16: Checking Together

Best Practice 16: Checking Together

Just because an activity is designed for an individual does not mean that it cannot be used to promote student talk time. When the students have finished doing an activity on their own, simply put them in pairs or small groups and tell them to check their answers together. This accomplishes many things:

1. It gives students the opportunity to correct any glaring errors with a peer before sharing it with the teacher or the class at large.

2. It enables peer teaching. This introduces a unique point of view into the learning process that is neither the know-it-all teacher’s nor the textbook’s. Such explanations often carry extra weight because the students, as language learners, are all equal to each other.

3. It is reassuring. If neither student understands a concept it can help to know that they are not alone (or, necessarily, to blame).

4. It is educational. Even if students have the same answers, asking them to explain or justify their choices to each other – in English! can reinforce learning and provide material for the post-activity feedback session.