20. TTT
Teacher talking time refers to the
amount of class time the teacher
spends speaking to the class, either
as part of a lecture or in discussions. Too much TTT can make your class
boring. I know, we’re all brilliant
teachers and everyone loves the
sound of voices.
Particularly in ESL classes, more
time needs to be given to students
so they can speak more—foreign
language learners improve more
rapidly when they’re able to practice
what they’ve learned more often. But the ESL class isn’t about the
teacher, it’s about the students. The
class should, therefore, be focused
on the students with the teacher
serving as a guide.
Reducing the amount of TTT will
make the class more interesting for
students—it may even make the
class more interesting for you as
well (your students can surprise you
with insights and opinions on the
topics covered in class, you just
have to give them a chance to
express themselves).
While students are talking more
during classroom activities, you’ll
have the opportunity to make more
corrections that they can learn from.
They’ll get used to making mistakes
and being okay with that. This
means that they’ll be even more
receptive
to
hearing
those
corrections and picking up what they
need to do in the future.