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Post-Graduate Programme in Teacher Qualification and New Technologies

Task Three: Test-Teach-Test

What exactly does this mean? An Overview: In this approach, students start by working on and exercise
together to see how much they know about the new language (TEST). The teacher then goes through the exercise,
correcting it and checking meaning where there are problems (TEACH). The students are then given a further
exercise to see whether they now understand the new language better (TEST).

First Test Stage:

1. The teacher selects an activity which requires the target language. This needs to test the areas of the
language that you want to focus on including the aspect of the language that you think your students will
have the most difficulty with (i.e. form, meaning, pronunciation or appropriateness).
2. The students do the activity.
a. The teacher monitors the students closely and notes down problems that the students have with
the target language.
3. Students check answers in pairs.
4. Group check.

Testing Activities:
 Gap fills  Homework assignments
 Matching half sentences  Games (e.g. 20 questions “who am I?”, board
 Matching words with definitions, pictures or races, brainstorming exercises, etc.)
examples  Multiple choice
 Matching words with pictures  Grouping words/concepts into ‘know/not
 Filling in charts/graphs sure/don’t know’ columns or groups (this can
 Doing a role-play (e.g. good for functions) also have a column titled ‘what I want to
know’)

Teaching Stage:
 After the activity the teacher then elicits the T.L., then ‘teaches’ (or clarifies) the target language including
form, meaning, use, pronunciation, register (appropriateness). This stage also includes CCQs (checking
understanding) and any appropriate drills or other practice activities.

 The teacher must have already prepared for this stage in order to answer students’ questions and
clarifications of unknown or incorrect TL. Don’t try to make it up on the spot! MONITORING AND
RECORDING AT THE INITIAL STAGE IS VITAL!

Second Test Stage:

Make this a different type of activity from the first test.
1. Set the task.
2. Students do the task individually.
3. Students check in pairs.
4. Group feedback.

Why would you decide to use this approach ?

 At higher levels where very few, if any, language structures are new to students.
 At any level where the teacher knows the TL isn’t new for the students. Teachers can focus the lesson on
what they don’t know, rather than wasting time teaching what they do.
 To assess strengths and weaknesses in a class you don’t know or must design a series of lessons.
 As a review of a previously taught lesson or as an assessment of how well a previously taught structure
had been understood.
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Post-Graduate Programme in Teacher Qualification and New Technologies

 With confident (over-confident?) students who claim to know the TL.

 If the teacher wants to compare or contrast structures (e.g. simple past vs. present perfect).

Task 1: Label the following brief descriptions of a TTT lesson with TEST 1, TEACH, TEST 2
_________________: Provide students with pictures and vocabulary to match to the pictures
_________________: Students make a story using the new vocabulary
_________________: Check exercise, elicit correct answers and give unknown vocabulary, clarify meaning.
What kind of lesson is this? __________________________________

_______________: Elicit/clarify appropriate ways of complaining/responding

_______________: Rerun of role-play to practice
_______________: Role-play of taking a defective DVD player back to the store to complain
What kind of lesson is this? __________________________________

__________________: Go through exercise, checking answers using concept questions and time lines to check
meaning.
__________________: Give students a gap-fill exercise where they have to decide whether to put the past simple
for the past continuous in the gaps.
__________________: Students decide whether a selection of sentences with past simple and past continuous
examples in them is right or wrong
What kind of lesson is this? __________________________________

Task 2: Looking at an example of the above lesson. Read each test section, then decide what you would put into
the teaching stage.

Test: In this exercise you have to decide whether the verbs in these sentences are right or wrong. Correct those which are wrong.
The verb is underlined.

Examples: I don't know your telephone number. RIGHT

Please don't make so much noise. I study. WRONG - am studying

1. Look! Somebody is climbing up that tree over 4. Look! That man tries to open the door of your car.
there. 5. The moon goes around the earth.
2. Can you hear those people? What do they talk 6. I'm thinking it would be a good idea to leave early.
about? 7. The number of people without jobs is increasing.
3. Are you believing in God? 8. I'm usually going to work by car.

Teach: What will you teach at this stage? How?

Test: Put the verb into the correct form, present continuous (l am doing) or present simple (I do).
Examples: Please don't make so much noise. I am studying, (study)
How many languages does Tom speak (Tom/speak)?
This machine doesn’t work (not/work). It hasn't worked for years.

1. I ______________________ (not/belong) to a political party.

2. Hurry! The bus _________________________ (come). I _____________________ (not/want) to miss it.
3. The Nile River ________________ (flow) into the Mediterranean.
4. The river_____________ (flow) very fast today - much faster than usual.
5. __________________________ (it/ever/snow) in India?
6. We usually ____________________ (grow) vegetables in our garden but this year we __________ ___(not/grow) any.
7. A: Can you drive?
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Post-Graduate Programme in Teacher Qualification and New Technologies

B: No, but I ________________ (learn). My father ______________ (teach) me.

8. You can borrow my umbrella. I _______________________________ (not/need) it at the moment.
9. (at a party) I usually ___________________________ (enjoy) parties but I ________________ (not/enjoy) this one very
much.
10. George says he's 80 years old but I ____________________ (not/believe) him.