The document analyzes the author's tendency to speak with speech errors, or "back talkwards", when teaching in the classroom. Over six weeks of recording herself, the author identified patterns of misspeaking including switching syllables within and between words, grammatical errors, and saying the opposite of what was meant. Factors that increased the frequency and severity of errors included dyslexia, public speaking anxiety, students talking, rapid speech, multitasking, fibromyalgia causing fatigue and pain, and standing while teaching. The author explores management strategies like sitting down, self-correction, humor, and acceptance of the abnormal occurrence of errors.

1. Backing Talkwards
Speech Patterns in the Classroom
By Laura Thompson
07 March 2011

2. Methodology
 Recorded myself speaking in the
classroom over the course of six weeks
 Identified occasions when I misspoke
 Observed patterns
 Recorded myself in a non-classroom
setting to compare
 Analyzed factors that contribute to
frequency and severity of speech
anomalies

3. We All Do It
 Grasping for words
 Losing our train of
thought
 Repeating words and
phrases as place
holders
 A sample from a 10-
minute lecture

4. Switching Syllables in Single Words
Plagiarism ~ Ragiaplism
Speaking to an empty room
Speaking to my class

5. Multiple Words
Purchasing Commonplace ~
Churpasing Plommoncace
Talking to myself
Talking to students

6. Another Example
Annotated Bibliography~
Antonated Gribliobaphy
Speaking to another instructor
Speaking to my class
(catching my mistake
afterward)

7. Switching Syllables Among a
Series of Words
Logos, Ethos and Pathos
Speaking to a friend
Speaking to my class
(just can’t get it right)

8. Switching Syllables Between
Multiple Words (Multiple Combos)
Timely, Compelling and Relevant
Timely, Compelevant, Revelling
Comely, Tempevelant and Levrelling

9. Grammatical Errors
(and they let me teach English?)
 “between him and me” is correct

10. Saying Yes When I Mean No
(Students count on it)
My course policy (rehearsal)
My response to a student
asking if she can turn in a
paper late

11. Switching Entire Words
(and Meaning!)
Talking to a friend right
before class
Talking to my class just
minutes later

12. Factors That Increase Frequency
and Severity
 Dyscalculia
 Learning disability related to dyslexia
 Recurrence of childhood symptoms
 Teaching: unconscious public speaking
anxiety
 Students talking while I’m talking
 Rapid speech
 Multitasking (can I even task?)

13. Fibromyalgia
 Chronicfatigue and muscle pain that
impairs daily functioning
 Physical
pain accompanied by cognitive
impairment, i.e. “Fibro Fog”

14. Influence of Body Position
 Painful to stand for more than a few minutes;
most of these samples were recorded while I
was standing
 Speech patterns change even when students
are not present and speech acts are staged
 Sitting
 Standing

15. Management in the Classroom
 Sit down whenever possible
 Gain more teaching experience
 Disclose to students?
 Self-correction (I’m able to catch myself about
75% of the time)
 Humor (Sorry guys, I have a slight peach
inspediment)
 Do students even notice?
 Realize that misspeaking is normal
 Accept that I do it abnormally often

16. What I Learned to Say as a Child
Mey, I hay back talkwards till the ame, but
I’m stot as nupid as thinkle peop I am