Mary Spratt

Imagine trying to impart language lessons to children who have varying attention spans and different retention capacities in a packed classroom. It is a tough proposition as any veteran teacher will tell you. In order to make life a bit easier, the University of Cambridge English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and the British Council (BCL) have introduced the Cambridge Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT) in India.

TKT is a test for English language teachers and has been designed to assess teachers’ knowledge of teaching and not their proficiency in English or their performance in the classroom. This knowledge includes concepts related to language, language use, practice of language teaching and learning, etc.

“Listening and speaking need careful development and encouragement if schools and colleges are to equip their students with genuinely useful English skills,” says Mary Spratt, chair of the TKT programme who was in Calcutta last week to launch the programme. Spratt, who is a highly experienced teacher herself, is also one of the authors of The TKT Course, a self-study book for teachers published by the Cambridge University Press.

There can be no fixed strategies for teaching English, says Spratt, and all that TKT aims is to do is put forth different teaching strategies. For instance, one approach based on the behaviourist psychology insists on correcting everything. But there is a school of thought that believes that this strategy is wrong as language learning is a creative process and not a parroting process.

Another method, based on a broad communicative approach, claims that the best way to teach is to correct nothing. Learning occurs through exposure to the language. However, research has pointed out that this approach too is not foolproof since fluency in the language doesn’t translate into accuracy. Says Spratt, “The best strategy is to adopt a middle ground. At times, allow your young charges to make mistakes so that they can learn on their own.”

The TKT is in the form of three modules and at present is offered only in the metros. Module 1 tests language and background to language learning and teaching; Module 2 tests lesson planning and use of resources for language teaching and Module 3 tests managing the teaching and learning process. Each module costs Rs 2,400 and the fee includes a TKT handbook and a self-study book, The TKT Course.

The modules can be taken individually and it’s not compulsory to take them all. It is an objective format test and all questions are weighted equally. Candidates can attempt the sample papers in the handbook or log on to www.cambridgeesol.org/tkt. The exam dates for East India are November 11, 2006 for modules 1 and 2. The registration has to be done through the local British Council office and the last date for registration is September 23, 2006. The exam date for Module 3 is December 23, 2006 and the registration closes on November 4, 2006.

The test is meant to give teachers of English in India the opportunity to gain an international teaching qualification. It is for both experienced teachers as well as those who are just starting out. Says Spratt, “The aim is to make it widely accessible and hence there are no formal qualification requirements to sit for the exam.”

For further information contact:

British Council, Examination Services, L&T Chambers, 16 Camac Street, Calcutta 700017. Ph: 22825370, extn. 338. E-mail:kolkata.exams@in.britishcouncil.org