Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Practice Test

Which approach would be most effective in addressing an ESL student's weak comprehension skills despite satisfactory decoding?

1. Teach the student how to apply various learning strategies as she reads

2. Teach the student how to use a rubric for evaluating reading assignments

3. Provide a tape recorder for the student to rate her reading

4. Develop comprehension questions for the student to answer in writing

The correct answer is: Teach the student how to apply various learning strategies as she reads

Choosing to teach the student how to apply various learning strategies as she reads is particularly effective because it empowers the student to engage actively with the text, thereby enhancing her comprehension skills. This approach focuses on strategies such as predicting, questioning, summarizing, and clarifying, which are essential for understanding and assimilating new information. By learning how to implement these strategies, the student can identify key concepts, make connections, and process the material more thoroughly, leading to improved comprehension over time. In contrast, using a rubric for evaluating reading assignments focuses more on assessment rather than on the development of comprehension skills. Providing a tape recorder for rating her reading does not directly address comprehension; instead, it might only support self-monitoring in terms of fluency or accuracy. Similarly, developing comprehension questions for the student to answer in writing may help assess understanding but does not actively engage the student in the process of reading and comprehending as they are interacting with the text. Thus, learning strategies foster a deeper engagement and are vital for overcoming challenges with comprehension.