ELT365 · D167 — Checking Comprehension, Not Testing Memory

Idea — Checking comprehension means probing understanding of the message. Testing memory means asking what words appeared. The first is teaching; the second is not.

Example — ‘What was the speaker’s main argument?’ checks comprehension. ‘List three words the speaker used’ tests memory. One improves learning; one doesn’t.

Try — Take five comprehension questions from a textbook. Classify each: comprehension or memory? Rewrite the memory ones as comprehension questions.

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