CPE Speaking Practice: A Good Teacher

Introduction

In this lesson you will prepare for a CPE Part 3 long turn by

reading about what makes a good teacher
identifying key vocabulary
practising consonant/vowel blending
looking at using anecdotes in the long turn
trying a CPE Speaking Part 3 long turn

CPE Part 3 Task

You are going to prepare to answer the following Part 3 task

What are the qualities of a good teacher?

professionalism
personality
passion

Reading

Click the links below and read the two articles about what the authors argue make a good teacher. These articles are on another website. Don’t forget to come back to complete the lesson!
NB: Please let me know if these links no longer work and I will update the exercise.

Vocabulary

Here are some set expressions and collocations that appeared in the two texts. Are there any you don’t understand? If so, read the article concerned again and try to work out the meaning.

Article 1

to deliver lessons
to forge relationships
to do the bare minimum
to ring true
chosen subject matter
to tailor the lesson to individual students
to make the subject come alive
to know the ins and outs (of a subject)
to spark a discussion
to have high expectations
to put in the effort
to create a sense of belonging

Article 2

key characteristics
good-natured
keep someone at arms length
an authority figure
self-deprecating
to make light of
to get a kick out of something
on the fly/spur of the moment
personality facets
to be blessed with
the million-dollar question

Pronunciation

If you say the following phrase from the list above ‘get a kick out of’ you’ll notice how the final consonant in the words ‘get’, ‘kick’ and ‘out’ seem to move to the beginning of the following word. So we say:
ge/ta/ki/ckou/tof/
This is a feature of fluent, spoken English: a final consonant will ‘move’ to the beginning of the next word if the word starts with a vowel.

Listen to me saying the following and pay attention to where the blending takes place. Repeat each one after me.

make the subject come alive
know the ins and outs of a subject
spark a discussion
put in the effort
create a sense of belonging
keep someone at arms length

Speaking Strategy

One way to bring a talk like this to life – and to give you plenty to talk about – is to use an anecdote to get your point across. Have you had a teacher or teachers in the past who exemplify some of the qualities mentioned in the texts?

Take my maths teacher for example. She was really passionate about the subject and even made boring subjects relevant to the students. For instance, (………)

Our English teacher was clearly in charge of the lesson but didn’t come across as an authority figure. For example, (……..)

Think about the kind of examples you could give to support your opinions.

Speaking Practice Test

Now try this CPE Speaking Part 3 task. Use some of the expressions we have looked at above along with an anecdote if you have a relevant one. When you’ve finished, listen to your recording and see how often you blended consonant and vowels in neighbouring words.

You can record yourself using the button below. When you’ve finished you can choose to send us the recording and we may feature it on the website.

Tip! For the best quality recording try to do this somewhere quiet and with an external microphone. Remember, your talk should be no longer than 2 minutes.

What are the qualities of a good teacher?

professionalism
personality
passion