Concept Checking Questions (CCQs)

The following article is a sample from a language teaching course that will be published by Precision Training Analysis & Design later this year.

What are CCQs?

Concept Checking Questions (CCQs) enable us to confirm our students' comprehension of specific concepts or topics. These questions are designed to assess understanding and clarity, typically focusing on key elements of the target language or material being taught.

CCQs are tailored to the content at hand and may be closed-ended, requiring concise answers such as "yes" or "no," or targeted, prompting students to provide more elaborate responses.

By employing CCQs, we ensure that our learners grasp the fundamental aspects of a concept or function, stimulating active engagement and encouraging critical thinking.

Why are CCQs important?

When working through a class, regardless of the focus, it's easy to get swept along with your lesson plan, moving from stage to stage and introducing and developing the depth of topics and target language without actually stopping to find out whether or not your students truly understand what they are being taught.

In a world without CCQs, we'd have to wait until the final stages of a class to find out if our students are clear on how the target they've been taught can be applied in the real world. In other words, we could spend a whole hour teaching a topic to discover right at the last minute that our students spent the entire thinking that we were talking about the future when, in fact, we were talking about the past.

Fortunately, in our mortal realm, we are blessed with the presence of CCQs that allow us to regularly check in with our students, confirm understanding, and, if needed, clarify and doubts or uncertainties.

Types of CCQs

Closed-ended CCQs

Closed-ended Concept Checking Questions (CCQs) is a specific type of questioning technique used to verify students' understanding of a concept through binary responses, typically "yes" or "no" answers.

These questions are carefully crafted to target specific aspects of the material being taught and are designed to elicit a clear and concise response from the learner.

Closed-ended CCQs are valuable for quickly assessing comprehension, as they require students to confirm or deny their grasp of a particular concept without the need for extensive explanations. The simplicity of these questions makes them particularly useful for checking foundational knowledge and ensuring that learners have a solid understanding of the core elements of a subject.

Although closed-ended CCQs may not encourage as much elaboration as open-ended questions (coming up next), they provide a quick and effective means for us to gauge and reinforce understanding in a focused and efficient manner.

Targeted CCQs

Targeted Concept Checking Questions (CCQs) are used to assess and confirm learners' comprehension of specific aspects or nuances within a broader concept.

Unlike general questions, targeted CCQs focus on key elements or details of the target language or material being taught, honing in on particular aspects that may be challenging or critical for understanding.

These questions are carefully crafted to address specific learning objectives and guide students toward a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

By pinpointing crucial details, targeted CCQs help us identify any potential areas of confusion, correct misconceptions, and ensure that learners grasp the finer points of a concept.

Examples of CCQs

Example 1

Concept: Past simple tense

Example Sentence: "I visited Paris last summer."?

Concept Checking Questions:

1. Is the action in the past or present? (Closed-ended)
2. Did the speaker visit Paris in the future? (Closed-ended)
3. Can we use "last summer" for an event happening right now? (Closed-ended)
4. How would you rephrase the sentence using the present tense? (Targeted)

These questions help verify if students understand the concept of the past simple tense, ensuring that they can correctly identify and use it in various contexts. On top of this, the final CCQ pushes students to test their understanding of the target language against previous knowledge.

Example 2

?Concept:?3rd conditional?

Example Sentence:?"If I had studied harder, I would have passed the exam."

Concept Checking Questions:

1. Did the speaker study harder? (Closed-ended)
2. Did the speaker pass the exam? (Closed-ended)
3. Is the action of studying and passing the exam in the past, present, or future? (Closed-ended)
4. How is the Third Conditional structure different from the Second Conditional? (Targeted)

These questions aim to assess the student's understanding of the 3rd conditional tense. They focus on key elements such as the hypothetical nature of the situation, the relationship between studying and passing the exam, and the placement of actions in the past. The closed-ended questions confirm basic comprehension, whilst the targeted question encourages students to compare the structure of the new target language with a previously taught topic, reinforcing the need to analyse and understand the component parts and arrangement.

Example 3?

Concept:?Discourse connectors (subordinating conjunctions)

Example Sentence:?"Although the weather was bad, we decided to go to the beach."

Concept Checking Questions:

1. Does the sentence express a positive or negative idea about the weather? (Closed-ended)
2. What is the relationship between the bad weather and the decision to go to the beach? (Targeted)
3. Can you replace "although" with another discourse connector without changing the meaning? (Closed-ended)
4. How would you rephrase the sentence using a different discourse connector? (Targeted)

These questions are designed to assess students' comprehension of discourse connectors, specifically focusing on their ability to identify the relationship between contrasting ideas in a sentence. The closed-ended questions check for basic understanding, whilst the targeted questions encourage students to express their understanding more elaborately and demonstrate their ability to use different connectors in context.

How often should you employ CCQs?

Unfortunately, there is no golden rule when it comes to CCQs. The frequency with which you should use the class can vary based on factors such as the learners' proficiency level, the complexity of the material, and the teaching context.

That said, integrating CCQs regularly throughout a lesson is generally considered beneficial, as using CCQs not only helps to gauge students' understanding but also fosters active engagement and critical thinking.

As a general rule of thumb, when presenting a new piece of the target language, once you've established the function and any rules, you should employ some CCQs to double-check that students are clear on what you're explaining before elaborating, providing further examples, and having students practise.

On top of this, when increasing the difficulty or complexity of a topic or task, it's useful to throw in some CCQs to make sure that students are staying on track.

Certain topics will only require a handful of CCQs sprinkled on top of everything else you're doing, whilst more complex or demanding topics and materials may lead you to check in with your students at more regular intervals.