ELT365 · Day 184 — Controlled practice — the grammar drill, done right

Idea — Controlled practice limits what learners can say, forcing attention to form. Drills build automaticity. The key is keeping them meaningful, not mechanical.

Example — Repetition drill builds pronunciation. Substitution drill builds pattern awareness: change one element per item, keep all items real.

Try — Design a five-item substitution drill for a grammar point you teach. Keep each item meaningful — not ‘the cat is big.’

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