Discrete-point test

A language test which measures knowledge of individual language items, such as a grammar test which has different sections on tenses, adverbs, and prepositions. ~s are based on the theory that language consists of different parts (e.g., grammar, sounds, vocabulary) and different skills (e.g., listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and these are made up of elements that can be tested separately. Tests consisting of multiple-choice items are usually discrete-point tests. ~s can be contrasted with integrative tests. An integrative test is one

which requires a learner to use several language skills at the same time, such as a dictationtest, because it requires the learner to use the knowledge of grammar, vocabulary and listening comprehension.

Disruptive behaviour

Any behaviour that interferes with or impedes a teacher's ability to teach and students' abilities to learn.

Draft (n., v.)

A draft is a piece of writing that is not yet finished, and may be changed. A writer drafts a piece of writing. That is, they write it for the first time but not exactly as it will be when it is finished.

Drill

A technique teachers use for encouraging learners to practise language, mainly sounds or sentence patterns. It involves guided repetition or practice. There are usually two parts of a drill: a) the teacher provides a word or a sentence as a stimulus (the call-word or cue); b) students make various types of responses based on repetition, substitution, or transformation. In a choral drill the teacher says a word or sentence and the learners repeat it together as a class. In an individual drill the teacher says a word or sentence and one learner repeats it. Choral and individual drills are called repetition drills. In a substitution drill the teacher

provides a sentence and a different word or phrase which the learner must use (or substitute) in exactly the same structure, e.g. Teacher: I bought a book. Pen. Learner: I bought a pen. In a transformation drill the teacher says a word or a sentence and the learner answers by changing the sentence into a new grammatical structure, e.g. Teacher: I bought a pen. Didn’t Learner: I didn’t buy a pen. Teacher: I went to the cinema. Didn’t Learner: I didn’t go to the cinema.

E

EAP

English for Academic Purposes – The study or teaching of English with specific reference to an academic (usually a university- or college-based) course.

Educator

A person whose job is to teach or educate people.

EFL

English as a Foreign Language – English language programs in countries where English is not the common or official language. It is used in American university programs where international students study English although the use of the word “foreign” is now avoided in some schools because of its xenophobic connotations.