Asking Questions in ESL Lessons
Improve English Learning Outcomes and Empower Your ESL Students by Encouaging Them To Ask Questions
ESL lessons should be designed and implemented so that students can ask questions, which will in turn allow for the achievement of significant learning outcomes.
As if learning English as a second language were not hard enough, the challenge many students face trying to find the courage to ask questions during ESL lessons poses an additional barrier to their goal of achieving communicative fluency and becoming a contributing member of the English speaking community. In this sense, helping students learn to ask questions in English has a dual educational value and should be encouraged throughout the learning process.
In fact, asking questions – as opposed to being asked questions – is the primary way that ESL students can project a sense of control within their language-learning environment, and by designing ESL lessons that allow students to engage their own learning, teachers can create vibrant and exciting English activities.
“I couldn’t get them to say anything” is one of the most common cries of despair heard from ESL teachers, but what are ESL students supposed to say if they have not been shown explicitly the kinds of interactive discourse – including asking questions – that take place in the classroom between teachers and students and among students themselves.
Without having the language tool or skill needed to ask questions, students are left with only two options during their ESL lessons: response and repetition, neither of which serves to empower the student in any way and keeps them from making the English language something of value to them beyond the merely conversational. Paolo Freire, the highly esteemed Brazilian educator and language theorist, makes a clear argument in his writings that for valuable learning outcomes to occur students should not be treated like empty vessels who need to be filled with information, but they should have the opportunity to think critically about their own learning experience.
Teachers can help ESL students learn to ask questions clearly and appropriately, and in my next few articles I will propose some detailed ESL lessons and strategies for helping students feel comfortable and confident asking questions both inside and outside the classroom - see article "ESL Students: Ask for Directions."
In the meantime, I invite you to join my blog and share some of your experiences asking (or not asking) questions as a language teacher or student.
As always, feel free to email me your thoughts.
