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Checking comprehension

Making sure that students understand what is happening


in the lesson and that they have understood the language
you have taught them can at times be very difficult.

Just asking "Do you understand?" isn't really enough. You


need to be sure.
Tips for asking questions
Here are some tips for asking questions to check that
students have understood you.
Dont ask 'Do you understand?' They can easily
answer 'yes' to avoid losing face.
Ask everyone. Vary who you ask, dont just pick on
the keenest or the best. You will never know if they
all understand if you go for the safe bet!
Avoid repetition parrot fashion. Questions which
require little more than 'lifting' the answer from a
text will not indicate if they understand the meaning.
For example: John gets up at six except for weekends
when he has a long lie in.
Q "What time does John get up during the week?"
"Does he have a long lie in at the weekend?"
Encourage interpretation. Use questions which
involve thinking about the meaning. "Does John
always get up early?" "When does he stay in bed
late?"

Personalise. Use questions which involve the


students personally in the topic. "Do you like having
a lie in?" "Does John get up later than you?"
Encourage discussion on meaning. Use questions
with more than one possible answer to encourage
discussion. "What time might he get up on Sundays?"

Tips for promoting self checking


An important skill in communicating with others in a
foreign language is the ability to clear up
misunderstanding. You need to check if you have
understood by yourself.
Encourage students to ask for clarification. Build in a
checking exercise to your activities. Encourage
verbal checking, not just looking at each other's
answers.
They should not feel ashamed or embarrassed that
they havent understood.
Discourage any mockery and encourage those who
self-correct. Practise dialogues where 2 people
mishear/misunderstand each other and clear up the
misunderstanding verbally. Use these for intonation
practice. A: Ok so thats sixty Euros B: No, it isnt
sixty, its seventy. A: seventy? B: Yes, thats right.

Play clarification games


This is a game called 'What does that mean?'

Make a list of sentences with one word in bold in


each sentence. Give pairs or groups the sentences.
Students take it in turns to ask what the word in bold
means.
Practice first with the whole class and encourage
them to give further examples, synonyms or
opposites.
For example. We arent going to the beach as its too
chilly today. What does chilly mean? Oh, thats
describing the weather. It is cold, not freezing but
quite cold.
Give out a reading text with words underlined which
you wish to check. Students ask each other in pairs
before checking with the whole class.

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