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Teacher Talk

This document discusses the language patterns commonly used by teachers, referred to as "teacher talk". It notes that teacher talk is typically repetitive, explicit, and full of questions used to engage students and maintain order. The document also warns against teachers trying too hard to adopt trendy language used by students to appear cool, as this often backfires and causes students to lose respect for the teacher. While code-switching and adjusting one's language for different audiences is normal, the author argues teachers should generally stick to more traditional language patterns and avoid slang terms when interacting with students.

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Hanif Ari Rahmatika
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95 views4 pages

Teacher Talk

This document discusses the language patterns commonly used by teachers, referred to as "teacher talk". It notes that teacher talk is typically repetitive, explicit, and full of questions used to engage students and maintain order. The document also warns against teachers trying too hard to adopt trendy language used by students to appear cool, as this often backfires and causes students to lose respect for the teacher. While code-switching and adjusting one's language for different audiences is normal, the author argues teachers should generally stick to more traditional language patterns and avoid slang terms when interacting with students.

Uploaded by

Hanif Ari Rahmatika
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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TEACHER TALK

By Geoff Barton
Many of us enter teaching determined to avoid the dark sarcasm of the classroom. This
is probably as futile as hoping we wont one day turn into our parents. Teacher talk is
something deep-rooted and difficult to avoid.
For example, it is heavily repetitive. Probably more than any other professional body,
teachers repeat themselves. We spell things out: Today well be studying proteins.
Well start by looking at what proteins are. Then well look at what they do. Then well
do an experiment to test some proteins ourselves. Lets start by seeing who can tell me
anything about proteins. Shelley, what do you know about proteins ?
This is classic teacher talk clear, repetitive, highly explicit and reassuring to most
listeners.
It is also, like most teacher talk, full of questions. Teachers use questions like chefs use
olive oil. They are a core ingredient of our language. Sometimes questions are genuinely
exploratory (Which other capital city has subway systems like this?), occasionally
open-ended (What do you think?), and most controversially a form of social
control: Peter, why arent you listening?
Teacher talk is also full of imperative verb forms commands and orders that wed rarely
think to use in everyday life. Right, sit down. Get your books out. Leanne, pay
attention.
So these are some of the teacher talk traits we might be aiming to avoid. That
can, however, lead you to a different dark side the risky territory of seeming to
aspire to trendiness. This is the hazard of changing the way you talk in order to show
that youre on the kids wavelength.
It is disarmingly easy to slip into language patterns that students regard as their own. This
is the old Grange Hill clich of the hesitant new teacher who perches on the edge of the
desk for his first lesson and says Hi, Call me Dave.
Most students loathe this. Matt, now at university, says: its bound to be embarrassing
when a teacher tries to be trendy. Teachers cant be trendy. Its not a trendy profession.
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Sixth former Billy agrees: I find it most teeth-grittingly, brain-numbingly naff
when teachers got into their sports casual, laid-back mood.
Kelly puts it more bluntly: A teacher who says cool, chill or worst of
all wicked is just asking to be laughed at. He might as well just stand
there wearing a badge that says I am trendy, dammit.
Linguists describe this as code-switching, the process by which we adjust our
language according to the situation. We all do this, and its worth bearing in mind
that our students do too.
One sixth former a music fan called David recently told his tutor that he had sold
his DJing equipment. This trendiest of students was heard saying: Well, Mr
Green, Ive managed to trade it all in a and buy a rather splendid collection of
Sociology text books".
He was adjusting his language to speak to a teacher.
When teachers do the same thing in reverse, it can backfire badly. We may
wish to show empathy with our students. In reality, we can end up
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reinforcing some of the old stereotypes about teachers who try too hard to be
popular or fashionable.
TRADITIONAL OR TRENDY?: A LANGUAGE CHECK-UP.
Traditional teacher talk:
Right everyone, stop talking and look this way.
Trendy-teacher speak:
Hey guys, lets just chill, yeah?
In praising a student would you use
Safe terms
Very good
Great
Brilliant
Well done
Excellent
Superb
Terrific
Sad terms
Cool
Wicked
Chill
Funky
kosha
Pukka
Well good
lush
Sweet
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Crucial
Geoff Barton is deputy head at Thurston Community College, Suffolk
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