Reducing teacher talk time

Australia/Sydney 2pm | Tues 13th September
America/New York 12am | Mon 12th September
Europe/London 5am | Tues 13th September

Presenter: David Barrs – ATTC Teacher Trainer

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.

This webinar explores these ideas with you, including some interactive tasks to prompt your own thinking about teacher talk.

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).