Given the obvious weaknesses of even substantial language tests like IELTS, we will clearly never be able to put an accurate number on the amount of learning going on in our classrooms. I still think it makes for an interesting thought experiment, helping us focus our classes and preparation time on what has most effect on results. Here’s one way of doing it.

Write a number between 1 and 10 (with decimals if you like) next to each of the things below, with 10 being the most learning possible per lesson, 1 being the least possible effect on students’ mastery of English, and 0 being literally none. If you’d like to share some of your numbers in comments below or on your own blog, I’m sure we’d all be interested in reading it. I’ll put my own answers up in a couple of days. I’ll also try my best to put numbers to anything anyone wants to add to the list:

 Clip art

 Colour photocopies

 Learner training

 Training in skimming and scanning

 Training in guessing the meaning of vocabulary from context

 Introduction to sources of English outside the classroom

 False friends, including Franglais, Japlish, Spanglish etc.

 Correcting the errors they made in that lesson

 Correcting typical mistakes

 Error correction games

 Spoken controlled practice

 Written controlled practice

 Learning and practising typical classroom phrases

 Work on the phonemic script

 Minimal pairs

 Talking about self-study skills

 Analysing their preferred learning styles

 Talking about an article you’ve just read

 Intonation practice

 Practice of something they never do in their own culture or language, e.g. interrupting

Must be many more things worth considering, but my daughter only ever watches the first 20 minutes of Dumbo so she’ll be rushing in here at any moment…

Should you actually enjoy filling that in, may I also recommend:

Breasts in ELT questionnaire

The 100 publications that most changed TEFL