TEFL Basics of Teaching 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which error correction technique involves the teacher repeating the student's error with rising intonation to prompt self-correction?
- Recast
- Elicitation
- Clarification request
- Repetition with rising intonation (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Repetition with rising intonation
Repeating the error with rising intonation signals to the student that something needs to be reconsidered without giving the answer.
Question 2: In a communicative language classroom, which activity type best develops fluency over accuracy?
- Grammar translation exercises
- Controlled substitution drills
- Information gap tasks (Correct answer)
- Error correction worksheets
Correct answer: Information gap tasks
Information gap tasks require real communication where one student has information another needs, prioritizing fluency.
Question 3: What is 'scaffolding' in the context of language teaching?
- Testing students before new input
- Temporary support that helps learners achieve tasks they couldn't do alone (Correct answer)
- Correcting all written errors in red ink
- Building a classroom display board
Correct answer: Temporary support that helps learners achieve tasks they couldn't do alone
Scaffolding provides temporary, structured support that is gradually removed as learner competence grows.
Question 4: Which listening sub-skill involves understanding the general topic or main idea of a spoken text?
- Listening for detail
- Listening for gist (Correct answer)
- Inferring speaker attitude
- Bottom-up processing
Correct answer: Listening for gist
Listening for gist means capturing the overall message without focusing on every word.
Question 5: A teacher says 'Good try!' after a wrong answer. What type of feedback is this?
- Corrective feedback
- Positive affirmation without correction (Correct answer)
- Explicit error correction
- Metalinguistic feedback
Correct answer: Positive affirmation without correction
Praising effort without addressing the error provides encouragement but doesn't help the student correct the form.
Question 6: Which principle of lesson planning ensures activities move from controlled to free practice?
- PPP — Presentation, Practice, Production
- TBL — Task, Brief, Language
- ESA — Engage, Study, Activate
- Both A and C follow this continuum (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Both A and C follow this continuum
Both PPP and ESA frameworks move students from guided, controlled practice toward independent, creative language use.
Question 7: What is the main advantage of using authentic materials (e.g., newspapers, podcasts) in a TEFL class?
- They are always grammatically simpler than coursebook texts
- They expose learners to real-world language and natural discourse (Correct answer)
- They require no teacher preparation time
- They are legally free to copy for classroom use
Correct answer: They expose learners to real-world language and natural discourse
Authentic materials reflect how English is actually used, preparing learners for real-life communication.
TEFL Basics of Teaching 3
Which error correction technique involves the teacher repeating the student's error with rising intonation to prompt self-correction?