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Concept Checking
Asking concept check questions to your students is a useful tool to help you make sure that
your students understand and can use the language you have taught them. Concept
checking is not only handy for grammar points and structures, but also for vocabulary,
functions and idiomatic expressions. Here are some tips to follow when asking concept
check questions.

Avoid asking the question 'Do you understand?' This will only lead to a 'Yes' response from
the students and give you no real insight into the students' understanding.

To check the students have grasped the concept, questions must be asked to the students.
The preparation of each question is very important. Use questions that involve thinking about
the meaning and avoid asking questions that can be lifted from a text. Make sure the
questions are easy to understand and contain no difficult language. Wh- questions and
yes/no questions work particularly well. Remember to also make sure your questions contain
no new grammar or unfamiliar vocabulary.

The target structure must not appear in the concept question. Instead, reduce the target
structure to a number of simple statements, which describe the meaning of that structure.
After you have done that, turn those statements into questions.

Example: He should have been on-time for work.

Simple statements: Someone told him to be on-time for work (let's say his boss). He wasn't
on-time for work.

The simple statements turned into single questions: Did his boss tell him to be on-time for
work? (Yes) Was he on-time for work? (No)

If the students answer correctly to these two questions, it means they understand the
concept. After you have asked these questions, ask personalized questions to the students.

Example: Are you always on-time for work?

You can also ask questions that generate discussion to help students understand the
meaning or concept. Try to ask questions that would have more than one correct response.
When you are asking comprehension questions, make sure you ask everyone. Try not to
concentrate on the students near the front of the class and make sure that everyone
understands.

Remind your students that clearing up misunderstandings are a part of everyday

communication, so students shouldn't feel embarrassed about asking for clarification.
Playing games can also help with concept checking. Games like Hot Seats and Translation
Race are great for checking the students' understanding of vocabulary or grammar.

When asking comprehension reading or listening questions, you can use true/false or
multiple-choice questions. You could even ask the students to paraphrase or summarize the
text or key points.

When checking writing comprehension, make sure the students understand the topic they
are writing about. You may wish to start a small discussion on the topic. If the students are
answering a question, go through the question and a clear response. Sometimes students
will have to write using a particular structure. Try to practice the structure first, and when
marking check they are using the structure correctly.

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