This document discusses concept checking questions (CCQs) which are questions teachers ask students to check their understanding of definitions or explanations. CCQs are better than simply asking "do you understand?" because learners may not want to admit they don't understand or the teacher may not understand why the learner doesn't understand. Good CCQs are short, simple, avoid difficult language, don't include the target language, and vary in form using questions, statements, incomplete sentences. CCQs should check conceptual understanding rather than just grammar. They are useful for checking complex ideas and cultural concepts.

1. CCQS
OR
CHECKING UNDERSTANDING
Project № 2014-1-BG01-KA-101-000750
Проект “Професионално развитие на учителите по английски език
в СОУПНЕ”Фридрих Шилер”
по Програма Еразъм +
Ключова дейност 1: Образователна мобилност на училищния персонал
Бабек Мехмедов Раифов

2. WHAT IS CCQ?
CCQ = CONCEPT CHECKING QUESTION

3. A CCQ ISA QUESTIONWEASK THE STUDENT TO ENSURE
THEY HAD UNDERSTOODOUR DEFINITIONOR
EXPLANATION.

4. WHY DON’T WE ASK ‘DO YOU UNDERSTAND?’
(‘DO YOU UNDERSTAND?‘ ‘HAVE YOU UNDERSTOOD ‘IS THIS CLEAR?’ AND ALL ITS
POSSIBLE PERMUTATIONS, DOWN TO “OK”)
USELESS QUESTION, LEARNERS MAY:
• NOT WANT TO APPEAR STUPID IN FRONT OF THEIR PEERS;
• GENUINELY BELIEVE THEY DO UNDERSTAND;
• NOT WANT TO/BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN WHAT THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND;
• NOT WANT TO OFFEND THE TEACHER (IN SOME CULTURES A ‘I DON’T
UNDERSTAND’ = ‘YOU ARE A TERRIBLE TEACHER’.)

5. SO HOW DO WE CHECK UNDERSTANDING?
ONE OBVIOUS WAY IS TO LISTEN CAREFULLY TO THE WAY THE STUDENTS USE THE
LANGUAGE – INAPPROPRIATE USE WILL OFTEN INDICATE THAT SOMETHING HAS
BEEN MISUNDERSTOOD. BE ALERT TO THE WAY LEARNERS USE THE LANGUAGE
AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND WHY THEY SAY WHAT THEY DO. E.G. ‘THE DOCTOR
GAVE HER A RECIPE’ – THE PROBLEM HERE COULD BE THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE
WORD FOR BOTH RECIPE AND PRESCRIPTION IN THE LEARNER’S L1, AND THOUGH
HE/SHE HAS LEARNED RECIPE IN ITS USUAL ENGLISH USE, THE EXTENSION
DOESN’T WORK.

6. DO 'A GOOD CCQ'
USUALLY, THE BEST APPROACH IS TO FOLLOW THESE THREE SIMPLE STEPS:
• THINK OF THE UNDERLYING MEANINGS/CONCEPTS
• BREAK THE MEANINGS INTO SHORT PHRASES
• TURN THE PHRASES INTO A SERIES OF SIMPLE QUESTIONS

7. SO HOW DO WE WRITE SOME GOOD CCQ’S?
• GOOD CONCEPT QUESTIONS ARE NOT EASY TO WRITE – THEY REQUIRE A DEPTH
OF ANALYTICAL AS WELL AS INTUITIVE UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WE ARE
TRYING TO CHECK AND NOT JUST WHAT THE GRAMMAR BOOK SAYS. SOME OF
YOU MAY EVEN HAVE SPOTTED THE LINKS TO COMPONENTIAL ANALYSIS WHICH
GOOD CCQ DESIGN ENTAILS

8. GOOD CCQ’S SHOULD
– BE SHORT AND SIMPLY EXPRESSED
– BE EASY TO ANSWER IN ONE OR TWO WORDS
– NOT CONTAIN VOCABULARY OR STRUCTURES MORE DIFFICULT THAN WHAT WE
ARE TRYING TO CHECK
– NOT CONTAIN THE TARGET LANGUAGE PATTERN (THOUGH THEY MAY INCLUDE
THE TARGET WORD, ESP IF DEMONSTRATING IT, E.G. WHICH OF THESE TWO
FINGERS IS MY THUMB?)
– VARY; NOT JUST BE SIMPLE Q & A, FOR EXAMPLE THEY CAN BE A SERIES OF T/F
STATEMENTS (SEE NEXT SECTION FOR IDEAS)

9. GOLDEN RULES FOR CCQS:

10. SHOULD CCQ’S BE JUST QUESTIONS?
• ALTHOUGH THEY ARE CALLED QUESTIONS, THEY DON’T HAVE TO BE. THEY CAN BE TRUE AND FALSE STATEMENTS, THEY
CAN BE INCOMPLETE SENTENCES, THEY CAN BE QUESTIONS WITH A BINARY CHOICE TO HELP LEARNERS OR THEY CAN BE
NON-VERBAL WAYS OF CHECKING – IN FACT, TEACHERS CAN USE ANY AND ALL THE METHODS THEY USE FOR THE
PRESENTATION VOCABULARY OR GRAMMAR IN ORDER TO CHECK ITS UNDERSTANDING, AND THIS INCLUDES
• PICTURES (WHICH ONE SHOWS THE WORD?),
• TIME LINES (WHICH TIME LINE FITS THIS SENTENCE?),
• PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LIKE MIMING OR DEMONSTRATING,
• OPPOSITES,
• SYNONYMS,
• DEFINITIONS,
• EXAMPLES,
• EXPLANATIONS,
• AND EVEN ASKING FOR A TRANSLATION IN THE MOTHER TONGUE OR
• ASKING THE LEARNERS TO SAY WHICH TRANSLATION IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE.

11. SOME EXAMPLES
THESE EXAMPLES SHOW HOW CONCEPT QUESTIONS COULD BE USED
TO HELP DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE MAIN FUNCTIONS OF THE
PRESENT SIMPLE AND PRESENT CONTINUOUS.
TARGET SENTENCE: LOOK! THEY'RE PAINTING THE WALL
CHECKING QUESTIONS
IS IT HAPPENING NOW? YES
CAN YOU SEE IT? YES
IS THE PAINTING FINISHED? NO
ARE THEY PAINTING NOW? YES
IS THIS THE PAST, PRESENT OR FUTURE? PRESENT

12. TARGET SENTENCE: SHE'S A SHOP ASSISTANT.
SHE WORKS IN A SHOP
CHECKING QUESTIONS
HAS SHE GOT A JOB? YES
IS SHE WORKING NOW DON'T KNOW
DOES SHE WORK THERE EVERY DAY? YES
IS THIS THE PAST, PRESENT OR FUTURE? PRESENT, BUT ALSO PAST AND
PROBABLY FUTURE.

13. THIS EXAMPLE SHOWS HOW CONCEPT
QUESTIONS CAN BE USED TO CLARIFY THE
MEANING OF MORE COMPLEX STRUCTURES:
TARGET SENTENCE: IF I WON THE LOTTERY, I'D BUY A NEW CAR
CHECKING QUESTIONS
HAVE I WON THE LOTTERY? NO
AM I GOING TO WIN THE LOTTERY? PROBABLY NOT
AM I GOING TO BUY A NEW CAR? PROBABLY NOT
HAS HE GOT A LOTTERY TICKET? MAYBE
IS THIS REAL, OR IMAGINARY? IMAGINARY

14. QUESTIONS MAY BE OF DIFFERENT TYPES:
• YES/NO QUESTIONS. 'IS A BED-SIT A ROOM?', 'ARE THERE OTHER ROOMS IN THE HOUSE?', 'CAN
YOU SLEEP IN IT?'.
• 50/50 CHANCE QUESTIONS. 'IS IT A ROOM OR A BUILDING?', 'IS IT CHEAP OR EXPENSIVE?', 'DO
YOU BUY IT OR PAY MONEY EVERY WEEK OR MONTH?'
• INFORMATION QUESTIONS. 'WHO LIVES IN IT?', 'HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE IN IT?'
• DISCRIMINATION QUESTIONS. 'DO YOU ONLY SLEEP IN IT?', 'CAN YOU COOK A MEAL IN IT?', 'IS
IT THE SAME AS A FLAT?'
• SHARED EXPERIENCE QUESTIONS. 'IS THERE A BED-SIT IN THIS BUILDING?'
• LIFE EXPERIENCE/CULTURE QUESTIONS. 'HAVE YOU EVER LIVED IN A BED-SIT?' 'ARE THERE
BED-SITS IN YOUR CITY/COUNTRY?'
• REMEMBER THAT THE ANSWERS 'SOMETIMES', 'IT DEPENDS' AND 'I DON'T KNOW' CAN TELL
YOU AS MUCH AS 'YES' OR 'NO'.

15. ANOTHER WAY OF CONSTRUCTING CONCEPT QUESTIONS IS BY
WRITING A SENTENCE CONTAINING ALL THE ELEMENTS OF THE
CONCEPT, FROM WHICH QUESTIONS CAN BE FORMED. THIS IS A
USEFUL METHOD WHEN DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN TWO FUNCTIONS
OF THE SAME STRUCTURE, PARTICULARLY WHERE THOSE FUNCTIONS
WOULD BE EXPRESSED BY DIFFERENT FORMS OR TENSES IN OTHER
LANGUAGES.
FOR EXAMPLE:
• 'HE'S BEEN EATING GARLIC.'
CONCEPT: HE ISN'T EATING GARLIC NOW, AND I DIDN'T SEE HIM EATING IT, BUT
I KNOW HE WAS EATING GARLIC BECAUSE I CAN SMELL IT.
• 'HARRY'S BEEN WORKING HERE FOR TWO YEARS.'
CONCEPT: HE STARTED WORKING HERE TWO YEARS AGO, HE'S STILL WORKING
HERE, AND HE'LL PROBABLY CONTINUE WORKING HERE.

16. CONCLUSION
THE VALUE OF CONCEPT QUESTIONS SHOULD NOT BE UNDERESTIMATED, BUT MANY TEACHERS
EITHER FORGET TO USE THEM OR FIND THEM DIFFICULT TO CONSTRUCT. TEACHERS ARE OFTEN
SATISFIED THAT THE LEARNERS 'SEEM TO UNDERSTAND' ON THE BASIS OF THEIR PERFORMANCE
IN PRACTICE EXERCISES.
• CONCEPT QUESTIONS ARE PARTICULARLY VALUABLE AFTER THE PRESENTATION AND
EXPLANATION OF AN ITEM, AND MAY BE ASKED AT ANY STAGE DURING A LESSON. THEY ARE
VALUABLE AFTER GUIDED PRACTICE, PARTICULARLY IF THE LEARNERS SEEM NOT TO HAVE
GRASPED THE TARGET LANGUAGE FULLY, AND AT THE END OF A LESSON, AS A FINAL CHECK
AND REVIEW.
• TIME LINES AND OTHER DEVICES ARE NOT SUBSTITUTES FOR CONCEPT QUESTIONS. THEY ARE
AIDS TO EXPLANATION, BUT DO NOT NECESSARILY CHECK UNDERSTANDING. CONCEPT
QUESTIONS, HOWEVER, MAY BE USED TO ELICIT A TIMELINE FROM THE LEARNERS.

17. • CONCEPT QUESTIONS ARE PARTICULARLY VALUABLE WHERE A CONCEPT DOES
NOT EXIST, OR IS DIFFERENT IN THE MOTHER TONGUE (E.G. THE PERFECT
ASPECT, WAYS OF EXPRESSING THE FUTURE), AND WHERE A LANGUAGE ITEM IS
CULTURALLY LOADED AS IN THE CASE OF THE WORD 'SUBWAY' WHICH HAS VERY
DIFFERENT MEANINGS IN BRITISH AND AMERICAN ENGLISH. IN SUCH CASES,
CONCEPT QUESTIONS OFTEN FORM PART OF THE INITIAL TEACHING PROCESS.
• CONCEPT QUESTIONS ARE ALSO USEFUL FOR RAISING AWARENESS OF
ASSOCIATION AND CONNOTATION, AND FOR DRAWING ATTENTION TO
COLLOCATIONS AND FIXED EXPRESSIONS. THEY ARE ALSO GOOD LISTENING
PRACTICE FOR LEARNERS, AND CAN EVEN LEAD ON TO CLASS ACTIVITIES SUCH
AS GUESSING GAMES IN WHICH THE LEARNERS WRITE THEIR OWN QUESTIONS.