1

Always Answer Questions

Students ask teachers questions for different reasons – the most obvious being that they want or need to know the answer to a particular question. Other times, they ask simply because they feel that it’s a way of being heard or recognized. Finally, some students will ask teachers questions to either show off their own knowledge or challenge that of the teacher.

As teachers, we must answer our students’ questions, provided they are appropriate and relevant. However, we don’t have to answer them immediately, especially if we are unsure of how to answer or unsure whether our answer is, in fact, correct.

If you’re unsure of an answer or don’t know the answer to a particular question, don’t brush it off or make excuses. Rather, note the question down and tell the student or class that you will find the answer and get back to them. Give the student positive feedback for asking an interesting or challenging question. Of course, it is essential to follow through: find the answer and make sure that you get back to the student and give them a satisfactory answer. If you think the question was one from which the whole class would benefit, then build in time to acknowledge the student, address the question, and finish by encouraging students to ask questions.

To make up an answer or to give a babbling explanation does no one any good, especially the teacher. If you are ruffled or rattled, this will be apparent to your students, who will lose confidence in your abilities and also lose trust in your judgment. On the other hand, to admit you don’t know an answer is honest. Stating that you don’t know the answer but you know where to find the answer, and then following through, will earn you trust and respect. Teachers need to be honest, consistent, and reliable.

Inevitably, students will ask some tricky grammar questions. A preemptive strategy is to arm yourself with a good grammar book for teachers or an English usage book, or bookmark some websites that serve the same function. For me, Michael Swan’s Practical English Usage (Oxford University Press) was a useful go-to book. The explanations are simple and the examples are authentic.

Having the resources is one step; another is to browse the resources in advance. Think about questions that could come up in a certain lesson, such as why we use direct or indirect speech or when we use the past perfect. That way, you can brush up in advance if necessary.

A final point is that it is important to develop a positive attitude to student questions, not a defensive one. To welcome questions shows students that you are interested not only in your subject but also in them. Answering questions authentically and honestly will increase students’ respect and also improve your self-confidence and skills at giving explanations.

2

Delegate

There are many ways to get students engaged in the process of learning. One is to delegate. For example, I am not very adept with technology. It is not intuitive to me, and I bumble. Of course there are many students with technological skills, some of whom may be motivated students and some of whom won’t be. Asking a student who is not so motivated to assist with technology may validate that student in a way that empowers and motivates them. This can be done as a one-off or in a more formalized manner. Deploy technical assistants (TAs) for the day or the week. Entrust them with setting up computers, projectors, or sound systems. Or simply give a student the volume control. The teacher is the director of the class, but that doesn’t mean the teacher has to have responsibility for everything.

TAs are useful for teachers. The role of a TA is a validating and inspiring one for the students themselves. There are different ways that roles can be attributed. Students can be designated, they can volunteer, or there can be a rotating roster. Here are some other areas where students can be given responsibility: recording attendance, collecting homework, giving out materials, organizing supplies, handling equipment, taking roll.

TAs can be Technical Assistants; they can also be Teaching Assistants. A Teaching Assistant can help model activities with the teacher. Rather than call on a number of students throughout a class, a teacher can choose one student to be the Teaching Assistant for the class or for a portion of the class. Again, this is an opportunity to work on student buy-in and engagement. Just make sure that every student has the chance to be a TA over the course of your term.

Of course, not all of these possibilities will work with all classes, given the varieties of levels, class size, and teaching context we face. Nevertheless, there is always something that can be tried.

The bottom line is that delegating works for both the teacher and student, as long as it is done in a principled and equitable