Introduction to TTT and STT
In the past, we used to study English language in a traditional and monotonous way in our schools. We used to go to our English classes, sit down on our chairs and listen to the teacher who talked most of the time. In fact, we were totally passive and the teacher was active. The whole lesson was teacher-centered. As a result, most of the students graduated from schools with low level of proficiency in English language. Nowadays, this traditional process of teaching is called TTT which stands for teacher talk time. The term refers to the time spent by the teacher talking in the classroom.The development of communicative language teaching has brought with it a new methodology which focuses on the STT which stands for students talk time and it focus on how much the students talk in the English language class. More clearly, the teacher's talk time ( TTT ) in the classroom should be reduced and the students' talk time ( STT ) encouraged. English language instructors should reduce their talk time in the classroom to promote the student to student interaction in the classroom which will engage and involve the students in the learning process and achieve their goals of studying English language.
There are two kinds of TTT
The teacher talk in in the classroom is not always ineffective as there are many situations where the teacher talk is very effective and beneficial for the students. As ESL teachers, we should bear in mind the nature of the communicative classroom and be aware of the quality of our TTT and how it is used rather than trying to reduce it to a bare minimum. However, there are two main situations where the teacher talk is mostly ineffective 1. Running commentary
It is the process of excessive explaining and it mostly gets the students bored and confused in the lesson.
2. Echoing
It is the way of repeating the students' responses thinking that it is a way of giving the students feedbacks or praising their achievements.
Simple tips to reduce TTT and promote STT
- Using elicitation rather than explanation. Instead of explaining the point to your students ask them a leading questions to encourage them to think and be independent.
- Using body language. Using mines, gestures and other facial expressions is more effective than words. This can keep the students busy trying to think and interpret what the teacher means.
- Using group and pair work activities. This will engage the students with each other and lead the lesson to a student-centered communication which is so effective in teaching English language.
- Using wait time technique. whenever you ask your students a question, be patient to get the answer and give your students the time to think and share. Silence is very important not only when you ask a question, but also during pair work, group work and giving instructions.
- Giving clear instructions. When you ask your students to do a task or exercise, make sure to give them clear and simple instructions with gestures and/modeling.
There are also many other ways to encourage your students to speak and use the language like using fun activities and games or by introducing English movies, digital tools and resources, role plays, debates and other forms of communicative tasks into English language classroom.
1. Running commentary
It is the process of excessive explaining and it mostly gets the students bored and confused in the lesson.
2. Echoing
It is the way of repeating the students' responses thinking that it is a way of giving the students feedbacks or praising their achievements.
Simple tips to reduce TTT and promote STT
- Using elicitation rather than explanation. Instead of explaining the point to your students ask them a leading questions to encourage them to think and be independent.
- Using body language. Using mines, gestures and other facial expressions is more effective than words. This can keep the students busy trying to think and interpret what the teacher means.
- Using group and pair work activities. This will engage the students with each other and lead the lesson to a student-centered communication which is so effective in teaching English language.
- Using wait time technique. whenever you ask your students a question, be patient to get the answer and give your students the time to think and share. Silence is very important not only when you ask a question, but also during pair work, group work and giving instructions.
- Giving clear instructions. When you ask your students to do a task or exercise, make sure to give them clear and simple instructions with gestures and/modeling.
There are also many other ways to encourage your students to speak and use the language like using fun activities and games or by introducing English movies, digital tools and resources, role plays, debates and other forms of communicative tasks into English language classroom.
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