My first impulse was to do an over-the-top eye roll in response to Elio’s question.

When I first introduced the next essay unit, I emphasized that students could use any of the five types of introductions we had studied. As they were starting their drafts, Elio asked me if they had to use a dramatic introduction, one of the five we had practiced.

My first inclination: Reproach him for not paying attention: “Don’t you remember what I said? Remember the PowerPoint? Were you not paying attention?”

However, I quickly realized that this was an opportunity to compliment a student for applying in real life a conversation strategy we had practiced—in this case, asking a clarification question.

My teachable-moment response: “Thank you for asking a clarification question before you started writing, Elio. No, you can use any of the five introduction types that we practiced. It’s always good to ask a question like this in all of your classes.”

The important thing wasn’t simply that Elio had asked a question. He had used English to solve a real problem at exactly the moment he needed it.

These kinds of teachable moments come up all the time. We just need to notice them and take advantage of them.

Research on language learning suggests that students are more likely to notice and remember language when it arises from something they are actually trying to communicate. When these situations come up in our classrooms, they give us a natural opportunity to teach language that students can use in real life.

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