Demonstrating Comprehension

• When students ask lots of questions in class, it informs teachers that students are paying attention and following along -- or that they are struggling to do so. ESL teachers rely on feedback from students when teaching lessons. Because ESL students are faced with the added challenge of simply understanding the words a teacher is using, if they cannot comprehend the teacher the lesson is for naught. When students ask questions, the teacher knows that she needs to slow down, repeat something or explain something using simpler words. If a teacher receives no questions from students, she assumes everyone comprehends, even if this is not the case, and will continue on.
  
  

Practicing Interrogative Sentences

• ESL students need to learn sentence structure. Interrogative sentences, sentences in the form of questions, follow a slightly different structure than declarative sentences, sentences that simply relay information. Interrogative sentences begin with a question word, such as who or what, followed by a verb and then finally the subject of the sentence. This reverses the order of a declarative sentence, which usually follow a subject + verb + object pattern, as in "I don't understand the lesson." An interrogative sentence such as "Where does the verb go?" replaces the object with an interrogative pronoun (where) to create an object + verb + subject pattern.
  
  

Practicing Critical Thinking Skills

• High schools and especially universities highly value critical thinking skills. University professors require students to query texts and problems, rather than accepting their claims at face value. This type of learning may be new for students from countries that perceive learning as absorbing information and data from a textbook. ESL teachers can teach students to approach texts critically by encouraging them to always ask questions, in the form of reading comprehension questions, essay questions or class discussion based on literature, media or social issues.
  
  

Editing and Proofreading Skills

• Effective writers constantly query their own writing, always asking "Why is this important?" "What is the significance of my argument?" "Are my sentences clear?" and "Have I made any grammar mistakes?" By providing students with a checklist of questions to ask of their writing, ESL students, whose writing requires more proofreading than anyone else, learn to review their writing carefully, looking for errors and areas of improvement.