The English grammar

They should be:

o simple and short. The language level should be below that of the students and certainly simpler than the language item you are focusing on. Try to design questions which only require a yes/no or a one-word answer from the students. One-word questions, for example - Past? and gestures such as a thumb over the shoulder to indicate the past together with a questioning expression are not only acceptable, they are preferable;

o in language that does not include the language being checked in either the question or in the answer. If students don't understand what you are checking, then your question will be meaningless and will not guide the students towards understanding;

o varied and numerous. Often more than one question is needed for each aspect so that more than one student can be asked without the others picking up the `right' answer from the first student. However, concept checking must be done efficiently - you've got to find a balance between asking too many questions and asking enough to satisfy yourself that the meaning has been grasped;

o asked often and spread around the class. It is not usually possible to ask all the students in the class, but if you make sure you ask at least one of the slower students, their answers should give you a good indication of how well you have managed to get the meaning across.

Examples

1 Past perfect to indicate an action that took place before another action in the past:

They had started the meeting when she arrived.

Was she there at the beginning of the meeting? (No)

Did they start the meeting before or after she arrived? (Before)

Did she miss the start of the meeting? (Yes)

Did she miss the meeting? (No, not all of it, just the beginning)

Was she late for the meeting? (Yes)

2 A polite request - a young man to a woman who is sitting near him in a restaurant:

Would you mind if I smoked?

Does the man want a cigarette? (Yes)

Does the man know the woman very well? (No)

Why does he ask her? (He is polite. He doesn't want to upset her)

Does everyone like smoking? (No)

Is he asking before or after he has the cigarette? (Before)

How would you ask a friend the same question? (Is it OK if I smoke? etc)

(See also Section 2: Vocabulary for examples of `concept' questions used to check the understanding of vocabulary items.)

Translation

This is only possible with monolingual groups but it can cut down on lengthy, laborious explanations - particularly at lower levels. You can check the students' understanding by asking them to translate words or sentences. However, it is dangerous for students to assume that a word-for-word translation is always available. Often the connotation of a word which is looked up in a dictionary is not fully appreciated and consequently the word is used inappropriately. Also, you may not want students to get into the habit of translating every language item they meet.

Task 1.

Aim

To give practice in drawing `time-lines' to illustrate the meaning of structures.

Procedures

1 Draw time-lines to illustrate the meaning of the following structures:

a) I've been here since four o'clock.

b) He was going round the corner when he lost control of the car.

c) This time next week we'll be lying on the beach in Florida.

d) I'm using this office while mine is being decorated.

2 If possible, show your time-lines to a colleague, a high-level student, your supervisor, someone not in EFL for their comments.

Comment

Of the people who were shown your time-lines, who understood them easily, who had the most difficulty/ Why do you think this was?

Task 2

Aim

To give practice in writing questions to check that students understand new language.

Procedure A

1Write concept questions to check the understanding of particular language items. For example:

aI wish they'd come.

bHe used to go fishing every week.

cShe must have gone out.

2Swap questions around and get each set modified or developed by others in your group.

3Discuss.

Procedure B

1 Write concept questions for a particular structure.

2 Ask colleagues to try to guess what is being checked.

Procedure C

1 Get each person in your group to prepare concept questions for different items.

2 Shuffle the items and questions.

3 Get the whole group to match them.

Task 3

Aim

To consider the most suitable approach to use when presenting and practising a structure.

Procedure

1 Think about a class you are familiar with - perhaps your TP group or a class you are observing.

2 Which approach would you use - inductive or deductive - to present or revise the following structures? How would you illustrate and check the students' understanding of the meaning of the structures?

aThe present perfect to talk about experience of events before `now': for example, I've seen `Cats' six times.

bWays of expressing likes and dislikes: for example, I really like…, I hate …, I absolutely adore …, I can't stand …, etc.

cA comparison of the uses of so and such: for example, He's such a good dancer. He's so good. We had such good weather. The weather was so good. That's such good news.

3Compare your ideas with a colleague.

Comment

1 You may, of course, consider that these structures are not suitable for your class or that you would choose different examples to illustrate the language.

2 You may be able to try out your ideas in a lesson with the class.