Routines, Scripts and ‘Teacher-Talk’

Routines from the Outset

Your job is to establish routines, through taking advice from more experienced colleagues if you are a trainee. Everything you say and do sets patterns which can become ingrained, so developing good ‘teacher-talk’ is important for success. Every teacher has a few well-tried scripts and phrases that they trot out in different situations. This teacher-talk is a specific way of phrasing instructions and directions. Phrases beginning ‘I need you to …’, ‘You can when …’ or ‘When I tell you …’ are typical of teacher-talk. These, and a certain ‘teacher’ tone of voice, become so deeply ingrained that some experienced teachers find it difficult to switch off. Their teaching voice can be overheard in more ...