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The TKT (Teaching Knowledge Test)

The Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT) is an internationally recognized test from Cambridge English. It tests the knowledge and skills teachers need to be successful in teaching English to speakers of other languages. It is suitable for teachers of all age groups and abilities -including both a new teacher and an experienced teacher who want to specialize in a certain area. TKT is also a good starting point for stepping into a further qualification in teaching English, such as the CELTA or Delta.

TKT is a series of modular tests which can be taken individually. The available modules are:

 

Core modules 1-3 which consist of:

TKT Module 1: Background to language teaching

TKT Module 2: Planning for language teaching

TKT Module 3: Classroom management

Specialist modules which consist of:

TKT Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)

TKT Young Learners (YL)

 

There are 80 questions to be completed in 80 minutes. There is no pass or fail and the result will be indicated by a band score. Band 1 is the weakest, indicating  restricted knowledge and skills and band 4 is the strongest, indicating intensive knowledge and skills in language teaching.

 

On March 2018, English Massive tutors took a TKT module 1 practice test. The sample paper test used comprises the following areas of language, language learning and language teaching areas: grammatical terms, lexical terms, use of adverbs, functions, phonemic symbols, speaking skills, learning strategy, L1 & L2 learning, technique on presenting new language, practice activities, lesson and teaching approaches, and assessment tasks. Even though most of the tutors graduated from English Education courses and have been practicing teaching for few years,  it was their first experience with the test.  Based on the results, a few tutors got band 4, most of them got band 3 and the rest were on band 2. These results could inform areas in which these tutors have done well and other areas which need improvements.

Understanding Language and Language Teaching

It just makes much sense to expect that a language teacher has a good grasp of what a language is and how learning a language takes place. While saying that a language is a means of communication may sounds cliché, a language is indeed a complex system. Take an example of some animals who can perfectly communicate to their animal friends or even to human beings. Some animals can even produce similar sounds to those of human’s. Should we say that those animals communicate in a language the same way as human? It’s probably safe to say that a language is a means of communications, but it is not the only way to communicate. We have other means such as gestures, signs, emojis which also help us communicate meaning. On another note, some animals may seem like they are communicating a language in a particular way, however, there is no way that they can produce complex utterances as we do. Language is our gifts, and it is only us who have all the devices needed to communicate using human languages.

      Language enables us to create an infinite number of sentences using a finite number of elements. Take a look at the following examples:

 

  • The student has a book.

  • Has the student a book? 

  • The student has a book and the teacher writes books.

  • This is the student who has a book which was written by a teacher who teaches at a school where its students do projects on writing biography of their teachers.

 

    Language can be defined from three perspectives: the structural view, the functional view, and the interactional view (Richards & Rogers, 2001). The first view sees language as a system of structurally related elements. The structured system refers to the fact that each language has its own sounds and grammar rules. The second perspective puts language as a vehicle of self-expression. It is true that through language people can express their thoughts and emotion in a way which is understandable to others. The last perspective defines language as a means to help interact with each other. Through language, people ask for and give information or send or confirm an invitation. Humans build their relationships through languages.

      This understanding of language and its nature is of high importance for language teachers so that when they teach a language, they remember the function of learning a language is for the students to use whatever they learn in real communication. It is not about knowing thousands of words but have no idea of how to use it, and it is neither about sounding like a native speaker. Learning a language is about developing a competence to use a language in an effective and comprehensible way and it doesn’t really matter if we’re accented or not.

      Now, what does teaching mean? Is teaching a process of knowledge transmission? Or is it about motivating students to learn for themselves? The way we define a good teaching may be culturally influenced. In some cultures, a good teacher is the one who controls everything and so s/he should know better than the students. Learning takes place one way, and students will likely to take anything they learned. In other cultures, a good teacher gives learners the autonomy to develop their thinking and be engaged with what they are learning. Hence, knowledge is co-constructed by both the teachers and the learners. In the context of language teaching, teaching goes beyond the application of knowledge and of learned skills (Richards, 2010). During teaching, teachers are required to take accounts of the learning context, their students’ needs, as well as his/her values and beliefs in managing the class -which will inform his/her teaching decision. For example, teaching the same lesson of ‘Daily Routines’ to children and adult learners will involve different material content. Teaching a group of students in a formal context will also bring different ambience and challenge compare to that of in a more relax setting.

      So, what does it take to be a good language teacher? First and foremost, a language teacher is required to master a multidimensional knowledge -the knowledge of language, pedagogy, classroom management, course and material design, and assessment. This knowledge will inform his decision to select what approach/method to use, what type of syllabus and what lesson to give to the students. Proficiency is another factor although it is not the only one. People often hold misconception that everyone with a good language proficiency will make a great teacher, while in fact it takes more than that. Indeed, language proficiency is a significant factor which enables a teacher to provide a good language model for the students, to give an effective instruction and explanation, and to give accurate feedback. But to teach a language takes much more than that. Perhaps the best way to define a good language teacher is that a good teacher needs to be a long-life learner.

Content-based Instruction

Traditional language teaching method relies heavily on translation and memorisation. The idea is that language learning centred on grammatical structures and vocabulary and that’s why it is highly important to present list of words for students to memorised. It made it hard for the students to achieve communicative function of language.

An alternative to this method is content-based instruction (CBI) which focuses on content rather than on language. Within this approach, language becomes a tool for learning content so that in the end of the lessons, students get to learn both the content and the language. Teachers may choose what content to teach to their students by considering their students’ interests. It can be something simple like a favorite pop star, music, or dance or something more serious like science.

It is important to start a lesson with a warmer which is usually a short and fun activity to get the students ready for the lesson. A warmer should be fun and easy and it allows all students with mixed ability to join the activity. When teaching a large class and you want to see everyone in the class talking, inner circle and outer circle could be one good option. Put students into two circles with the inner circle facing their friends at the outer circle. As the students are on their position, facing each other and ready to talk, give them some questions to get them talking. Start with easiest questions. Check the example below:

 

Who is your favorite celebrity? Why?

  1. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?

  2. What is difficult about being a teacher?

  3. When is the last time you danced? Describe that moment!

  4. Describe the dance from your town.

 

It is a good idea to select questions which will prepare the students for the lesson, for instance, the example shows last two questions asking about dance and the reason is because the content of the lesson is about dance. When you’re teaching about food, for example, then perhaps you need to ask the students about their favorite food and their eating experience.

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One of an effective teaching technique that teachers can adopt when applying CBI is jigsaw. Jigsaw is a cooperative learning technique in which everyone in the group will take part to contribute to the task completion. This technique will improve students’ motivation as everyone in the group is assigned a different part of the task. Check the steps on using jigsaw technique below.

 

  1.   Divide students into 5/6 person group.

  2.  Appoint one student in the group as the leader.

  3.  Divide the lesson into 5/6 segments and assign each student to learn one  segment.

  4.  Give students time to read their segment once or twice so that they become familiar with it.

  5.  Have one student from each group to join other students assigned to the same segment.

  6.  Bring the student back to their  group where they should present their segment to their group.

 

   

However, teachers should be aware of some potential problems when adopting content-basedching. Students may feel confused or feel that they are not really learning or improving their language skills. Teachers should also be selective when choosing the material to suit the students’ level and interests. It will be helpful to involve the students when deciding which content or topic they feel like learning.

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