Most coursebook grammar and vocabulary exercises have one right answer. Remove the constraint (the verb in brackets, the word bank, one column of a matching task) so learners produce their own answers: more practice, more thinking, often more interesting results.
Conversions (Ur Tip 9, from my notes)
- She … (leave) at six → ignore the bracket: any past verb (came, spoke, woke up), or keep left and let learners finish the sentence (left London, left her husband).
- Gap-fill with a word bank → remove the bank; learners use context.
- Matching → delete one column; learners invent the matches.
- Teachers expect open versions to be too hard; usually they aren’t.
Why it works (Claude)
More correct answers = more retrieval and more generative use of the target form (deeper processing). It also gives every level something to do: a built-in differentiation device.
Connections
Mixed-level classes - one goal, differentiated response depth · Ambient language - exploit coursebook exercises beyond the targets · Teacher talk - reduce it, then choose it