Finding the balance between teacher talk and student talk

Here at Preply we believe that tutors should aim for supporting the students in speaking
more. STT (student-talking time) should be prioritised over TTT (teacher talking time).

Why prioritise student talking time?

● Active Engagement: Students learn best when actively practicing, helping to

reinforce language skills and improve retention.

● Building Confidence: Regular speaking opportunities reduce language anxiety and

boost students' confidence in using the target language.

● Tailored Feedback: More STT allows tutors to provide personalized feedback,

identifying areas for improvement and guiding progress.

● Real-World Readiness: Prioritizing STT prepares students for real-life

communication, enhancing fluency and practical language use.
Remember, that for some students, lesson time is the only opportunity to practise
the language, so they would like to make the most of it.

Reflect:
If you have teaching experience: what is the usual STT vs. TTT ratio in your
classes?
If you have no experience: How has this ratio been in classes you attended as a
student?

💡 Don’t forget that we have a speaking tracker in the Preply Classroom that gives
you information on the ratio of STT and TTT in the classroom - you can use this for
reflection!
 Mastering the Balance Between STT and TTT

Two Key Strategies:

Regulating Teacher Talking Time (TTT): Make your talk pedagogically sound. Ensure clarity,
allow for questions, and deliberately use slightly more advanced vocabulary for incidental
learning.

Some tips:
● If you talk about yourself, you should ensure to do so in a pedagogically sound way.
Engage the student, check understanding, allow time for them to ask questions,
speak clearly and use slightly advanced vocabulary to encourage accidental
learning!
● Grammar explanations should involve the learner. Show examples and elicit the rule
from the learner whenever possible!
● Wait 3 seconds after you ask a question. Students need time to understand the
question, form an opinion and think about how to express it. That takes time!

Increasing Student Talking Time (STT): Ask questions that stimulate longer answers. Shift
from brief questions like "Did you go somewhere this weekend?" to more open-ended ones
like "Tell me three things you did this weekend."

Reflect:

Think about the kinds of questions you ask from your student. Are they usually
open-ended?

4 surprisingly wrong questions that tutors ask their students:

Question The problem

"Did you have a Asking questions that can be answered with only one or two words
nice weekend?" does not encourage the student to speak a lot.
A good alternative could have been "What did you do at the
weekend?" or "Tell me three things you did at the weekend" or
"Let's find three things we both did this weekend".

"What colour are This is an example of a "display" question, i.e. a question we ask to
your eyes?" check meaning or to revise vocabulary or grammar, but which we
already know the answer to. Sometimes these are useful, but to
 get the student talking more, we could ask, for example, "Tell me
about your family. What colour are their eyes?"

“Do you
understand?” 'Do you understand?' is a tricky question because even though
tutors ask is with the best intention (because they want to clarify
things and help their students), it isn't really a useful one!

Think about this: if you student says yes, how do you know that
they actually understand? It might be that they are saying this
because they don't want to look silly (people from various cultures
are afraid of losing face in front of their teachers). Also, it might be
that they THINK they understand but in reality, they have
misunderstood something. How will you know?

If they say, no, that's not very useful either. You won't know what it
is exactly that they don't understand. Sometimes you won't find it
out even if you ask 'What it is that you don't understand?' because
that can be really hard to verbalise, too!

Instead, if you want to find out whether your student has

understood a concept, you can ask a CCQ (=concept checking
question). You'll find out about these later on in the course!

"So what do you

think about This is a complex question, isn't it? Even in you mother tongue, you
sustainable might also need some time to formulate an answer. With a
tourism?" question like this, there are several strategies that can encourage
the student to speak more. Here are some examples:

- "Think for 15 seconds, then answer the question". Thinking time

can give students the space they need to form an opinion and
think about how they will express it.
- "Try to speak for 30 seconds". Especially productive for exam
preparation classes, this technique gives the student a clear goal
so they can pace themselves. However, make sure you provide
them with prep time before it!
- "Try to use three words we learned today". This can set specific
expectations and make the student relax - it's not about his
opinion; it's about the language.
- "Why do you think some people want tourism to be more
sustainable?". This shifts the focus from the student's opinions to
other people's, once again allowing the student to relax if they
don't have an opinion themselves yet.
 Want to know more? Here is a link to Andrew Walkley's very interesting webinar recording
on the power of the questions we ask.

How can I ensure that my student understands me?

Grading your language to the student's level can help them understand you better. Here are
some things you might do:

Speak slower
Use synonyms
Change the words you used
Cut sentences shorter
Emphasize the most important words
Exclude colloquial expressions
Demonstrate (use gestures, images, realia, etc.)

These are all ways in which you can help your students understand you because they all
help you adjust your own language use to your student's level. This is called grading your
language to the student's level.
Just remember: in order to grade your language, you need to 'SUCCEED'.

Reflect:

Can you recall a situation where you successfully used language grading?
What worked well, and what could have been improved?

How can I give clear instructions to my student?

● 🤓 Keep it Simple: Use simple language and short sentences. Avoid complex
vocabulary and structures. Speak slowly and clearly. It's a good idea to have a set of
standard phrases for common instructions.

● 🪜 Scaffold understanding: Highlight the key words in your instructions. If needed,

incorporate gestures, pictures, or written instructions.

● ⏰ Pacing: Don’t give too much information at once. In case of a complex task,
break down your instructions into smaller parts. Allow time for students to process
the instructions.

● 🪄 Demonstrate: A good demonstration can be much more effective than any

explanation! Show students what you expect them to do instead of explaining it!
 Provide clear examples to illustrate your instructions.

● ❓ Check understanding: Ask ICQs (instruction checking questions) to ensure

students have understood.

Here's an example:
Tutors's instructions: 'We are going to work on the whiteboard. I am going to read a short
paragraph aloud, and I want you to listen carefully. There will be some blanks in the
paragraph that you need to fill in with the correct word. Write your answers on the
whiteboard. Don't worry if you miss one, I'll read the paragraph twice'

Instruction checking questions:

- Do you have to write down the missing words only or the whole paragraph?
- Where will you write the words?
- What should you do if you miss one?

How can I help my student understand other speakers?

Have you ever taken language lessons for a long time, felt very good in class but then failed
to understand people around you when you visited the country? This is the effect of a
teacher always grading their language perfectly. It’s important to sometimes add moments
of natural language, even with low-level students: Clearly explain to the student what is
happening so they don’t feel lostSay two or three sentences and ask the student to write
down the words they understandGrade the task, not the text (i.e. make the question easier,
not the listening text itself)

You can use authentic materials at any level - just need to grade the task
well!