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Asking Questions |
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adapted by Max Voelzke |
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When teaching ESL, "Asking Questions" is NOT to simply get answers but to have students produce language.. |
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Do you drink coffee?
Can you swim?
Did he go to a university |
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. . . The answers are simply yes or no.
Not much practice speaking... |
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Do you prefer tea or coffee?
Are they brothers or just friends?
Will you walk or go by car |
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This group is called Either/Or questions or Alternative Questions.
The reply is usually a word or a phrase.
They are like the yes/no questions but have an alternative |
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Look at the 3rd group of questions. These are WH type questions or information questions |
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What do you usually drink?
Where did she study?
How long have they known each other? |
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It is natural to give a short answer to these. What does that do for students' English practice? |
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Many situations naturally arise in the classroom that give
opportunities to ask real questions of the three types mentioned.
If the teacher asks such questions in English, it will help students to feel that language is real, not something to just study in a book. |
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What questions would you ask in these situations? |
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Construct yes/no, alternative, and WH-questions. |
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It is a hot day and there is no breeze.
One of your students looks really tired.
Several students are absent today.
You gave homework yesterday. Today you are going to check the answers in class.
When you come into the classroom, you find a school bag on your desk.
When you come into class, you find a face drawn on the chalkboard. |
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Eliciting LongAnswers |
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3 ways of eliciting long answers: |
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1. Ask questions and insist on a long answer though this is somewhat unnatural. |
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2. Ask more general questions which would naturally lead to a longer answer,
questions like, "What did you do yesterday?" These are more like real conversation. |
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3. Instead of a question, give a short prompt such as, "Tell me about your family." This is often an easier and more effective way of getting students to produce language. |
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Practice: how would you elicit English for the following situation...? |
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A teacher is reviewing a text from an earlier lesson. Now he wants the students to reproduce it in their own words. What prompts or questions could he ask which would naturally lead students to answer with complete sentences from the text? |
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Besides the types of questions their are also different Questioning Strategies to consider... |
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*Like any classroom routine, students must be taught the various ways you will be questioning
and how they should respond.
One way is: The teacher asks questions and simply lets students call out answers. If different answers are called out, the teacher chooses one student to give the answer again.
Another: The teacher asks a question, then pauses to give the whole class a chance to think of an answer. Then the teacher chooses one student to answer. Students are instructed not to call out answers or raise their hand.
An excellent method is: The teacher asks a question and instructs the students to "tell your neighbor".
Still another is: The teacher asks a question and lets students raise their hands if they think they know the answer. (Avoid selecting the student before the question. Other students may switch off.)
For yes/no questions or alternative questions the teacher instructs students to simultaneously give a hand signal to answer such as thumbs up or thumbs down. SEE BELOW. |
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Example: Say to students..."I am going to ask you some questions. After I ask the question, think of the answer. I will then say, "Ready" and you hold out your hand in a fist. Next, when I say "Respond" everyone will show a thumbs up if you think the answer is yes, and if you think the answer is no, show thumbs down. |
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*This is an excellent strategy to determine quickly the whole classes understanding. |
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