Checking meaning when teaching English
Posted by Alison Parker - 18:47 on 11 March 2009
When you plan to clarify language, you need to plan to convey the meaning and then check that the students understand the meaning. An important technique in TEFL is asking concept checking questions.
1. Choose an example of the target language from your context.
2. Break down the meaning of the target language (word/structure).
3. Turn those aspects of meaning into questions; questions which if answered correctly show understanding of the target language.
For example: Your target language is verbs of movement, including creep. The context is spy stories. Students have read a passage about James Bond escaping from the tunnel of doom which is about to be flooded by the evil Dr Drage. The text contains the target language, including the sentence he crept along the dark tunnel towards a small light.
Meaning:
• He walked.
• He walked quietly.
• He didn’t want anyone to hear.
To check understanding of all aspects of the meaning, the teacher asks these questions:
• Did he run or walk? He walked
• Did he make a noise? No
• Was it important that nobody heard him? Yes
Then closed questions pin down the meaning. The teacher asks follow-up questions to consolidate and personalise.
Examples:
• Can you think of other situations when people would creep?
• Can you remember a time when you had to creep? Why?
Good concept checking questions…..
• Should initially relate to the context of the target language.
• Should cover all areas of the concept and potential confusion.
• Should be graded so that the language in the questions is simpler than the target language.
• Shouldn’t simply reuse the target language. Example, you have to do your homework. Check: Do you have to do your homework? This doesn’t check have to!
• Are not the same as eliciting i.e. the answer to the question shouldn’t be the target language.
Concept Checking Questions
A: Display questions (when teacher knows the answer).
1. Closed questions
2. Open questions
3. Trick (leading) questions What’s this?
What’s the man doing?
Example questions (context of a car crash)
Do people usually get hurt?
Does it usually happen when you are driving fast?
Why does it happen?
What does the driver do after the….?
So, X is when my friend breaks the window of my car because he/she is angry with me, right?
B. Referential (real) questions
(more personalized) Have you ever been in a……?
What could the government do to reduce the number of…..?
C. Definition-orientated
1. Teacher asks for:
• Definition
• Synonym
• Antonym
2. Students contrast similar words
Example questions (context of a car crash)
Word with similar meaning
Word with opposite meaning
What’s the difference between X and Y?
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