In the Test-Teach-Test paradigm, what happens in the middle phase?

• A. Teacher fills gaps focusing on language
• B. Students do additional independent tasks
• C. New topic is introduced
• D. Language is assessed

Answer: (A)

In the middle phase, the focus is on targeted language instruction to address the gaps seen in the initial attempt. The teacher provides explicit teaching—clarifying the grammar or vocabulary, modeling correct forms, eliciting responses, and guiding practice—so students can notice and correct their errors and build accurate form and use. After this focused teaching, students move on to a follow-up task to demonstrate what they can do with the new instruction. Independent tasks or new topics aren’t the main activity in this phase, and language assessment happens in the test phases before and after the teaching.