Balancing Teacher Talk

Have you ever felt that by your second or third class period your lesson was better? Typically, that's because you've practiced it, you've figured out what needs to be said and what doesn't.

I recently conducted a math class where I first observed the teacher teach the lesson, and afterwards, I taught the lesson to the next class.

The difference in the two lessons:  She knew far more about the content than I did, and provided more in-depth explanations upfront, leaving her students less class time to complete the exercises. I, on the other hand, knew only enough to deliver the essentials for that lesson, so my group started on the problems sooner, had time to check and discuss their work along the way, and finished the entire problem set.

Make no mistake, this experience is not to say that I taught the lesson better; if this were a language arts lesson, I would have been the one lingering with the explanation.

This experience illustrates a Direct Instruction premise on which our reading program is built and our school wide instructional philosophy was developed. The script minimizes and standardizes teacher talk to reduce confusion and keep the lesson tightly focused on the intended outcome.

Sometimes, we teachers talk too much.  Because we know our subject well, we may tend toward overkill on an explanation.  And when that happens, we impede learning.

In planning lessons, consider the amount of teacher talk needed: how much is too much, too little or just right?  Plan your explanations in advance; remove the temptation to "practice" on your first class; they deserve your best, too.

DI experts tell us:  "Students deserve precisely planned instruction.... Students ...  are disadvantaged by instruction that is not carefully planned and well implemented.... If we aspire to reach all the students and teach all the objectives, we must plan instruction very carefully."

Marchard-Martella, Slocum & Martella. (2004).  Introduction to Direct Instruction. New York: Pearson.

In a Nutshell
Too much teacher talk may hinder student learning.  Set a timer to limit explanations and challenge yourself to stick to the limit.  Weed the excess.

What ideas do you have or practices do you use to limit your teacher talk?