Asking a Good Question
I wanted to start this blog with a topic that I think is fundamental to teaching English: how to ask a good question. Over the years I’ve gotten better and better at asking my students good questions--questions that spark long discussions, questions that students get passionate about and invested in--and I truly believe that good questions are invaluable. But I don’t think identifying or developing good questions is an inherent skill. I had an amazing teacher preparatory program where I learned a lot of skills I still use to this day, but I don’t remember anyone talking meaningfully about how to develop a good question to engage students. But we need to be talking about what good questions look like, and either how to identify them when you’re looking at resources or how to develop them yourself, so that’s what I’m starting with. My class revolves around questions; questions that are analytical, ambiguous, and tough to answer, because the truth is that there isn’t anything engagin...