ABSTRACT
Asking learners (especially children) questions is so strongly embedded in our culture that most adults do it when in the company of children, and most children do it when playing ‘school’. Furthermore, in these types of interactions the adult usually knows the answer and most children quickly work out that this is the case. Questions are seen as some sort of testing process, through which learners supposedly learn. An extreme form is the cloze technique of pausing and expecting students to fill in the missing word. Adults are more likely to ask each other questions that are actually seeking information, genuinely enquiring. Where do questions come from? How can we use them effectively in classrooms? How can we stimulate learners to ask their own questions? These issues are addressed through a number of conjectures which cannot be proved, merely tested out in your own experience.
