Talk Time

This is a reflective activity to help teachers get a sense of the percentage of teacher talk vs. student talk in the classroom. If the objective in the language class is to get students speaking the language, this is a good activity to judge how much time is actually dedicated to that objective.

Preparation

This is not an activity that is easy to undertake on one’s own. It’s much more effective if an observer comes in to note the timing of teacher talk vs. student talk. The distinction is not so easy to define — it is not one or the other, since many other activities could be taking place.

Procedure When to Use It

• To determine balance of classroom activities, especially if the performance objectives state speaking as one of the objectives • To give teachers feedback on classroom activities • To get a sense of the classroom atmosphere of a program

Level

Skills

1. The observer should be available for the full class period and use the observation sheet below. It’s better if the observer has a watch with a timer on it and is clear on how to use it. 2. The observer should pay close attention to logging the timing of activities in the class and not get sidetracked by other possible foci.

The sample observation sheet provided below is just one way to collect information about who is doing the talking in the classroom. It is laid out with each row representing one minute of class time. A longer sheet with 45 minutes is available for photocopying in the Appendix. The sheet is meant to be filled out each minute to identify who is speaking and for what purpose. Possible purposes include: taking attendance, giving instructions, disciplining, pair work activity, group work, presenting, responding, etc. Talking should be considered more than one-word answers. (See Appendix, page 256.)

Practice

Materials

Timer, observation sheet

Preparation Time

5 minutes — enough time to get familiar with observation sheet

Activity Time

Full class period — whatever it might be

TIME

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 PURPOSE

To All Teacher Talk

To Group To One To All Student Talk

To Group To One