Using Open Questions vs. Closed Questions During Picturebook Read-Alouds more

Sat, Apr 30, 14:00-Tue, May 31, 23:55 Asia/Seoul

During read-alouds, a great deal of the benefit and enjoyment learners gain is due to the interaction from sharing the picturebook and the use of open questions is often recommended in Western-focused research. However, in the Asian classroom conversational norms as well as teaching styles can mean both teachers and learners can find open questions very challenging. This presentation discusses a small-scale case study which examined how 10-12-year-old Japanese low-level English learners respond to open and closed questions during interactive picturebook read-alouds. It will cover four main areas: the amount of interaction created by each question type, the different types of responses elicited, the situations where students could not respond to questions, and how class dynamics affected student responses. Participants will leave the presentation with a clearer idea of when the use of closed questions may be more appropriate than open questions during read-alouds in the low-level English language classroom.