TEFL Basics of Teaching 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which assessment type is used to evaluate learning at the end of a unit or course?
- Formative assessment
- Diagnostic assessment
- Summative assessment (Correct answer)
- Placement assessment
Correct answer: Summative assessment
Summative assessment measures what students have learned after instruction is complete, often through tests or projects.
Question 2: What is a 'recast' in corrective feedback?
- Asking the student to repeat their error
- The teacher reformulates the student's incorrect utterance correctly without stopping the interaction (Correct answer)
- Assigning remedial grammar exercises
- Ignoring the error to maintain fluency
Correct answer: The teacher reformulates the student's incorrect utterance correctly without stopping the interaction
A recast is an implicit correction where the teacher smoothly provides the correct form embedded in natural conversation.
Question 3: Which learner variable most directly affects how quickly adults acquire pronunciation in a second language?
- Intelligence quotient (IQ)
- Age of acquisition (Correct answer)
- Learning style preference
- Classroom size
Correct answer: Age of acquisition
The Critical Period Hypothesis suggests that early learners acquire native-like pronunciation more easily than adults.
Question 4: In lesson planning, what is the purpose of stating a 'main aim'?
- To describe classroom management strategies
- To identify the primary language or skill students will practice by the lesson's end (Correct answer)
- To list all activities in sequence
- To note the time allotted for each task
Correct answer: To identify the primary language or skill students will practice by the lesson's end
The main aim focuses the lesson on one clear learning outcome, keeping planning and delivery coherent.
Question 5: Which technique helps students predict content before reading or listening, activating schema?
- Post-task reflection
- Pre-teaching vocabulary only
- Pre-reading/listening prediction tasks (Correct answer)
- Silent reading
Correct answer: Pre-reading/listening prediction tasks
Prediction activities activate students' existing knowledge (schema), making new input easier to process and understand.
Question 6: What is 'backchaining' used for in pronunciation teaching?
- Correcting spelling errors in written work
- Building up long phrases from the end to practice stress and rhythm (Correct answer)
- Having students repeat sentences from the beginning
- Tracing word etymology
Correct answer: Building up long phrases from the end to practice stress and rhythm
Backchaining starts with the final syllable and adds chunks backward, helping learners master rhythm and connected speech.
Question 7: A TEFL teacher notices that some students always dominate group tasks. Which strategy best addresses this?
- Remove quiet students from group work
- Assign specific roles within the group (e.g., timekeeper, note-taker, reporter) (Correct answer)
- Let the dominant students lead every task
- Reduce group work to avoid the issue
Correct answer: Assign specific roles within the group (e.g., timekeeper, note-taker, reporter)
Assigning defined roles distributes participation and ensures all students contribute meaningfully.
TEFL Basics of Teaching 5
Which assessment type is used to evaluate learning at the end of a unit or course?