TKT Teachers' and Learners' Language 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'teacher talk' or 'teacher language' in the context of ELT?
- The language a teacher uses exclusively when speaking to parents
- The modified, simplified language and interaction patterns a teacher uses when addressing language learners to facilitate comprehension (Correct answer)
- The academic language found in teacher training textbooks
- The language teachers use when marking learner assignments
Correct answer: The modified, simplified language and interaction patterns a teacher uses when addressing language learners to facilitate comprehension
Teacher talk refers to the language teachers use with learners — typically modified for clarity, using slower speech, clear pronunciation, simpler vocabulary, and repetition to aid comprehension.
Teacher talk (or teacher language) encompasses all the language a teacher uses during a lesson — including instructions, explanations, questions, feedback, and management language. Effective teacher talk is pitched at an appropriate level for learners, with clear pronunciation, manageable sentence length, and appropriate use of new vocabulary. Modification strategies include slowing down, using paraphrase, checking understanding, and providing visual support. TKT Module 1 covers teachers' language as a distinct topic, requiring candidates to recognise and evaluate features of effective teacher language for different learner levels.
Question 2: What is 'eliciting' in the context of classroom interaction?
- The teacher telling learners what to write in their exercise books
- Drawing out language, ideas, or answers from learners through targeted questions rather than presenting information directly (Correct answer)
- Correcting learner errors by repeating the correct form
- Providing written feedback on learner compositions
Correct answer: Drawing out language, ideas, or answers from learners through targeted questions rather than presenting information directly
Eliciting involves the teacher using questions, prompts, or visual cues to draw language or information from learners, encouraging active participation and making the lesson more learner-centred.
Eliciting is a core classroom interaction technique in which the teacher draws out language, ideas, or knowledge from learners rather than simply presenting it. Effective eliciting techniques include open questions ('What do we call this?'), visual or contextual prompts, incomplete sentences, and mime or gesture. Eliciting is valued in communicative language teaching because it activates learner schema, gives the teacher diagnostic information about existing knowledge, increases learner engagement, and reduces TTT. TKT Module 3 includes classroom interaction as a key topic, and eliciting is a central teacher skill.
Question 3: What is 'echo correction' in language teaching?
- A peer correction technique where one learner repeats another's error
- A teacher correction technique where the teacher repeats a learner's error with a questioning intonation to prompt self-correction (Correct answer)
- A technique where learners listen and repeat correct sentences from an audio recording
- A writing correction method using symbols to indicate types of error
Correct answer: A teacher correction technique where the teacher repeats a learner's error with a questioning intonation to prompt self-correction
Echo correction involves the teacher repeating a learner's erroneous utterance with a questioning or rising intonation, signalling that an error has been made and inviting self-correction.
Echo correction (also called reformulation or repetition with rising intonation) is a common implicit correction technique. The teacher repeats what the learner has said with a questioning or slightly surprised intonation, drawing the learner's attention to an error and prompting self-correction. For example, if a learner says 'Yesterday I go to the shops', the teacher may echo 'You go to the shops?' The learner is then expected to self-correct. This technique is less face-threatening than explicit correction and encourages learner self-monitoring. TKT Module 3 covers error correction strategies and candidates should be familiar with a range of correction techniques.
Question 4: What does 'learner output' refer to in language acquisition?
- The grade or score a learner receives at the end of a test
- The language that a learner produces, either spoken or written, during learning activities (Correct answer)
- The homework tasks assigned by the teacher for completion outside class
- The number of words a learner reads per minute in a reading test
Correct answer: The language that a learner produces, either spoken or written, during learning activities
Learner output is any language produced by learners — speaking, writing, or any form of language in use — and it plays a critical role in language development by pushing learners to process language accurately.
Learner output refers to any language a learner produces — either spoken or written — during the learning process. Swain's Output Hypothesis argues that producing language (not just receiving input) is essential for language development, because output forces learners to notice gaps in their knowledge, test hypotheses about form and meaning, and develop automaticity. Activities designed to generate learner output include speaking tasks (discussions, presentations, role plays) and writing tasks (emails, essays, reports). TKT candidates should understand the relationship between input, interaction, and output in SLA.
Question 5: What is 'metalanguage' and when do teachers use it?
- A language used only in academic linguistics research
- The language used to talk about language, such as grammatical terms like 'noun', 'tense', or 'clause' (Correct answer)
- A simplified version of English used in teacher training materials
- The language used in teaching evaluations and lesson observations
Correct answer: The language used to talk about language, such as grammatical terms like 'noun', 'tense', or 'clause'
Metalanguage is language used to describe or talk about language itself, including grammatical terminology (noun, tense, clause) and discourse terms (cohesion, register, paragraph).
Metalanguage refers to the language used to talk about language itself. In ELT, this includes grammatical terms such as noun, verb, adverb, subordinate clause, present perfect, passive voice, as well as broader linguistic concepts such as register, discourse, coherence, and phoneme. Teachers use metalanguage when explaining grammar rules, discussing features of a text, or giving feedback on learner writing. TKT candidates are expected to know a wide range of metalanguage accurately, as the TKT exam itself tests candidates using these terms. The appropriate level of metalanguage used in class should match the learners' age, level, and familiarity with grammatical analysis.
Question 6: What is meant by 'learner talk' and why is maximising it important?
- The noise learners make when disrupting a lesson
- The spoken language produced by learners during classroom activities, which should be maximised to give learners practice and reduce teacher-dominated lessons (Correct answer)
- The language learners use to communicate with each other in their first language
- The feedback learners provide in lesson evaluation questionnaires
Correct answer: The spoken language produced by learners during classroom activities, which should be maximised to give learners practice and reduce teacher-dominated lessons
Learner talk (or Student Talking Time, STT) is the language learners produce during the lesson. Maximising STT gives learners essential practice and reduces teacher dominance of the interaction.
Learner talk — sometimes measured as Student Talking Time (STT) — refers to all the spoken language produced by learners during a lesson. Maximising STT is a key goal of communicative and learner-centred teaching because it gives learners the speaking practice essential for developing fluency and confidence. Strategies for increasing STT include using pair and group work, open-ended questions, learner-led discussions, collaborative tasks, and role plays. Teachers should monitor their own TTT to ensure they are not dominating the lesson. TKT Module 3 examines classroom management and interaction, and the balance between TTT and STT is a central concern.
TKT Teachers' and Learners' Language 2
What is 'teacher talk' or 'teacher language' in the context of ELT?