Instruction Checking Questions (ICQs)

Concise, logical instructions are crucial to the success of any activity in the language classroom. We have all experienced the results that poor instructions can have:

• failure from s’s to do/complete tasks, 
• repetition or reprimands,
• students who “zone out” or aren’t paying attention when instructions are given, 
• frustration from both teachers and students etc. 

Through analysis of contextualized examples of instructions, this blog post will look at what to consider when giving instructions and how to follow up with Instruction Checking Questions.

There are many factors that can help or or hinder whether instructions given will be understood. I know, unfortunately though experience, that the instructions we give can make or break an activity.  Without clear instructions, students may become confused, may lose confidence, and may not get the most out of the learning experience you are trying to create.

Let’s take a look at what this essential teaching skill really looks like in the classroom. Below are some suggestions provided by John Kongsvik, Director - TESOL Trainers, Inc.

He suggests the following: 

1.             Break things down. 

2.             Explain the activity.

3.             Create a step by step outline. 

4.             Let students see what the activity looks like. 

5.             Experiment with a student. 

6.             Assess their understanding. 

7.             Repair misunderstandings. 

Here is what it looks like in a classroom:

....The class just finished practicing an exchange related to what people do and the teacher wants to prepare them for an information gap where students ask one another questions in order to collect all of the information. 

1.     The teacher shows the information gaps and asks students if each paper has the same or different information (the latter).

2.     The teacher tells the class that they will work together to complete it.

3.     The teacher writes a set of simple steps on the board:

·       Take paper

·       Find partner

·       Decide A or B

·       Ask questions

·       Write down responses

4.     The teacher models the activity for the class (role playing both students).

5.     The teacher and a student models the activity.

6.     Two students model for the class.

7.     The students give a thumbs up or down for their understanding.

8.     The activity begins.

Here is a set of questions you can ask yourself when writing instructions into your lesson plans.  

Breaking things down: 

·       Were the steps digestible enough?  

·       What about the steps made them digestible?

Explaining the activity:  

·       How many different ways was the activity explained?  

·       What kind of language do you think the teacher used to explain it?

Creating a step by step outline:  

·       What’s the benefit of writing out the instructions?  

·       What role does brevity play?

Letting students see what the activity looks like:  

·       What’s the benefit of showing students what an activity looks like first?  

·       When might you choose to not do this step?

Experimenting with a student:  

·       How does this step benefit the students?  

·       How does this step benefit the teacher?

Assessing their understanding:  

·       How does the student to student model help us assess their readiness?  

·       How might other students benefit from seeing it done by two of their peers?

Repairing misunderstandings:  

·       How does this step-by-step process help repair minsunderstandings?  

·       If the students seemed confused, what might the teacher do?

If we stop here and think for a moment about how much time setting instructions like these would take, I think you might answer something like..."way too long". I agree with you. We want instructions to be clear, concise, relevant, and easy to check. Number 6 above, is the most critical step when setting instructions.

To assess a student's understanding of instructions, a teacher must ask an Instructions Checking Question (ICQs). These are quick questions that check if students know what they are doing. I recommend you work into your lesson plan, rather than trying to think of them on the spot. If you do this, you'll likely only remember to ask "are you working alone?" or "are you writing anything down?" which more often than not, have little to do with the task itself. 

On eltresource.com I came across an article by Tim McLeish about the characteristics of good ICQs. He suggests that they:

• Are designed to help the teacher as much as the students
• Are tailored to the specific task
• Check understanding of all the relevant aspects of the task
• Contain two options so students can respond with x or y
• Are delivered while all students are looking at the teacher
• Are delivered snappily with appropriate intonation (i.e. They prompt a quick answer; students shouldn’t have to think first)
• Are scripted in advance
• Don’t patronize students
• Can sometimes be used instead of giving instructions, (if the task is very obvious and/or a task you know your students recognize e.g. a gap-fill)

He follows up with a list of various ICQs you can ask for different activities, like listening tasks, reading tasks, role-plays, matching exercises, etc.

Here are a few of the questions listed in his article (check out his article for a complete list):

•  How many people are you going to hear?
• Are you (real name) or (role play name)?
• Should you write the whole script or only notes?
• Are you reading the whole text or only paragraph one?
• How many times can you use each word – once or twice?
• How many words go in each gap?
• Are you putting them in the order you heard them or the order they actually happened?
• How many people do you have to speak to?
• How many questions do you ask each person?
• What do you do after you’ve written their name?

If you are stuck on how to give instructions clearly, the best advice I can give you is to record yourself giving them. Once you hear yourself giving instructions, you will know exactly what you need to do to improve them.