The three minutes I reserve at the end of a lesson
A lesson can run out of time just as the learner begins to use the new language. It is tempting to keep going and leave the review for next time. I try to reserve three minutes to make the ending useful.
The purpose is practical: connect the task we worked on with what the learner can now do and what they will practice next.
Start with the task
If the goal was to make a plan with a friend, I ask the learner to make one final suggestion or confirm the details without looking at the model. That short response gives us something concrete to discuss. Naming the lesson topic alone does not show that the learner can use the language.
Ask how it felt
I also ask which part felt easier and where the learner still needed help. A quick confidence rating can start this conversation. I compare it with what happened during the task: an independent response, a hesitation, or an answer completed with a prompt.
Confidence and performance tell me different things. A higher self-rating is not, by itself, evidence of a gain in language ability. A learner may also perform well while still feeling unsure.
Agree on one next step
We finish by making the homework concrete: what to practice, how to check the result, and what to bring back to the next lesson. It might be another spoken reply using the same phrases in a different situation.
A useful ending gives the learner a clear next action.
This is a routine from my teaching, not a claim that three minutes produce a particular effect size. Its value for me is that it leaves a record of both the learner’s performance and their perspective, ready to inform the next lesson.