Controlled exercises in ESL are closed-form practice questions that encourage a student to complete a specific task with one right answer. Some popular examples of controlled exercises include fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice and identification questions. Often, controlled exercises in ESL ask students to write the correct form of a word, choose the name of a word's tense or match a word with its correct tense on a list. On the other end of the spectrum, transfer exercises, also called free-form exercises or communicative exercises, allow students freedom in answering and the ability to apply their newfound English knowledge. Types of transfer exercises include essay writing, answering personal questions and using English skills to deal with a particular, imagined scenario.
Controlled exercises in ESL are used to get students to focus on a particular aspect of the language. They are a method of teaching a particular facet of English grammar, punctuation or even pronunciation. By using controlled exercises, ESL teachers can check for understanding before allowing students to try to use the concept practically. Transfer exercises encourage students to use the learned concept in a practical situation. Often given after a controlled exercise, a transfer exercise can ask the students to deepen their thinking and further their knowledge. While controlled exercises are used as a way for teachers to check for understanding, transfer exercises allow teachers to check for functionality.
Using controlled and transfer exercises together when teaching a particular aspect of the English language allows teachers to scaffold their lessons so that students can connect past knowledge to new uses. Controlled exercises are easy to assign and grade as a check for understanding, and doing so frequently can help teachers redesign their curriculum to meet students' needs. Transfer exercises prepare students for the English speaking world outside of class, where they will have to navigate many situations while speaking the English language.
Using controlled ESL exercises without corresponding transfer exercises can be problematic. According to American University in Washington, D.C., teachers should not give controlled exercises without also offering a realistic framework. Even students who can complete pages upon pages of controlled ESL exercises may not be able to communicate well in English. Giving controlled exercises alone often amounts to busy work for ESL students who need to learn properties of communication. To ensure this does not happen in their classrooms, ESL teachers should try to purchase textbooks that use both types of exercises.
Both controlled and transfer exercises work well as parts of group work. Teachers may choose to integrate both kinds of exercises after a lecture or lesson on the concept. Students can work together on the controlled exercises while the teacher walks around the room to correct mistakes. Then, students can work in pairs or other groups to practice communicating using transfer exercises, while teachers similarly correct problems in usage. Finally, controlled and transfer assessments may be given as a way of determining which concepts students are having trouble understanding.