English Teaching

What is a CCQ? — Teacher Training Micro-Lesson

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}

B2  ⏱ 5 min

👨‍🏫 What is a CCQ? — Teacher Training Micro-Lesson

I was corrected sharply during a teaching practice for asking ‘Do you understand?’ Here’s the better question — and why it matters.

📖 CCQ — Concept Checking Question

A CCQ (Concept Checking Question) checks that learners understand the MEANING of new language — not just whether they think they do.

Why ‘Do you understand?’ fails:
✗ Learners say ‘yes’ to avoid embarrassment.
✗ It checks confidence, not comprehension.

A good CCQ:
✓ Has a clear, checkable answer
✓ Requires use of the target concept (not just repetition)
✓ Uses simpler language than the target item
✓ Can’t be answered by ‘yes/no’ alone (usually)

📝 Example: Teaching ‘I used to smoke’

Target: I used to smoke. (past habit, no longer true)

Bad checking: ‘Do you understand used to?’

Good CCQs:
✓ ‘Do I smoke now?’ (No.)
✓ ‘Did I smoke in the past?’ (Yes.)
✓ ‘Is it a single action or a repeated habit?’ (Habit.)

The main purpose of a CCQ is to:

Which is an effective CCQ for ‘I’m exhausted’?

‘Do you understand?’ is problematic because:

CCQ stands for Concept ____________ Question.

A CCQ should use ____________ language than the target item itself.

✏️ Write 2 CCQs

Write 2 CCQs for this target language: She had already left when I arrived.
(Hint: What tense? Which action happened first? Is she still there?)

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