A
Aids are
the things that a teacher uses in a class.
Aim
What the teacher wants to achieve in the lesson or in the course.
Antonym
The opposite of another word.
An article can be
definite (the), indefinite (a/an) or zero (-).
Collocation
Words which are regularly used together.
Analyse
To examine or think about something in detail in order to understand it or get to know it better.
Attention span
How long a learner is able to concentrate at any one time.
Chant
To repeat a phrase, sentence, rhyme, verse, poem or song, usually with others, in a regular rhythm.
Active voice
In an active sentence, the subject of the verb usually does or causes the action.
Elicit
When a teacher thinks that some learners will know a piece of language or other information, s/he asks targeted questions or gives clues to get, or prompt learners to give the target language or information rather than simply providing it to the class her/himself.
Active role
When learners think about their own learning and what their own needs are and try to help themselves learn more, they are taking an active role.
Aspect
A way of looking at verb forms not purely in relation to time. Aspect relates to the type of event and the way speakers view events.
Assess
To discover, judge, test or form an opinion on learners’ ability, proficiency or progress either formally or informally.
Cloze test
A task-type in which learners read a text with missing words and try to work out what the missing words are. The missing words are removed regularly from the text, e.g. every seventh word.
Correction code
A series of symbols a teacher may use to mark learners’ writing so that they can correct mistakes by themselves, e.g. P = punctuation mistake, T = tense mistake.
A personal aim is
what the teacher would like to improve in his/her teaching.
A stage aim is
the aim or purpose of a stage, step or short section of a lesson.
The main aim is
the most important aim.
A subsidiary aim is
the secondary focus of the lesson, less important than the main aim.
Concept checking questions
A concept question is a question asked by the teacher to make sure that a learner has understood the meaning of new language, e.g. Teaching the new grammatical structure ‘used to’, using the example – He used to live in Paris. Concept question – Does he live in Paris now? Answer – No.
Portfolio assessment
This is a type of formative assessment and also continuous assessment. It consists of a collection of learners’ work done over a course or a year which shows evidence of development of their language skills.
Formative assessment
When a teacher uses information on learners’ progress during a course to adapt their teaching and/or to give learners feedback on their learning.
Summative assessment
A type of assessment done at the end of a course where the focus is on learners receiving a grade for their work rather than receiving feedback on their progress.
Informal assessment
When a teacher decides whether a learner is doing well or not, or whether a course is successful or not, by observing learners rather than setting a test or writing an official report or giving a grade.
Cohesive device
A feature in a text which provides cohesion, e.g. use of topic-related vocabulary throughout a text, of sequencing words (then, next, after that etc.), of referencing words (pronouns – he, him, etc.), of conjunctions (however, although etc.).