ATTC). He has been teaching since 1997, and became a full-time teacher trainer in 2010. He currently teaches across a range of courses, including the CELTA (Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults).

For more information or to discuss further, contact David at David.Barrs@navitas.com or connect with him on Yammer.