How? When? Why? What for? Where? How about? Can you? Have they? ….
Engaging students in their learning process is a common goal for almost all teachers. Engagement is visible in a learning environment when students’ brains are stimulated to think, analyze and discover. One way to do that is by asking effective questions that open the door for students to think and reflect.
Questioning strategies can be ineffective or effective. The questions that are used in the learning environment are ineffective questioning techniques if the teacher is:
- Asking yes/no questions
- Calling out a student’s name, then asking the question
- Asking questions that are vague or misleading.
- Answering your own question if no one in the class responds
- Asking, “Do you have any questions? Does everybody understand?”
- Asking teacher-centered questions, such as, “Can someone explain to me…?”
- Asking questions that require the class as a whole to sing a response; for example, “Everyone, what kind of angle is this?”
- Asking only a few students questions throughout the class
- Informing a student that his or her answer is wrong
- Asking the same type of questioning over and over again
- Praising students who answer with a blunt “good”
Let us try the following techniques. Simple changes can bring a lot of interaction to your learning environment. How can you replace the ineffective questioning techniques with effective questioning techniques?The questions that are used in the learning environment are effective questioning techniques if the teacher is:
- Asking questions that require short response in which student must justify their answers, for example,
- “How did you know that answer?”
- “Can you explain how you found that solution?”
- “How can we figure this problem out?”
- How would you prove that?
- Does your answer seem reasonable?
- How would you describe the problem in your own words?
- What do you think the answer or result will be?
- How did you reach that conclusion?
- Posing a question to the whole class, then pausing-for a long period of time if necessary. After the pause, try one of these tactics:
- Have students answer the question in their notebooks before you call on someone.
- Have students discuss their answers with their peers before you call on one or two students.
- Inform students that you are going to call on two or three of them, but first, they must all think about the question.
- Stating questions that are clear and target the learning goals
- Requiring students to work in pairs to discuss the question or write down their answers in their notebook and share their solutions with their peers.
- Phrasing questions to determine whether the students understand, for example,
- “Who can ask the class a question about the lesson?”
- “Each of you should write down one question you have about the lesson. Then, ask your partner.”
- “Did anyone come up with a question that his or her partner was unable to answer?”
- Why is that true?
- Can you make a model to show that?
- Does that make sense?
- Asking questions for the class, such as,
- Can someone explain to us…?”
- Who can help us ______________?
- Can you convince the rest of us that your answer makes sense?
- Can you describe your method to us all?
- Asking questions to help identify which students may not understand; for example,
- “Identify this type of angle in your notebook.
- When you are done, look up.”
- Can you give me an example of _______________?
- Calling on as many students as possible
- Conduct discussion activity where all students will get a chance to answer and express their points of views.
- Guiding students through a series of questions to realize their errors. Explain what the student must have done wrong to get the answer wrong.
- Using pauses! After a student answers, ask other students what they think, for example,
- “Do you agree with his answer, Mariam? What do you think, Hammad?”
- Does anyone has another answer?
- How many of you agree with his answer?
- How can you convince the rest of us that your answer make sense?