Course: Teaching of English (6493) Semester:

Spring, 2023
Student NAME Iqra BIBI

COURSE CODE
6493
Q.1 Discuss your experiences/ observations related with Computerized Equipments used
in English Teaching classrooms in Pakistan context?
Answer….
Technology has brought about revolutionary changes in all aspects of life, including interpersonal
communication, the economy, the entertainment sector, and even education. Students appear to be dealing
with changes that drastically impact both their daily lives and how they learn more than ever.
Thus, it is almost impossible to ignore the enormous influence that current technologies have on future
generations of students. Nowadays, children grow up with laptops, tablets, different gadgets, and modern
digital systems.
Why? So, they are well prepared for educational modernization.
With this in mind, learning preferences have evolved, progressively bringing in new technologies that could
improve teaching. Although many individuals prefer traditional teaching techniques, the opportunities that
open when technology is introduced into the classroom are limitless.
As a result, there are now many more educational opportunities available, as well as a wide variety of
learning methods and degree options. Even if you are not a student or a teacher, it is critical to recognize the
role of technology in education.

IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY ….

The use of educational technology has become vital for today’s learners since it allows them to study at a
much faster pace. It would not have been possible if they could not use these systems and tools. Let’s look at
the significance of education technology in detail and how it affects students.
1. Offers a Wider Range of Accessible Materials
2. Improves Communication Skills and Overall Performance
3. Provides Engaging Learning Experience
4. Access to the Internet from anywhere Anytime
5. Aids in Learning New Skills and Gaining Knowledge
6. Improves Students’ Critical Thinking Development
7. Assists Students in Keeping Up with New Technological Advancements.

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1.
OFFERS A WIDER RANGE OF ACCESSIBLE MATERIALS….
Because of today’s vast selection of educational technology, students have a wide range of possibilities from
which they can choose the most suitable learning technologies. As a result, this assists students in developing
the necessary knowledge and skills to become qualified professionals in their respective fields.

2.
IMPROVES COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND OVERALL PERFORMANCE…
Learners who can communicate more successfully using technological means perform better academically as
well as in professional environments. The reason is that communication skills are important when you want to
get your point across successfully.

3.
PROVIDES ENGAGING LEARNING EXPERIENCE….
In addition to studying, students nowadays must enjoy what they are learning. Educational technology allows
students to have fun while learning, which keeps them motivated and interested in their studies.

4.
ACCESS TO THE INTERNET FROM ANYWHERE ANYTIME….
The internet has become such a vital part of our lives that it is difficult to find people who do not use it on a
regular basis. In today’s environment, it is important for students to be able to use the internet anywhere at
any time so that they can complete their projects and research without having to travel all over the place or
wait for a specific time when they may do so.
Students benefit from educational technology in this sense since it allows them to have internet access even
when they are in a classroom, at school, or home.

5.
AIDS IN LEARNING NEW SKILLS AND GAINING KNOWLEDGE..
Learning new skills and knowledge are two very important life aspects that students should be able to
embrace. Thus, learners can gain these skills and expand their knowledge through various online courses by
utilizing educational technologies.
In addition, these courses provide students with the opportunity to learn about a variety of subjects that are
both interesting and relevant to their fields of work or studies.

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6.
IMPROVES STUDENTS’ CRITICAL THINKING DEVELOPMENT..
The value of technology in education is especially clear when it comes to the development of critical thinking
skills. Different educational techniques allow learners to express themselves in unique ways, resulting in a
variety of solutions. So, to arrive at the intended outcome, they use a critical approach to analyze
information.
Furthermore, tablets, movies, animations, the Internet, audio recordings, collages, and other media have taken
the place of textbooks and notebooks. As a result, students can communicate in a method that is most familiar
and relatable to them in this manner. This allows even introverted students or those who struggle with
teamwork to shine and achieve greater outcomes.

7.
ASSISTS STUDENTS IN KEEPING UP WITH NEW TECHNOLOGICAL
ADVANCEMENTS..
Students who can keep up with the newest technological advancements will be able to expand their
knowledge of various disciplines and acquire new skills that they can utilize in the future. These students will
also be more likely to find a job since they will have a very strong understanding of the latest trends in
multiple industries and will assist firms to become more efficient by knowing how new technology may be
utilized for various purposes.

TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION..

Technology is all around us and is linked to our daily lives. Using technology in education expands the
possibilities for kids’ overall growth. In addition, it makes learning more interesting and enjoyable.
In addition to providing students with access to information, new technology can genuinely inspire and
empower them. Because so many children are already familiar with tablets and smartphones, learning through
electronic methods will likely become more exciting than frightening. Thus, integrating these technologies
causes learners’ increased participation and interest in studies.

Q.2 How will you make your English Teaching method more effective by using the
concepts studied in you course. That is, Teaching of English?
Answer..
According to academic research, linguists have demonstrated that there is not one single best method for
everyone in all contexts, and that no one teaching method is inherently superior to the others.

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Also, it is not always possible – or appropriate – to apply the same methodology to all learners, who have
different objectives, environments and learning needs.
Applying the most appropriate method for that learner’s specific objectives, learning style and context.
An experienced professional language teacher always adopts the Principled Eclecticism approach, deciding
on the most suitable techniques and applying the most appropriate methodology for that learner’s specific
objectives, learning style and context.
Methods of teaching English have developed rapidly, especially in the previous 40 years. As a language
learner, training manager, or teacher, it is important to understand the various methods and techniques so that
you are able to navigate the market, make educated choices, and boost your enjoyment of learning a
language.
Each teaching method is based on a particular vision of understanding the language or the learning process,
often using specific techniques and materials used in a set sequence.
The main methodologies are listed below in the chronological order of their development:

• Grammar Translation – the classical method

• Direct Method – discovering the importance of speaking
• Audio-lingualism – the first modern methodology
• Humanistic Approaches – a range of holistic methods applied to language learning
• Communicative Language Teaching – the modern standard method
• Principled Eclecticism – fitting the method to the learner, not the learner to the method
Throughout the history of teaching languages a number of different teaching approaches and methodologies
have been tried and tested with some being more popular and effective than others. If you’re just beginning
your TEFL career, it would be beneficial to be familiar with a few of these. The Direct Method
If you’ve ever heard the Direct Method being taught, you may have rightly mistaken it for some sort of
military drill, which is not far off as it was first established in France and Germany in the early 1900’s to
assist soldiers to communicate in a second language quickly.
The direct method of teaching English is also known as the Natural Method. It’s used to teach a number of
different languages not just English, and the main idea of the Direct Method is that it only uses the target
language that the students are trying to learn.
Its main focus is oral skill and it is taught via repetitive drilling. Grammar is taught using an inductive way
and
students need to try and guess the rules through the teacher’s oral presentation.
Today popular forms of the Direct Method are Callan and Berlitz.
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The Grammar Translation Method
Just like its name suggests, this method of teaching English is grammar heavy and relies a lot on translation.
This is the traditional or ‘classical’ way of learning a language and it’s still commonly used when learning
some languages. Some countries prefer this style of teaching and the main idea behind this method is that the
students learn all grammar rules, so they’re able to translate a number of sentences. This is particularly
common for those students who wish to study literature at a deeper level.
The Audio Lingual Method
The Audio Lingual Method otherwise known as the New Key Method or Army Method is based on a
behavirourist theory that things are able to be learned by constant reinforcement. However, just like in the
army when someone behaves badly (or in this case bad use of English), the learner receives negative
feedback and the contrary happens when a student demonstrates good use of English.
This is related to the Direct Method and just like its predecessor it only uses the target language. The biggest
difference between the Audio Lingual Method and the Direct Method is its focus of teaching. The Direct
Methods focuses on the teaching of vocabulary whereas the Audio Lingual Method focuses on specific
grammar teachings.
The Structural Approach
As the name suggests, the method is all about structure. The idea is that any language is made up of complex
grammar rules. These rules, according to this approach need to be learnt in a specific order, for example the
logical thing would be to teach the verb “to be” prior to teaching the present continuous which requires using
the auxiliary form of the verb “to be.”
Suggestopedia
This is a behaviourist theory and related to pseudoscience. This method relies heavily on students’ belief
about the method’s effectiveness. This theory is intended to offer learners various choices, which in turn
helps them become more responsible for their learning.
It relies a lot on the atmosphere and the physical surroundings of the class. It’s essential that all learners feel
equally comfortable and confident. When teachers are training to use the Suggestopedia method, there’s a lot
of art and music involved. Each Suggestopedia lesson is divided into three different phases – 1. Deciphering
2. Concert Session 3. Elaboration. Total Physical Response
Total Physical Response, otherwise known as TPR is an approach that follows the idea of ‘learning by doing’.
Beginners will learn English through a series of repetitive actions such as “Stand up”, “Open your book”,
“Close the door”, and “Walk to the window and open it.” With TPR, the most important skill is aural
comprehension and everything else will follow naturally later.
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)

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The idea behind this approach is to help learners communicate more effectively and correctly in realistic
situations that they may find themselves in. This type of teaching involves focusing on important functions
like suggesting, thanking, inviting, complaining, and asking for directions to name but a few.
The Silent Way
The Silent Way emphasises learner autonomy. The teacher acts merely as a facilitator trying to encourage
students to be more active in their learning. The main of this way of teaching is for the teacher to say very
little, so students can take control of their learning. There’s a big emphasis on pronunciation and a large
chunk of the lesson focuses on it. This method of learning English follows a structural syllabus and grammar,
vocabulary and pronunciation are constantly drilled and recycled for reinforcement. The teacher evaluates
their students through careful observation, and it’s even possible that they may never set a formal test as
learners are encouraged to correct their own language errors.
Community Language Learning
This is probably one of the English teaching methods where the student feels the safest as there’s a great
emphasis on the relationship and bond between the student and teacher. Unlike a lot of the other methods and
approaches of teaching English as a Second Language, a lot of the L1 (mother tongue) is used for translation
purposes.
Task Based Language Learning
The main aim of this approach to learning is task completion. Usually, relevant and interesting tasks are set
by the teacher and students are expected to draw on their pre-existing knowledge of English to complete the
task with as few errors as possible.
The Lexical Approach
The Lexical syllabus or approach is based on computer studies that have previously identified the most
commonly used words. This approach in teaching focuses on vocabulary acquisition and teaching lexical
chunks in order of their frequency and use. Teachers of the Lexical Approach place a great emphasis on
authentic materials and realistic scenarios for more valuable learning.

Q.3 Critically discuss Barriers in English Communication?

Answer..
Communicating can be more of a challenge than you think, when you realize the many things that can stand
in the way of effective communication. These include filtering, selective perception, information overload,
emotional disconnects, lack of source familiarity or credibility, workplace gossip, semantics, gender
differences, differences in meaning between Sender and Receiver, and biased language. Let’s examine each

of these barriers. Filtering..

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Filtering is the distortion or withholding of information to manage a person’s reactions. Some examples of
filtering include a manager who keeps her division’s poor sales figures from her boss, the vice president,
fearing that the bad news will make him angry. The old saying, “Don’t shoot the messenger!” illustrates the
tendency of Receivers (in this case, the vice president) to vent their negative response to unwanted Messages
on the Sender.
A gatekeeper (the vice president’s assistant, perhaps) who doesn’t pass along a complete Message is also
filtering. The vice president may delete the e-mail announcing the quarter’s sales figures before reading it,
blocking the Message before it arrives.
As you can see, filtering prevents members of an organization from getting a complete picture of the way
things are. To maximize your chances of sending and receiving effective communications, it’s helpful to
deliver a Message in multiple ways and to seek information from multiple sources. In this way, the effect of
any one person’s filtering the Message will be diminished.
Since people tend to filter bad news more during upward communication, it is also helpful to remember that
those below you in an organization may be wary of sharing bad news. One way to defuse the tendency to
filter is to reward employees who clearly convey information upward, regardless of whether the news is good
and bad.
Here are some of the criteria that individuals may use when deciding whether to filter a Message or pass it on:
• Past experience: Was the Sender rewarded for passing along news of this kind in the past, or was she
criticized?
• Knowledge, perception of the speaker: Has the Receiver’s direct superior made it clear that “no news is
good news?”
• Emotional state, involvement with the topic, level of attention: Does the Sender’s fear of failure or
criticism prevent him from conveying the Message? Is the topic within his realm of expertise,
increasing his confidence in his ability to decode it, or is he out of his comfort zone when it comes to
evaluating the
Message’s significance? Are personal concerns impacting his ability to judge the Message’s value?
Once again, filtering can lead to miscommunications in business. Each listener translates the Message into his
or her own words, creating his or her own version of what was said (Alessandra, 1993).

Selective Perception
Selective perception refers to filtering what we see and hear to suit our own needs. This process is often
unconscious. Small things can command our attention when we’re visiting a new place—a new city or a new
company. Over time, however, we begin to make assumptions about the way things are on the basis of our

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past experience. Often, much of this process is unconscious. “We simply are bombarded with too much
stimuli every day to pay equal attention to everything so we pick and choose according to our own needs
(Pope, 2008).” Selective perception is a time-saver, a necessary tool in a complex culture. But it can also lead
to mistakes. Think back to the earlier example conversation between Bill, who was asked to order more toner
cartridges, and his boss. Since Bill found his boss’s to-do list to be unreasonably demanding, he assumed the
request could wait. (How else could he do everything else on the list?) The boss, assuming that Bill had heard
the urgency in her request, assumed that Bill would place the order before returning to the other tasks on her
list.
Both members of this organization were using selective perception to evaluate the communication. Bill’s
perception was that the task of ordering could wait. The boss’s perception was that her time frame was clear,
though unstated. When two selective perceptions collide, a misunderstanding occurs.

Information Overload
Information overload can be defined as “occurring when the information processing demands on an
individual’s time to perform interactions and internal calculations exceed the supply or capacity of time
available for such processing (Schick, et. al., 1990).” Messages reach us in countless ways every day. Some
are societal— advertisements that we may hear or see in the course of our day. Others are professional—e-
mails, and memos, voice mails, and conversations from our colleagues. Others are personal—messages and
conversations from our loved ones and friends.
Add these together and it’s easy to see how we may be receiving more information than we can take in. This
state of imbalance is known as information overload. Experts note that information overload is “A symptom
of the high-tech age, which is too much information for one human being to absorb in an expanding world of
people and technology. It comes from all sources including TV, newspapers, and magazines as well as
wanted and unwanted regular mail, e-mail and faxes. It has been exacerbated enormously because of the
formidable number of results obtained from Web search engines (PC Magazine, 2008).” Other research
shows that working in such fragmented fashion has a significant negative effect on efficiency, creativity, and
mental acuity (Overholt, 2001).
Going back to our example of Bill. Let’s say he’s in his cubicle on the phone with a supplier. While he’s
talking, he hears the chime of e-mail alerting him to an important message from his boss. He’s scanning
through it quickly, while still on the phone, when a coworker pokes his head around the cubicle corner to
remind Bill that he’s late for a staff meeting. The supplier on the other end of the phone line has just given
Bill a choice among the products and delivery dates he requested. Bill realizes he missed hearing the first two
options, but he doesn’t have time to ask the supplier to repeat them all or to try reconnecting to place the

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order at a later time. He chooses the third option—at least he heard that one, he reasons, and it seemed fair.
How good was Bill’s decision amid all the information he was processing at the same time?

Emotional disconnects
Emotional disconnects happen when the Sender or the Receiver is upset, whether about the subject at hand or
about some unrelated incident that may have happened earlier. An effective communication requires a Sender
and a Receiver who are open to speaking and listening to one another, despite possible differences in opinion
or personality. One or both parties may have to put their emotions aside to achieve the goal of communicating
clearly. A Receiver who is emotionally upset tends to ignore or distort what the Sender is saying. A Sender
who is emotionally upset may be unable to present ideas or feelings effectively.

Lack of Source Credibility

Lack of source familiarity or credibility can derail communications, especially when humor is involved. Have
you ever told a joke that fell flat? You and the Receiver lacked the common context that could have made it
funny. (Or yes, it could have just been a lousy joke.) Sarcasm and irony are subtle, and potentially hurtful,
commodities in business. It’s best to keep these types of communications out of the workplace as their
benefits are limited, and their potential dangers are great. Lack of familiarity with the Sender can lead to
misinterpreting humor, especially in less-rich information channels like e-mail. For example, an e-mail from
Jill that ends with, “Men, like hens, should boil in vats of oil,” could be interpreted as antimale if the Receiver
didn’t know that Jill has a penchant for rhyme and likes to entertain coworkers by making up amusing
sayings.
Similarly, if the Sender lacks credibility or is untrustworthy, the Message will not get through. Receivers may
be suspicious of the Sender’s motivations (“Why am I being told this?”). Likewise, if the Sender has
communicated erroneous information in the past, or has created false emergencies, his current Message may
be filtered. Workplace gossip, also known as the grapevine, is a lifeline for many employees seeking
information about their company (Kurland & Pelled, 2000). Researchers agree that the grapevine is an
inevitable part of organizational life. Research finds that 70% of all organizational communication occurs at
the grapevine level (Crampton, 1998).
Employees trust their peers as a source of Messages, but the grapevine’s informal structure can be a barrier to
effective communication from the managerial point of view. Its grassroots structure gives it greater credibility
in the minds of employees than information delivered through official channels, even when that information
is false. Some downsides of the office grapevine are that gossip offers politically minded insiders a powerful
tool for disseminating communication (and self-promoting miscommunications) within an organization. In

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addition, the grapevine lacks a specific Sender, which can create a sense of distrust among employees—who
is at the root of the gossip network? When the news is volatile, suspicions may arise as to the person or
persons behind the
Message. Managers who understand the grapevine’s power can use it to send and receive Messages of their
own. They also decrease the grapevine’s power by sending official Messages quickly and accurately, should
big news arise.

Semantics
Semantics is the study of meaning in communication. Words can mean different things to different people, or
they might not mean anything to another person. For example, companies often have their own acronyms and
buzzwords (called business jargon) that are clear to them but impenetrable to outsiders. For example, at IBM,
GBS is focusing on BPTS, using expertise acquired from the PwC purchase (which had to be sold to avoid
conflicts of interest in light of SOX) to fend other BPO providers and inroads by the Bangalore tiger. Does
this make sense to you? If not, here’s the translation: IBM’s Global Business Services (GBS) division is
focusing on offering companies Business Process Transformation Services (BPTS), using the expertise it
acquired from purchasing the management consulting and technology services arm of
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), which had to sell the division because of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX,
enacted in response to the major accounting scandals like the Enron). The added management expertise puts it
above business process outsourcing (BPO) vendors who focus more on automating processes rather than
transforming and improving them. Chief among these BPO competitors is Wipro, often called the “Bangalore
tiger” because of its geographic origin and aggressive growth.
Given the amount of Messages we send and receive every day, it makes sense that humans try to find
shortcuts— a way to communicate things in code. In business, this code is known as jargon. Jargon is the
language of specialized terms used by a group or profession. It is common shorthand among experts and if
used sensibly can be a quick and efficient way of communicating. Most jargon consists of unfamiliar terms,
abstract words, nonexistent words, acronyms, and abbreviations, with an occasional euphemism thrown in for
good measure. Every profession, trade, and organization has its own specialized terms (Wright, 2008). At
first glance, jargon seems like a good thing—a quicker way to send an effective communication, the way text
message abbreviations can send common messages in a shorter, yet understandable way. But that’s not
always how things happen. Jargon can be an obstacle to effective communication, causing listeners to tune
out or fostering ill-feeling between partners in a conversation. When jargon rules the day, the Message can
get obscured.

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A key question to ask before using jargon is, “Who is the Receiver of my Message?” If you are a specialist
speaking to another specialist in your area, jargon may be the best way to send a message while forging a
professional bond—similar to the way best friends can communicate in code. For example, an information
technology (IT) systems analyst communicating with another IT employee may use jargon as a way of sharing
information in a way that reinforces the pair’s shared knowledge. But that same conversation should be held in
standard English, free of jargon, when communicating with staff members outside the IT group.

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TeachingofofEnglish
English(6493)
(6493)Semester:
Semester:
Autumn,
Autumn,20222022
Online Follow-Up
Here is a Web site of 80 buzz words in business:
http://www.amanet.org/movingahead/editorial2002_2003/nov03_80buzzwords.htm
and a discussion of why slang is a problem:
http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/speakforsuccesscourse/a/speechlesson5.htm.

Gender Differences
Gender differences in communication have been documented by a number of experts, including linguistics
professor Deborah Tannen in her best-selling book You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in
Conversation (Tannen, 1991). Men and women work together every day. But their different styles of
communication can sometimes work against them. Generally speaking, women like to ask questions before
starting a project, while men tend to “jump right in.” A male manager who’s unaware of how many women
communicate their readiness to work may misperceive a ready employee as not ready.
Another difference that has been noticed is that men often speak in sports metaphors, while many women use
their home as a starting place for analogies. Women who believe men are “only talking about the game” may
be missing out on a chance to participate in a division’s strategy and opportunities for teamwork and “rallying
the troops” for success (Krotz, 2008).
“It is important to promote the best possible communication between men and women in the workplace,” notes
gender policy adviser Dee Norton, who provided the above example. “As we move between the male and
female cultures, we sometimes have to change how we behave (speak the language of the other gender) to gain
the best results from the situation. Clearly, successful organizations of the future are going to have leaders and
team members who understand, respect and apply the rules of gender culture appropriately (Norton, 2008).”
Being aware of these gender differences can be the first step in learning to work with them, as opposed to
around them. For example, keep in mind that men tend to focus more on competition, data, and orders in their
communications, while women tend to focus more on cooperation, intuition, and requests. Both styles can be
effective in the right situations, but understanding the differences is a first step in avoiding misunderstandings
based on them.
Differences in meaning often exist between the Sender and Receiver. “Mean what you say, and say what you
mean.” It’s an easy thing to say. But in business, what do those words mean? Different words mean different
things to different people. Age, education, and cultural background are all factors that influence how a person
interprets words. The less we consider our audience, the greater our chances of miscommunication will be.
When communication occurs in the cross-cultural context, extra caution is needed given that different words
will be interpreted differently across cultures and different cultures have different norms regarding nonverbal

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communication. Eliminating jargon is one way of ensuring that our words will convey real-world concepts to
others. Speaking to our audience, as opposed to about ourselves, is another. Nonverbal Messages can also
have different meanings.

Q.4 What are the main steps of a lesson plan while teaching English Pronunciation
skills?
Answer .
1.
Present the text to the students
Whether you’re using the course textbook or your own text, ensure that every student has a copy to read. You
may need to check that all the students are on the same page and at the same place in the text before
beginning the lesson.

2.
Read to the students
Tell the students to follow along as you read the selected sentence or paragraph to them. Read the text slowly
and clearly so the students can hear each syllable. Emphasize the sounds you want to focus on for the lesson.

3.
Read the text again
It sounds redundant, but it helps. Read the text a second time, but this time read it a little faster with a more
natural tone. The speed with which you read to the class is determined by the level; advanced ESL students
should hear it the way a native speaker would typically speak, while beginners should still hear it read slowly.

4.
Review difficult words
Ask the students if they believe they can pronounce every word in the text. If they have a difficult time with
any words, they should ask you to repeat specific words. If you already know that some words will cause
problems, repeat them individually and have the class repeat the words in unison.

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5.
Give every student a chance to read
This is the most time-consuming part of the lesson. Go around the class and have each student read the text.
Sometimes it’s best to choose a volunteer to begin this exercise and move about the room at random. If you
choose to have students read in order, there is a greater chance that students at the end of the line will doze off
rather than pay attention and review the text as their classmates read aloud.

6.
Correct the reading
Stop the students as they read. If a student mispronounces a word, have the student stop and try again. Do not
move on until the student has read the text clearly. Some students may get upset or frustrated, but the attempts
at perfecting the reading will reinforce the correct pronunciation.
With younger ESL students, you may want to move on to another student rather than have a single student
repeat the text until he or she gets it right. Don’t ignore those students who aren’t quite getting it; go back to
them after you’ve given the rest of the class a try.
If a lot of students are struggling with the pronunciation, begin the process again. Give the students a break
and have them listen and read along to reinforce the pronunciation that they should learn.

7.
Finish the reading
After all the students have read the short selected text, finish reading the full story you selected for class. Go
around the room and have students each read a portion until it’s finished. Be sure to correct the target
pronunciation as the students read the rest of the story. As with all reading exercises, it should be combined
with vocabulary lessons and questions for discussion to ensure students understand the text.
A variation of this can be used either in class or as a homework assignment. There are many online resources
for stories with audio; you must be careful, however, as just as many aren’t useful for learning English.

Q.5 How and when Multiple Choice Questions are better to evaluate English Language
abilities?
Answer ..
Multiple choice tests can be an effective and simple way to measure learning. Multiple choice questions can
be assessed quickly, providing students with prompt feedback. In addition, well-written multiple choice
questions can go beyond testing rote facts and may measure higher cognitive abilities.

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The use of multiple choice tests are attractive to instructors for many reasons. From a time management
perspective, multiple choice tests are very practical – particularly in large class settings. Other advantages
include:

Versatility:
Multiple choice test items can be written to assess various levels of learning outcomes, from basic recall to
application, analysis, and evaluation. Because students are choosing from a set of potential answers, however,
there are obvious limits on what can be tested with multiple choice items. For example, they are not an
effective way to test students’ ability to organize thoughts or articulate explanations or creative ideas.
Reliability:
Reliability is defined as the degree to which a test consistently measures a learning outcome. Multiple choice
test items are less susceptible to guessing than true/false questions, making them a more reliable means of
assessment. The reliability is enhanced when the number of MC items focused on a single learning objective
is increased. In addition, the objective scoring associated with multiple choice test items frees them from
problems with scorer inconsistency that can plague scoring of essay questions.

Validity:
Validity is the degree to which a test measures the learning outcomes it purports to measure. Because students
can typically answer a multiple choice item much more quickly than an essay question, tests based on
multiple choice items can typically focus on a relatively broad representation of course material, thus
increasing the validity of the assessment. (Brame, 2013)
Designing stems and alternatives
A multiple-choice question consists of a stem (question or problem) and a list of possible answers
(alternatives) containing the best answer to the question and a number of conceivable but incorrect answers.
Students respond to multiple choice question by indicating the alternative that they believe best answers or
completes the stem.
Here are some tips for designing effective stems and alternatives:

• Express the full problem in the stem.

When creating the item, ask yourself if the students would be able to answer the question without
looking at the options. This makes the purpose of the question clear.

• Put all relevant material in the stem.

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 Course: Teaching of English (6493) Semester:
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Do not repeat in each of the alternatives information that can be included in the stem. This makes
options easier to read and understand, and makes it easier for students to answer the question quickly.
• The stem of the question should clearly indicate what the student is to do (e.g., identify the best
answer, find the most recent accomplishment, identify the answer with the best order of events, etc.).
Often, poorly worded questions do not clearly state what the student is to do.
• The stem should be in the form of a question and be worded positively if possible. Irrelevant material
should be avoided.

• Eliminate excessive wording and irrelevant information from the stem.

Irrelevant information in the stem confuses students and leads them to waste time.

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Course: Teaching
Teaching of
of English
English (6493)
(6493) Semester:
Semester:
Autumn,
Spring, 2023
2022
•
Limit the number of alternatives.
Use between three and five alternatives per question. Research shows that three-choice items are
about as effective as four or five-choice items, mainly because it is difficult to come up with
plausible distractors.

•
Make sure there is only one best answer.
Avoid having two or more options that are correct, but where one is “more” correct than the others.
The distractors should be incorrect answers to the question posed in the stem.

•
Make the distractors appealing and plausible.
If the distractors are farfetched, students will too easily locate the correct answer, even if they have
little knowledge. When testing for recognition of key terms and ideas keep the distractors similar in
length and type of language as the correct solution. When testing conceptual understanding,
distractors should represent common mistakes made by students.

•
Make the choices grammatically consistent with the stem.
Read the stem and each of the choices aloud to make sure that they are grammatically correct.

•
Place the choices in some meaningful order.
When possible, place the choices in numerical, chronological or conceptual order.

•
Randomly distribute the correct response.
The exam should have roughly the same number of correct answers that are a’s, b’s, c’s, and d’s
(assuming there are four choices per question).

•
Avoid using “all of the above”.
If “all of the above” is an option and students know two of the options are correct, the answer must
be
“all of the above”. If they know one is incorrect, the answer must not be “all of the above”. A student
may also read the first option, determine that it is correct, and be misled into choosing it without
reading all of the options.

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• Avoid using “none of the above”.
The option “none of the above” does not test whether the student knows the correct answer, but only
that he/she knows the distractors aren’t correct.

• Refrain from using words such as always, never, all, or none.

Most students know that few things are universally true or false, so distractors with these words in
them can often be easily dismissed.
• Use the words ‘best answer’ rather than ‘most correct answer’ as there may be exceptions and this
phrasing will avoid any arguments.

• Avoid overlapping choices.

Make the alternatives mutually exclusive. It should never be the case that if one of the distractors is true,
another distractor must be true as well.

• Avoid questions of the form “Which of the following statements is correct?” There
is no clear question being asked, and the choices are often heterogeneous. Such questions are better
presented in the form of True/False questions.
• Use capital letters (A. B. C. D.) rather than lower case letters (e.g., “a” gets confused with “d” and
“c” with “a” for those with vision problems, poor photocopying, dyslexia, etc.)
• Make all responses fairly equal in length. Avoid making the correct response either the longest or
the shortest in length.
• If “no” or “not” is used, underline it. Try to avoid using negative constructions in the stem.

The End…

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