For example, I asked the women in my pre-GED reading class to bring in books they wished to read throughout the year. As they brought in the books, I compiled a list of summaries and handed them out to the women. From the list of summaries, the women chose a book to read. While the book they chose may not be on any prescribed reading list in high schools, I find much value in the fact that the women are excited to read this book. I took on the challenge to develop GED-style questions from the chapters and so the women can work on their comprehension skills.

Although I am pleased with the women’s enthusiasm for the book, I am still concerned that the students might be too dependent on me to provide questions of critical thinking that are necessary for reading comprehension. Ultimately, I would like the women to develop their own comprehension questions from the book. However, I have learned that in order to gain a greater sense of self, women need to be empowered through their own individual work. I often wonder, “When am I helping, and when am I enabling?” I noticed the PREP program advocated that, “the inquiry method is the most thought-provoking and least threatening way to promote greater depth of thinking or finding alternative ideas (Knowles, 1984).” In agreement with the PREP program’s opinion, I also believe that if the students were able to devise their own comprehension questions about the book, this would demonstrate their grasp of the meaning of the book. More importantly, it would be an exercise of higher-order thinking skills. My hope is that the learners will begin to engage in their own questioning process. Therefore, my next step in my reading class will be to review not only the answers to the questions on the worksheets, but the style of writing the questions themselves. With practice, I predict the women will not only learn mechanics of GED-style questions, but they will connect with the process of inquiry.