📖ESL Terms Glossary

Concept-checking question (CCQ) is a question designed to ensure students' comprehension of a language item and raise awareness of comprehension gaps. The question 'Do you understand?', or the remark 'OK?' do not achieve any of these aims, and are unlikely to receive a truthful answer from all the learners. Good example: after teaching “hot,” ask: “Is tea cold or hot?”

Delayed Correction – correcting a student’s mistake after the activity or speaking task is finished, so the student can continue without interruption and focus on fluency, e.g., let a student finish telling a story, then say: “You said ‘he goed.’ It should be ‘he went.’” 

Drills – activities where students repeat words, sentences, or structures several times to practice correct pronunciation, grammar, or intonation, and to build automaticity, e.g., teacher: “I am happy.” Students repeat 5 times together.

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Graded Language – using language that matches the students’ level, simplifying vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure so it is easy to understand, as well as avoiding verbalization and the use of L1. e.g., saying “It is big” instead of “It is enormous” to beginners.

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ICQs (Instruction Checking Questions) – short, clear questions teachers ask to make sure students understand the instructions before starting a task, e.g. after explaining a game: “Do you work alone or in pairs?”

L1 – the students’ first language, which can be used to explain a new word, check understanding, or clarify instructions without confusing students only if the student feels overwhelmed. , e.g., teacher says in Spanish: “Man = hombre” for beginners learning English.

Modeling – when the teacher demonstrates the correct way to say or do something, so students can see and hear the correct example before trying it themselves, e.g. Teacher says: “I like apples,” then student repeats. learn more

Negative Correction – A correction technique in language teaching where the teacher directly indicates that a student’s response is incorrect, without necessarily providing the correct answer. It is not recommended to be used at All Right. e.g. “No” or “That’s wrong,” or shake their head. learn more

On-the-Spot Correction – Correcting a student’s mistake immediately while they are speaking, which helps prevent repeated errors and reinforces accuracy, e.g. Student: “She don’t like pizza.” Teacher: “She doesn’t like pizza.” learn more

Personalization – adapting the lesson content or examples so they are related to the students’ own life, interests, or experiences, making learning more meaningful and motivating, e.g., asking: “What’s your favorite food?” instead of only “I like apples.” learn more

Props – Physical objects or visual aids used during lessons to help explain concepts, vocabulary, or actions in a clear, memorable way, e.g. using a toy apple when teaching “apple.” learn more

Self-Correction – when the student recognizes and corrects their own mistake without being told by the teacher, which encourages independent learning and awareness of language rules, e.g., Student: “He goed… oh, he went.” upcoming

STT (Student Talking Time) – the amount of time students actually speak during a lesson, which reflects active participation and practice, e.g., the student answers questions, describes pictures. learn more

TPR (Total Physical Response) – a technique where the teacher uses gestures, facial expressions, and body movements to explain meaning, give instructions, and react to the student. It helps students understand language without translation, e.g., showing an ear to indicate “listen” or making a heart shape with hands to ask “What do you like?” learn more

TTT (Teacher Talking Time) – the amount of time the teacher speaks during the lesson, which should generally be limited to allow students more opportunities to use the language. learn more

Verbalization – when students express their thoughts out loud, explaining what they are thinking, planning, or predicting, which helps develop speaking skills and confidence, e.g. student says: “I am going to draw a cat” before drawing. learn more