Teacher Training: Controlled, Semi-controlled,
and Free Practice
1. Controlled Practice
Purpose:
Focuses on accuracy.
Students practice the form with little or no freedom.
Teacher monitors closely and corrects errors immediately.
Teacher’s role:
Provide clear instructions and examples.
Control the task so students cannot make too many mistakes.
Correct mistakes on the spot.
Examples:
Gap-fills: “She ___ (go) to school every day.”
Multiple choice: “They ___ to the park on Sundays. (go/goes)”
Sentence transformation: “He works in a bank. → Make it negative.”
How to use:
1. Model the first item with the class.
2. Let students work individually or in pairs.
3. Check answers together on the board.
4. Provide immediate correction.
2. Semi-controlled Practice
Purpose:
Students still practice the target language, but with more choice.
Accuracy is still important, but fluency begins to develop.
Teacher’s role:
Encourage students to make choices with the target language.
Monitor and take notes of common mistakes.
Correct after the activity, not during (to avoid breaking fluency).
Examples:
“Find someone who…” (students ask each other questions using the
grammar point).
Information gap: Student A has a timetable with missing info, Student
B has the rest. They ask/answer questions.
Sentence starters: “Every morning, I…” “At the weekend, my family…”
How to use:
1. Give students clear prompts or materials.
2. Demonstrate with one student.
3. Set a time limit and let students move around or talk in pairs.
4. Ask a few students to share their results.
3. Free Practice
Purpose:
Focuses on fluency.
Students use the target language in real communication.
Accuracy is less important than expressing ideas.
Teacher’s role:
Set a meaningful context (real-life scenario).
Encourage creativity and longer speaking/writing.
Monitor quietly and only give delayed correction at the end.
Examples:
Role-play: “You are friends talking about your daily routines. Ask each
other questions.”
Discussion: “What do people usually do in the morning in your
country?”
Writing task: “Write a paragraph about your daily routine.”
How to use:
1. Explain the scenario clearly.
2. Model with a student or show a short example.
3. Let students work in pairs/groups.
4. At the end, ask some to present, then give feedback.
Key Training Tips for Teachers
Move from accuracy → fluency. Don’t jump to free practice too early.
Always demonstrate the activity before students start.
During controlled practice, correct immediately. During free practice,
note errors and correct later.
Adapt activities to students’ level: easier prompts for beginners, more
open-ended for advanced.
Keep timing balanced: about 1/3 of lesson for controlled, 1/3 semi-
controlled, 1/3 free practice.
Teacher Training: Controlled, Semi-controlled,
and Free Practice
1. Controlled Practice
Accuracy-focused, teacher-guided
Purpose: Train correct use of form with minimal error.
Examples of activities:
Gap-fill exercises
o “She ___ (watch) TV every evening.”
o “They ___ (not like) coffee.”
Multiple-choice
o “My brother ___ football every weekend. (play / plays / playing)”
Matching
o Match subjects with correct verbs:
He → eats, They → eat, We → go, She → goes
Sentence transformations
o Change into negative: “She plays piano.” → “She doesn’t play
piano.”
o Change into question: “They live in Italy.” → “Do they live in
Italy?”
Drills (oral practice)
o Teacher says: “I get up at 6.” Students repeat/change subject:
“She gets up at 6.”
Other useful controlled tasks:
True/False correction: Students correct wrong sentences.
Ordering words into correct sentences: “every / plays / tennis /
Sunday / he.”
2. Semi-controlled Practice
Some freedom, still accuracy-focused
Purpose: Students practice target language in a more communicative way but with prompts or
limits.
Examples of activities:
Find Someone Who…
o “Find someone who drinks tea every morning.”
o “Find someone who plays football.”
Information gap
o Student A has a weekly timetable with missing information.
Student B has the other half. They ask: “Does he go to school on
Friday?”
Guided role-play
o Student A: Customer, Student B: Waiter. Prompts given: “What
would you like to drink?” “I’d like…”
Sentence starters
o “At the weekend, I always…”
o “Every morning, my father…”
Survey questions
o Students ask 3–4 classmates: “What time do you get up?” and
record answers. Then report back.
Board race with prompts
o Teacher gives subject and verb. Students run to board and write
correct sentence.
Other useful semi-controlled tasks:
Picture description (with guiding questions).
Dialogue completion (students fill missing parts and act it out).
Role cards with limited language (Student A: “Ask about hobbies.”
Student B: “Answer with 2 hobbies.”).
3. Free Practice
Fluency-focused, student-led
Purpose: Students use language freely in meaningful communication. Accuracy less important
than expression.
Examples of activities:
Open role-plays
o Scenario: “Two friends are planning a weekend trip.” No script,
just situation.
o Scenario: “A customer is complaining in a shop.”
Discussion questions
o “What is the best weekend activity in your city?”
o “Do you think people today are too busy? Why?”
Storytelling
o Students create a short story using target language.
o “Tell me about your last holiday.” (Past Simple)
Problem-solving tasks
o “You are lost in a new city. How do you find your way?”
o “Your group has $100 to plan a class party. Decide what to buy.”
Personal writing task
o “Write about your daily routine.” (Present Simple)
o “Write about your best holiday.” (Past Simple)
Role-play with no prompts
o Just give context: “You are meeting a new friend. Talk about
yourselves.”
Other free practice tasks:
Class debates (e.g., “Online learning is better than face-to-face
learning”).
Interviews (students create their own questions and interview
partners).
Project presentations (design a poster and present).
Trainer’s Extra Tip for Teachers
When planning, teachers can think like this:
1. Controlled: Students practice the “form” (safe practice).
2. Semi-controlled: Students practice “form + meaning” (guided but
freer).
3. Free: Students focus on “meaning” (real-life use).
