Boosting Engagement: The Art of Asking Questions in the World Language Class

This week, we are going to talk about a topic that we assume that we know, but sometimes we just don’t. What is this topic?

We’re talking about asking questions. We all know that asking questions plays a significant role in our classes. But let’s get real, when you’ve got a big class filled with students who are just starting out in the language or perhaps have only grasped the basics, asking questions can feel like an art form, right?

In episode 54 of GWP The Podcast, I’m sharing many strategies and ideas about the important art of questioning in our language class. Our guest, Paulino Brener, a Spanish teacher from Argentina, is sharing everything he’s learned about asking questions throughout his many years of teaching, starting with an immersion summer camp and now teaching Level 2 and IB.

Paulino makes an important distinction between two crucial types of questions: the ones that help your students process the language (the processing questions), and the ones that keep the communication flowing (the referential questions). These two question types are vital for our classes, but maintaining a balance between them is essential to avoid merely drilling questions and instead genuinely fostering classroom discourse centered around communication.

But that’s not all! Paulino also shares some fantastic strategies to ensure your questions are comprehensible to your students and that they can effectively respond in the target language.

Communication

Paulino first explained communication. He said, “Communication is the true exchange of information with the people we have in front of us, the students in this context that is the classroom.” He went on to say, “When we think of communication, there is a back and forth, there is an interaction and questions. They’re not the only the only interaction strategy, but they’re one of the main or most important interaction strategies that we can use to maintain that communication. By developing skills of asking different types of questions, it will help our students and keep the class engaged.” It will also keep interaction going, and we’ll find that it also gives students voice because the question will be followed by listening to an answer. When we do comprehensible driven instruction, and we put communication in the middle, our content goes around our students because we’re constantly asking questions. When they answer this question, there is information for us on how to adjust and move on.

How can we make these questions comprehensible?

Paulino explained, “When we talk about making questions comprehensible, we should always go back to the same skills and strategies that we should be using to make anything comprehensible in the classroom.” 

One way is to have your question words in your room. The first step is grab a piece of paper and a marker and put some question words on your wall. Because, if you have the question words in the target language, and in the common language, you will be amazed at how many more questions you’re going to feel comfortable asking and your students will understand. Another way is pausing. Ask your question and then pause, pause, pause. This is crucial. 

Types of Questions

Paulino explained two types of questions that we probably use the most. The first is Display Questions. These are when we are talking about something we already know, also called test questions or known information questions. In episode 54, he talks more about the processing of these questions for different students. Paulino make a great point by saying that we need to know the value and purpose of having different kinds of questions. He finds it useful to use those kinds of processing questions to give students time to work internally with the input, to make that form meaning connection.

There are also Vertical Questions. Paulino explains that these are where we ask a student to expand on a statement but we stay on the same topic. He gave an example, “So, I could say there is a dog. Is the dog big or small? Oh, the dog is small. So, there is a small dog. Is this small dog blue? I don’t know that information because it is not here. So, that’s not a processing question because it’s not information that I’m already presented with, I’m eliciting that information. But in the process of eliciting more information and giving you more repetition and exposure to the same input of the short or small dog, then we can keep adding and adding.”

Next, you want to personalize questions. This is where the students are even more engaged. It’s not just about what you presented, but it’s about who they are and what they want.

Sequence with Different types of Questions

Later in episode 54, I asked Paulino to walk us through sequences of using these types of questions with his example of the topic about the dog. One method he discussed was circling. It’s a way to talk about a sequence of questions that comes from one specific method called TPRS, Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling, developed by Blaine Ray. Paulino walked us through a sequence using this. Listen above to hear more. 

What if students don’t want to talk?

I’m sure some of you are wondering about this, and Paulino points out that variety is important. He has noticed that it’s harder and harder to get students’ attention and to keep their focus, so Paulino also suggested to ask different types of questions and give different ways to answer. Of course, make sure you’re asking questions that you know your students will be able to answer. Also, don’t put students on the spot to answer.

Lastly, let there be processing time. Our conversation ended by Paulino explaining how he uses these strategies in his higher level classes. This conversation with Paulino is one you don’t want to miss if you’re looking to enhance your question-asking skills in class and get more of your students engaged. Click above, listen on your favorite podcast player, or click here to listen.