Feb 14, 2023

Asking questions

There are two types of questions at the core of my approach to language learning.

First, the questions that students can ask at any time, without feeling that they should know better. As we teachers always say, there are no silly questions, because they truly aren't! There are only answers to be provided, so that the language point becomes clear and students can use it.

Then there are questions I am pushing my students to practise every week, so that they can initiate conversation in the language they are learning, as opposed to waiting for others to talk to them.

Each and every one of my students prepares three questions for every lesson. These don't have to be about me. In fact, I actively encourage my students to prepare questions they’re very likely to use in the future, when travelling or talking to their friends/family. In other words, I’m looking, as always, at the practical application of language learning, as opposed to the theory of it all.

Speaking during a lesson equals rehearsing for when you're going to speak. My job as a teacher, is to make sure that my students are clear about the language points they're using, about the logic of the language they're studying, and they have confidence in both and therefore in themselves. I create a safe space for them to try different ways of saying what they want to say, so they can have a go on their own and trust themselves to figure out a way to have a conversation.