TKT: Practical: Classroom teaching – trainer’s notes

Description
This activity explores the areas assessed in classroom teaching in TKT: Practical. Participants consider
sample comments by an assessor and decide which of the assessment criteria they refer to. This helps to
familiarise participants with what is required in the different assessed areas.

Time required: 60 minutes

Materials  Participant’s worksheet 1 (one for each pair of participants)
required:
 Participant’s worksheet 2A (one for each participant in Group A)
 Participant’s worksheet 2B (one for each participant in Group B)
 Participant’s worksheet 3 (one for each participant)
 Participant’s worksheet 4A one for each participant in Group A)
 Participant’s worksheet 4B (one for each participant in Group B)
Aims:  to introduce the different areas assessed in a lesson for TKT:
Practical lesson
 to provide participants with examples of good practice and practice
that may need improvement

Note: this activity is intended to be given as the fourth and final activity in the sequence of four TKT: Practical
activities, following the activity on lesson planning.
Procedure
1. Elicit from participants some ideas of the skills they think a teacher would be assessed on when
teaching a lesson. Accept all answers at this stage.
2. Put participants into pairs and give each pair a copy of Participant’s worksheet 1. Ask participants
to read the clues and to solve the crossword puzzle. The words all relate to things that might be
assessed in classroom teaching. Check answers in open class (see Key below).
3. Tell participants that for TKT: Practical candidates are assessed on planning and teaching a lesson.
Remind them that they are assessed on 40 minutes of teaching. This can be one 40 minute lesson or
two twenty minute lessons. The next exercise will look at some of the areas assessed in a TKT:
Practical lesson.
4. Divide participants into two groups: Group A and Group B. If there are a large number of participants,
divide the groups again but try to ensure that half of the class are working as ‘As’ and the other half
are working as ‘Bs’.
5. Hand out Participant’s worksheet 2A to Group A and Participant’s worksheet 2B to Group B.
Explain that on the worksheet there are some comments made by an assessor observing candidates
for TKT: Practical. Ask participants to read the comments and to write a P if they think the comment is

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 positive or an N, if they think the comment is negative. Participants should do the task on their own,
then compare their answers with other members of their group.
6. As the groups finished comparing their answers to Participant’s worksheet 2, give out Participant’s
worksheet 3. Tell participants that these are the assessment criteria for the classroom teaching (not
planning) assessment of TKT: Practical. This is taken from the Assessment form, which can be seen
in the TKT: Practical handbook. Participants work in their groups to decide which of the criteria the
assessor’s comments on Participant’s worksheet 2A/B relate to. They should complete the right hand
column on their worksheet with the appropriate letter from Participant’s worksheet 3.
7. Give out the answer key Participant’s worksheet 4A to Group A, and the answer key Participant’s
worksheet 4B to Group B. Participants check their answers in their groups.
8. Regroup participants into pairs so that a participant from Group A is working with someone from
Group B. Participants tell their new partner the assessor’s comment from their worksheet and their
partner should say whether the comment is positive or negative and which criteria it refers to. Allow
up to 10 minutes for this.
9. Round up to summarise main points covered and to remind participants of some requirements for
TKT: Practical. Review:
• How long is the TKT: Practical assessment? (Candidates are assessed teaching for 40
minutes. This can be either one 40 minute lesson or two twenty minute lessons.)
• What are candidates assessed on? (The assessment criteria for TKT: Practical are on
Participant’s worksheet 3 relating to classroom teaching skills and candidates must demonstrate
that they can deal with both language development and skills development.)
10. Allow five minutes for participants to ask questions then direct participants to the Cambridge English
website www.cambridgeenglish.org/ where they can access the TKT: Practical Handbook and get
information about TKT: Practical.

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 TKT: Practical: Classroom teaching – answer key

Key to Participant’s Worksheet 1

1 2 3
P R O N U N C I A T I O N C
4
N M O
5
S P O R

T A N R
6
P R A C T I C E

U E T C

C O T
7
R A P P O R T R I

I I O

O N N

N G

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TKT: Practical: Classroom teaching – Participant’s Worksheet 1

Complete the crossword puzzle

Across
1. The way letters, words and sentences are said
6. When learners use the language they have learnt in a controlled situation
7. The relationship between the teacher and the learners

Down
2. The things a teacher says to tell learners what to do
3. Telling or showing how they can improve their mistakes
4. Listening and observing learners when they are doing a task
5. The speed of the lesson

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TKT: Practical: Classroom teaching – Participant’s Worksheet 2A

P/ N Criteria
1 At some stages the learners were unclear as to what to do.
2 There was some limited focus on the form, meaning and
pronunciation, but this was very unsystematic.
3 Some learners had problems when producing the new language
item. The candidate should have done some error correction.
4 The candidate’s language was well graded overall and appropriate to
the learners’ level.
5 The candidate had a positive presence in the class and she
showed awareness of the individual learners. She kept the
learners engaged.
6 The board was used very effectively and materials were
appropriate for the level and the aims.
7 Feedback was inconsistent and too teacher-led.

8 Explanations and language modelled for learners is generally

accurate and clear.
9 The candidate set up and managed a range of classroom events
including pair, whole class, individual, and group work.
10 The focus on skills (reading/listening) was very limited and the
candidate missed out on good opportunities to develop receptive
skills more effectively – there was no work on gist or detailed
information.

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use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms and Conditions
TKT: Practical: Classroom teaching – Participant’s Worksheet 2B

P/ N Criteria
1 The teacher conveyed the meaning of new language with clear
and appropriate contexts and checked learners’ understanding.
2 The candidate used a variety of interaction patterns and materials
were used effectively in accordance with the original lesson plan.
3 There was some purposeful monitoring and the candidate
provided some linguistic support to learners during tasks.
4 The candidate’s language was sometimes too complex. Modelling
was mostly accurate, but opportunities for eliciting were missed.

5 The candidate had a very confident manner during the lesson and
made sure everybody was paying attention. She maintained an
appropriate pace and used body language to support oral
language.
6 There was a good attempt to use noticing techniques using a
reading passage as input but the reading passage was read aloud
by learners, which is not very suitable to enable comprehension.
7 Language for managing the class and setting up activities needed
to be more effectively graded.
8 The candidate checked answers to tasks; this was done only
orally and on the board.
9 Although the atmosphere was positive on the whole, the learners
were not called by their names, there was little praising and
encouragement.
10 Timing requires improvement.

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use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms and Conditions
TKT: Practical: Classroom teaching – Participant’s Worksheet 3

The lesson - the candidate can:

f create a positive learning atmosphere, ensuring involvement of all the learners

g (i) focus on language: form, meaning and pronunciation, and include appropriate
practice and (ii) follow appropriate procedures and use activities to improve learners’
skills

h set up, manage and time whole-class and individual, pair or group activities, using
materials, resources and aids effectively to deliver the planned lesson so that aims are
achieved

i use English appropriately e.g. when explaining, instructing, prompting learners, eliciting,
conveying meaning, praising

j monitor learners and provide feedback on language and tasks, including oral or written
correction

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use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms and Conditions
TKT: Practical: Classroom teaching – Participant’s Worksheet 4A

P/ N Criteria

1 At some stages the learners were unclear as to what to do. N i

2 There was some limited focus on the form, meaning and N g

pronunciation, but this was very unsystematic

3 Some learners had problems when producing the new language N j

item. The candidate should have done some error correction.

4 The candidate’s language was well graded overall and appropriate to P i

the learners´ level.

5 The candidate had a positive presence in the class and she P f

showed awareness of the individual learners.

6 The board was used very effectively and materials were P h

appropriate for the level and the aims.

7 Feedback was inconsistent and too teacher-led. N j

8 Explanations and language modelled for learners is generally P i

accurate and clear.

9 The candidate set up and managed a range of classroom events P h

including pair, whole class, individual, and group work.

10 The focus on skills (reading/listening) was limited and the N g

candidate missed out on good opportunities to develop receptive
skills more effectively – there was no work on gist or detailed
information.

© UCLES 2009. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom
use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms and Conditions
TKT: Practical: Classroom teaching – Participant’s Worksheet 4B

P/ N Criteria

1 The teacher conveyed the meaning of new language with clear P g

and appropriate contexts and checked learners’ understanding.

2 The candidate used a variety of interaction patterns and materials P h

were used effectively in accordance with the original lesson plan.

3 There was some purposeful monitoring and the candidate P j

provided some linguistic support to learners during tasks.

4 The candidate’s language was sometimes too complex. Modelling N i

was mostly accurate, but opportunities for eliciting were missed.

5 The candidate had a very confident manner during the lesson and P f
made sure everybody was paying attention. She maintained an
appropriate pace and used body language to support oral
language

6 There was a good attempt to use noticing techniques using a N g

reading passage as input but the reading passage was read aloud
by learners, which is not very suitable to enable comprehension.

7 Language for managing the class and setting up activities needed N i

to be more effectively graded.

8 The candidate checked answers to tasks; this was done only P j

orally and on the board.

9 Although the atmosphere was positive on the whole, the learners N f

were not called by their names, there was little praising and
encouragement.

10 Timing requires improvement. N h

© UCLES 2009. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom
use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms and Conditions