Checking Understanding

Steve Darn & Ian White, Izmir University of Economics, Turkey

In a standard language focus lesson following a PPP (present, practice, produce) or
similar format, the target language (structure or vocabulary) is normally presented in
context, then isolated and analysed. Analysis of the language consists of two sub-stages,
often nown as highlighting and concept checing.
Highlighting is taing the model sentence and showing, telling or eliciting what the
problems are in terms of form, function, and phonology.
Concept checking is checing the understanding of difficult aspects of the target structure
in terms of function and meaning. !oncept checing is vital, since learners must fully
understand the structure before any intensive practice of form and phonology is carried
out.
"ays of checing understanding
!oncept #uestions
$ome examples
%earning to construct concept #uestions
!onclusion
Ways of checking understanding
!oncept checing is normally achieved by the use of a set of #uestions designed to
ensure comprehension of the target language, raise awareness of its problems, and to
indicate to the teacher that the learners have fully understood.
&he #uestion 'Do you understand?', or the remar 'OK?' do not achieve any of these
aims, and are unliely to receive a truthful answers from all the learners. !oncept
#uestions are one way of checing understanding, but are often used in combination with
other methods, often visual, depending on the nature of the target language involved. 'ere
are some other methods(
&ime lines to establish tenses. &ime lines are not a substitute for concept #uestions.
&ruth lines to establish probability e.g. must be ) could be ) might be ) can*t be.
+eality lines to establish degree of reality or imagination e.g. conditional sentences
!lines to show grades or scales e.g. yellow-amber-orange, fre#uency adverbs
Pictures to distinguish between similar ob,ects e.g. cup ) mug, lane ) road ) highway
-iscrimination to chec function and register e.g. -o I say *hey.* to my boss/
0egative checing e.g. -o I say *I were*/
&ranslation (where appropriate and possible).
1xtensions to consolidate understanding. 'omewor often reveals lac of
understanding, as do guided practice exercises.
Concept questions
!oncept #uestions themselves are often difficult to construct since they involve clarifying
function and meaning using simple language but not the target language itself.
Apart from their classroom value, thining of good #uestions also helps inexperienced
teachers to understand the complexities of form, function and meaning, and to practise
grading their language. $ome basic tips for good concept #uestions are(
2ae sure the #uestions are simple and that no difficult language is re#uired to
answer the #uestion. 3es)no #uestions, either)or #uestions and simple *wh*
#uestions are particularly effective
-on*t use the new (target) grammar in your #uestions
-on*t use unfamiliar vocabulary
4ring out basic concepts such as *time* and *tense* in your #uestions
5se as many #uestions as possible to chec various aspects of the language and to
cover as many learners as possible.
Some examples
&hese examples show how concept #uestions could be used to help differentiate between
the main functions of the present simple and present continuous.
&arget sentence( Look! They're painting the all
!hecing #uestions
!s it happening no" 3es
Can you see it" #es 3es
!s the painting finished" 0o
$re they painting no" 3es
!s this the past% present or future" Present
&arget sentence( She's a shop assistant& She orks in a shop
!hecing #uestions
Has she got a 'o(" 3es
!s she orking no -on*t now
)oes she ork there e*ery day" 3es
!s this the past% present or future"
Present, but also past and
probably future.
&his example shows how concept #uestions can be used to clarify the meaning of more
complex structures(
&arget sentence( !f ! on the lottery% !'d (uy a ne car
!hecing #uestions
Ha*e ! on the lottery" 0o
$m ! going to in the lottery" Probably not
$m ! going to (uy a ne car" Probably not
Has he got a lottery ticket" 2aybe
!s this real% or imaginary" Imaginary
Learning to construct concept questions
6ne way of beginning to thin about concept #uestions is to brea the meaning of a word
or structure into components. A vocabulary item might be diagramatically represented.
'ere is an example of the concepts included in the word '(ed+sit
7uestions may be of different types(
3es)no #uestions. *Is a bed-sit a room?', 'Are there other rooms in the house?',
Can you sleep in it?'.
89)89 chance #uestions. 'Is it a room or a building?', 'Is it cheap or expensie?'
Do you buy it or pay money eery !ee" or month?'
Information #uestions. '#ho lies in it?', '$o! many people lie in it?'
-iscrimination #uestions. 'Do you only sleep in it?', 'Can you coo" a meal in it?',
'Is it the same as a %lat?'
$hared experience #uestions. 'Is there a bed-sit in this building?'
%ife experience)culture #uestions. '$ae you eer lied in a bed-sit?' 'Are their
bed-sits in your city&country?'
+emember that the answers 'sometimes', 'it depends' and 'I don't "no!' can tell
you as much as 'yes' or 'no'.
Another way of constructing concept #uestions is by writing a sentence containing all the
elements of the concept, from which #uestions can be formed. &his is a useful method
when distinguishing between two functions of the same structure, particularly where those
functions would be expressed by different forms or tenses in other languages. :or
example(
'He's (een eating garlic&'
Concept, 'e isn*t eating garlic now, and I didn*t see him eating it, but I now he
was eating garlic because I can smell it.
'Harry's (een orking here for to years&'
Concept, 'e started woring here two years ago, he*s still woring here, and he*ll
probably continue woring here.
Conclusion
&he value of concept #uestions should not be underestimated, but many teachers either
forget to use them or find them difficult to construct. &eachers are often satisfied that the
learners *seem to understand* on the basis of their performance in practice exercises. A
few important points to remember are(
!oncept #uestions are particularly valuable after the presentation and explanation
of an item, and may be ased at any stage during a lesson. &hey are valuable after
guided practice, particularly if the learners seem not to have grasped the target
language fully, and at the end of a lesson, as a final chec and review.
&ime lines and other devices are not substitutes for concept #uestions. &hey are
aids to explanation, but do not necessarily chec understanding. !oncept
#uestions, however, may be used to elicit a timeline from the learners.
!oncept #uestions are particularly valuable where a concept does not exist, or is
different in the mother tongue (e.g. the perfect aspect, ways of expressing the
future), and where a language item is culturally loaded as in the case of the word
*subway* which has very different meanings in 4ritish and American 1nglish. In such
cases, concept #uestions often form part of the initial teaching process.
!oncept #uestions are also useful for raising awareness of association and
connotation, and for drawing attention to collocations and fixed expressions. &hey
are also good listening practice for learners, and can even lead on to class activities
such as guessing games in which the learners write their own #uestions.
&he teacher does not have to concept chec every new item. In many cases,
function and meaning are clear because the language has been presented in a
meaningful context.
"hen learners perform poorly in guided or less guided practice, it is often because
they are not clear about the function or meaning of the target language. &his may
well be because the teacher has ased *do you understand/* or *is that clear* rather
than good concept #uestions.
&his article published( ;th <une, =99>
-urther reading
?raham "orman - Concept .uestions $nd Time Lines@ !hadburn Publishing, =99>.
http,//&teachingenglish&org&uk/think/methodology/check0understand&shtml1one
Con*eying meaning
Nik Peachey, British Counci
"hen teaching any language whether it is a word, a phrase or a verb form, at some point it
will be essential to convey and chec that your students have understood the meaning. In
most classrooms this is most commonly done through translation by the teacher or
students, but is this really the best way/ In this article I*d lie to share some alternative
methods which I have used in my teaching.
Problems with translation
2oving away from translation
Possible problems
!onclusion
2ro(lems ith translation
All though it is #uic and simple, there are many possible problems with relying on
translation.
&he word you want to translate to doesn*t always cover the same range of meaning
and connotation of the target word.
$ome structures or verb forms that exist in 1nglish either don*t exist in other
languages or the parallel form carries either additional or less meaning.
5sing translation can mae students very teacher ) dictionary dependent.
4y relying on translation, students don*t develop the *real world* strategies, which
could help them to negotiate meaning and communicate when they need to mae
themselves understood or to understand someone who doesn*t share their
language.
3o*ing aay from translation
'ere are some methods I have used to in attempting to move away from dependence on
translation.
3ime. &his includes noises or gestures. $ome words particularly actions are easy
and #uic to mime.
o &his can actually mae lesson much more en,oyable too, especially if you get
the students used to miming words.
2ictures. &his includes photos and drawings. &hese are very useful for when the
words you are trying to teach are ob,ects. -oing a #uic drawing on the board can
very simply convey the meaning of words that come up unexpectedly in class.
o Again, if you get students to do the drawing too, then this can mae the class
more memorable and can be made a regular revision feature of your
lessons. Time lines are also a great way of conveying the meaning of
different verb tenses.
Clines& &hese are graphs showing degree and they can be really useful for sets of
words lie, love, hate, don*t mind, fond of, detest, en,oy or things lie adverbs of
fre#uency. &hey rely on students* existing nowledge and extend that nowledge.
o If you now that your students understand love and hate then you can place
these at extremes on the graph and get your students to decide where the
other words in the set should be in relation to those.
4ealia or the real thing. &his relies on the words you are teaching being ob,ects and
you being able to bring that ob,ect into class, but it can be really effective for
students who are tactile learners and who need to touch.
o &his can be particularly effective for teaching words lie fluffy, rough, smooth,
furry, hairy, which have very subtle differences which would be hard to
explain.
)ictionary. A mono lingual dictionary can be really useful in helping to build up
your learners independence.
o 5sing a monolingual dictionary well is a sill and one that you may well need
to wor on in order to help your students get the best out of it.
5xplanation. 4eing able to explain what a word means in the target language can
be a really useful sill for students.
o 4y giving students concise and accurate explanations of words we can help
them to develop the ability to explain words that they want to now.
Synonyms / $ntonyms. ?iving opposite words or similar words can be a very
#uic way of conveying meaning, but you will need to be careful.
o 5sing thin as a synonym for sinny can be #uite effective, but there is still a
difference in connotation and you*ll need to consider whether and how you
deal with these slight differences in meaning.
Word formation or to be accurate breaing down complex words to their root parts.
&his method can also help students to understand how some of the suffixes and
morphemes of the language wor.
o &he word *misunderstanding* can be divided into three parts@ the route
(understand), its prefix (mis) and the *ing* at the end. 4y breaing words
down in this way students learn more about the language than the word itself
and can start to apply this nowledge to other words they want to use.
Context. &his could be within a written text, audio, video or even a play and is by
far one of the most useful and powerful ways to convey meaning.
o If students are able to deduce the meaning of a word or phrase through the
context in which they see or hear it, then they are well on the road to
becoming independent learners.
2ossi(le pro(lems
6f course using the techni#ues above taes time and planning and there are always liely
to be words that *come up* unexpectedly in class when it will be ,ust more economical to
use translation. &here is also the fact that you may have to battle against your students*
expectations.
If they are used to having the teacher give them translations of every new word or
phrase they learn, then they might not readily tae to having to do some of the
thining wor for themselves. If this is the case, you might want to start introducing
these methods gradually by using them as part of revision games.
If, as is the case with many learners, they are really uncomfortable with not having a
translation to match their new language points against, you could try telling them
that you will give them translations for new words at the end of the class which will
also act as a good way to revise any new language which has come up in the class.
Conclusion
Although many of these ways of conveying meaning may be more time consuming and
re#uire more planning than translating words, I believe by using them we are in the long
term maing better learners of our students. "e are not only teaching them words and
phrases, but the ability to convey and understand new meaning within the framewor of
the language they want to learn. &his will mae them more independent learners and
better able to cope when the time comes for them to actually use the language in the *real
world*.
This artice !u"ishe#$ %th &une, '(()
http())www.teachingenglish.org.u)thin)methodology)conveyAmeaning.shtml
Time lines
*areth +ees, teacher, trainer, ,on#on -etro!oitan University, U.
BI am sorry, I don*t understanding 'temporary repeated action', and why you have said
''resent conse(uence o% a completed eent in the past at an unspeci%ied time or a
state !hich commenced at a point o% time in the past and continues until the
present time and in all li"elihood !ill continue into the %uture time'?
I haven*t understood. Please help me.B
&he language used by teachers to explain time reference, particularly of verb forms, can
be confusing for the students. &imelines are neat devices that can be used clarify our
teaching language. &imelines enable the communication of sophisticated concepts to the
lowest level of learner, and can prompt sophisticated discussion amongst higher level
learners.
&his article is a basic introduction to timelines. %ater articles will discuss when to use
timelines in class, concept checing, activities and strategies that use timelines and their
potential drawbacs. &his introductory article covers the following areas.
"hat is a timeline/
"hy use timelines/
"hat does a timeline loo lie/
o &he basics
o $ymbols
o 1xamples
!onclusion
What is a timeline"
6ne of the eys to learning a language is learning how that language refers to, and
describes, time and events, or states, that occur in the realm of time. In 1nglish, this
reference to time is most commonly described by the verb, in its various tenses and
aspects. 5nfortunately, when learning a language, it is at times difficult to understand the
concepts that are given as explanation.
&imelines are diagrams that illustrate the reference to time made by a given piece
of language. &hey are used to show how a particular language item (often a verb in
a particular tense and aspect) places particular events or situations in time and in
relation to other events.
Why use timelines"
&he concepts which underline time reference in a language are often difficult to explain
using controlled language and are often linguistically difficult to understand. &imelines are
used to explain language in the more universal form of pictures, diagrams and symbols.
2ost people will follow the direction indicated by an arrow.
&imelines are used to(
o $implify linguistic explanation
o +einforce the understanding of a concept
o Illustrate the differences between verb forms and other language items
o 'elp students with a visual learning style
o Provide a reference point for students
o 1ncourage awareness of how language refers to time in different ways
What does a timeline look like"
&here are no set rules for the appearance of timelines, rather, there is a common sense
convention which will be described below. &eachers will have there own idiosyncrasies
and develop their own micro styles (representing time through diagrams is never going to
be a standard affair), however, the similarities between the timelines used in +oom C= in
%ondon and +oom CD in $hanghai are greater than the differences.
The (asics
A horiEontal line represents the basic line of time. &he left end of the line is the first point in
time, the right end is the final point in time. &hus, time is deemed to move forward as the
line moves from left to right.
&his line is usually mared with a point that represents now. &hus, the timeline is divided
into the past and the future.
&o emphasise the direction of time, the line may be capped with an arrowhead. I also lie
to represent 6o with a triangle, as below.
&his simple template can then be added to in order to show everything from the difference
between the words before and after and the meaning of the future perfect continuous.
Sym(ols
&he following is a summary of the common symbols used on timelines
A single event or action
A repeated action or habit
A permanent state or situation
A temporary state, situation or
repeated)continuous action
1xact time of event is unnown
A point in time
A period in time
5xamples
'ere are some timeline examples demonstrating the use of these symbols.
3esterday, I met 4ob in the ban, #uite by chance.
%ast night, I was waling home when I slipped on the icy path
I have been learning <apanese for three years.
I have been to 0ew Fealand, Iceland and &aiwan.
I get up at seven o*cloc every day.
Conclusion
&hese examples should show how the symbols act to illustrate a sentence or phrase. In
the second article you will see how to use these diagrams in class, in particular how to use
them to chec the understanding of ey concepts.
This artice !u"ishe#$ /0th 1!ri, '(()
http())www.teachingenglish.org.u)thin)methodology)time.shtml