101 REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR TEACHING METHODOLOGY

(Compiled by Ms. Lurex, May 16, 2023)

Notes: You may not find the answers in the course material to some questions that
require your critical thinking, further research, and personal experience.

TOPIC 1. TEACHERS & LEARNERS

1. Why do people learn English?
2. Where can English be taught? (e.g. schools)
3. What is a target language community?
4. In what ways are learners different from each other (e.g. age groups, learning styles,
levels, educational and cultural background)?
5. What do ESP, EAP, ESL, EFL, and ESOL stand for?
6. Distinguish between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation?
7. What can be done to make learners more responsible for their own learning (both inside
and outside the classroom)?
8. What should a language learner learn?
9. List all kinds of knowledge an English T needs to possess.
10. List all types of skills (or tasks) an English T needs to acquire (as regards what T does
inside & outside the classroom).
11. What types of personality does an English T need to have?
12. What can the T do to create a good rapport with the students?
13. List some key roles the T can play in the classroom. What does the T do when (s)he
plays each role?
14. Is teaching an art or a science?

TOPIC 2. MANAGING THE CLASSROOM & DESCRIBING LEARNING & TEACHING

1. Distinguish between acquisition & learning.
2. What does classroom management involve? How important is classroom
management?
3. List some dos and don’ts regarding T’s use of voice, use of body language, and use of
classroom language.
4. What should the T consider when giving instructions?
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5. What are some main types of grouping? List some activities that work best for each
type of grouping.
6. What are some types of seating arrangements? List some activities that work best for
each type.
7. List some occasions in which the T speaks (Teacher talking time-TTT). List some
occasions in which students speak (Student talking time-STT). Who should speak more
in class, and why?
8. What are “rough-tuning” and “comprehensible input”? Give examples to illustrate each.
9. In what situations should the T use L1 (mother tongue)?
10. What is Teacher Talking Quality (TTQ)? What factors can contribute to TTQ?
11. What do PPP and ESA stand for? What activities might take place in each stage of
PPP and ESA? Compare and contrast PPP and ESA.
12. Briefly describe the three patterns of ESA and give an example to illustrate each
pattern.
13. Briefly explain the three elements for successful language learning (i.e. exposure,
motivation, and opportunities for language use). How do they relate to the ESA lesson
sequence?
14. Briefly explain the concepts of “contextualization, elicitation, and personalization.”
Give an example to illustrate each.
15. What is “principled eclecticism?” Give an example to illustrate the method.
16. What are some unexpected problems that can occur in the classroom? Suggest ways
to deal with them.
17. Distinguish between “guided practice, controlled practice, and free practice.” Give an
example to illustrate each.
18. Distinguish between ICQs and CCQs. Give an example to illustrate each.
19. Distinguish between "the form, meaning, and use", and “the form and forms” of a
language item. Give an example to illustrate each.
20. Distinguish between “slips, errors, attempts, and developmental errors.” Give an
example to illustrate each.
21. What are some different ways of correcting students’ mistakes?

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 TOPIC 3. TEACHING GRAMMAR, VOCABULARY & PRONUNCIATION
A. Teaching grammar
1. Distinguish between deductive approach (aka “explain and practice”) and inductive
approach (aka “discovery activities”) to presenting grammar. Give an example to illustrate
each approach.
2. What does the T teach about a grammar point (e.g. present continuous tense)?
3. What are some typical activities in a grammar lesson?
4. What should the T avoid doing when teaching grammar?
5. Give an example of a controlled practice activity and an example of a free practice
activity to teach a specific grammar point (e.g. present continuous tense).
6. What are some grammatical mistakes Vietnamese students tend to make?
7. What are some effective ways to practice grammar outside the classroom?
8. What challenges might the T face when teaching grammar? What are some solutions
for addressing those challenges?

B. Teaching vocabulary
1. What are some techniques for presenting the meaning of vocabulary? Give an example
of a specific word to illustrate how that word is taught using each of those techniques.
2. What does the T teach about a specific word?
3. What are some typical activities for vocabulary teaching?
4. What should the T avoid doing when teaching vocabulary?
5. Give an example of a controlled practice activity and an example of a free practice
activity to teach a specific word.
6. What are some effective ways to learn vocabulary outside the classroom?
7. When should students use dictionaries? What kinds of dictionaries should they use?
How can they use dictionaries effectively?
8. What challenges might the T face when teaching vocabulary? What are some solutions
for addressing those challenges?

C. Teaching pronunciation
1. What is good pronunciation?

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2. What are some difficulties/problems Vietnamese students usually encounter when
practicing pronunciation?
3. What challenges might the T face when teaching pronunciation? What are some
solutions for addressing those challenges?
4. Distinguish between segmental and supra-segmental features of English
pronunciation. Give an example to illustrate those features. How can the T teach those
features?
5. What are some typical activities in a pronunciation lesson?
6. What should the T avoid doing when teaching pronunciation?
7. Give an example of a controlled practice activity and an example of a free practice
activity to teach a specific pronunciation feature (e.g. word stress).
8. What are some effective ways to practice pronunciation outside the classroom?
9. When and how should phonemic symbols be used to teach pronunciation?

TOPIC 4. TEACHING THE FOUR SKILLS

A. Teaching listening and reading
1. Distinguish between extensive and intensive listening/reading. Give an example to
illustrate each.
2. List and briefly describe some main listening/reading skills.
3. Why are listening and reading called “receptive skills”?
4. Distinguish between the top-down and bottom-up approaches to teaching English
listening/reading skills. Give an example to illustrate each.
5. What are some typical activities in an English listening/reading lesson?
6. What should the T avoid doing when teaching English listening/reading?
7. What are some key principles to remember when teaching listening/reading?
8. How can students be encouraged to listen/read more extensively outside the
classroom?
9. What should students do to practice English listening/reading skills outside the
classroom?
10. What problems do Vietnamese students usually have with the listening/reading skills?
What are some suggestions on how to fix those problems?

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B. Teaching speaking and writing
1. Why are speaking and writing called “productive skills”?
2. Distinguish between writing-for-learning and writing-for-writing. Give an example to
illustrate each.
3. What are some writing genres that can be taught in a writing lesson?
4. Distinguish between the process-based and product-based approaches to teaching
writing. Give an example to illustrate each. How can the two approaches be combined
into one lesson?
5. What are language functions? Give some examples of language function that can be
taught in a speaking lesson.
6. What are some typical activities in an English writing/speaking lesson?
7. What should the T avoid doing when teaching English writing/speaking?
8. In what ways does the T correct/provide feedback on students’ writing/speaking
mistakes/errors?
9. What should students do to practice English writing/speaking skills outside the
classroom?
10. What problems do Vietnamese students usually have with the writing/speaking skills?
What are some suggestions on how to fix those problems?

TOPIC 5. TEACHING METHODS

For each method,
1. Give its background information: origin, history and development, other names,
developers and/or advocates.
2. Briefly describe a sample lesson in which the method is used.
3. Give its characteristics based on (1) its goals, (2) the role of the T and students, (3) the
teaching/learning process, (4) the nature of student-teacher and student-student
interaction, (5) students’ feelings, (6) the perception/nature of language and culture, (7)
emphasized language aspects/skills, (8) the role of students’ native language, (9)
assessment and evaluation, and (10) the T’s response to student mistakes/errors.
4. Give the list of typical techniques for the method.
5. Give its pros and cons.
6. Comment on its popularity these days, especially in the Vietnamese context.
7. Comment on the possibility of combining/mixing which method(s) and which method(s)
into one lesson to teach a language aspect or a language skill.
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 TOPIC 6. LESSON PLANNING
1. What is a lesson plan? What are some key components of a lesson plan? Briefly
describe each component.
2. Distinguish between lesson aims and lesson objectives. Give an example to illustrate
each.
3. What are some types of lesson sequence/stages that can be used in a lesson plan?
4. What is the most challenging part of planning a lesson?

TOPIC 7. USING COURSEBOOKS

1. What is a coursebook? What are some reasons for using and not using a coursebook?
2. What are some main options for coursebook use?
3. What is the procedure for choosing a coursebook? What are some criteria for the
selection of a coursebook?

TOPIC 8. TESTING
1. What are some different types of tests based on their intended purposes?
2. What are some main criteria for a good test?
3. Distinguish between direct and indirect test items. Give an example to illustrate each.
4. Distinguish between discrete test items and integrative test items. Give an example to
illustrate each.
5. Distinguish between holistic and analytical marking scales. Give an example to
illustrate each.
6. What is the procedure for designing a test?
7. Distinguish between testing and assessment. Give an example to illustrate each.