Questioning
Teacher questioning and student response are common classroom learning activities. Research finds that teacher questions (and cues) are effective when they focus on what is important, require students to respond at higher levels, provide adequate wait time after a question is asked and establish an engaging introduction for the lesson. Effective questioning can also play a role in focusing students on unit learning goals or overarching themes throughout a longer period of study. Learners do best when they are given adequate opportunities to engage with and respond to questions. As a teacher, you can use questions effectively in the classroom to:
- review learning
- challenge learner thinking
- stimulate interest and motivate learners to become actively involved in the lesson
- cultivate critical thinking skills
- encourage learners to ask their own questions.
Question types
Depending on the content and aims of the lesson, it is likely that you will use different types of question. Three types of question are explained and exemplified below. TIP: You should consider the wording of questions in advance to ensure that they are accessible to all learners.
These facilitate debate and allow teachers to dig deeper into learner reasoning (in some situations, their imagination) by asking probing questions.
Discussion questions do not need to have a ‘correct answer’ as their value is in helping learners to think through, share and discuss their own response.
These give you a quick insight into whether what you have taught has been learned. Responses may identify parts of the curriculum that warrant re-teaching to clarify misconceptions and fill gaps. They can identify specific gaps in learner understanding while learning is still taking place.
All diagnostic questions must have a clear purpose; you must use the information gathered to help inform your next steps. See below for suggestions on how to use diagnostic results in feedback.
The ‘hinge’ is the point where you move from one key idea/activity/point on to another. Hinge-point questions are a specific type of diagnostic question that are most useful after a period of learning to help you decide whether to continue, recap or re-teach. It is usually the case that understanding the content that occurs before the hinge is a prerequisite for the next chunk of learning. This is important because moving on is dangerous if key concepts are not fully understood, yet if you get this wrong and re-teach pointlessly then engagement will slip and time will be wasted.
For hinge-point questions to be useful, you have to be able to elicit the information from learners immediately and be able to understand and act on it quickly. Dylan Wiliam suggests that learners should respond within one minute and teachers should be able to view and interpret responses within 15 seconds. Hinge-point questions seek a response in the form of a snapshot, not an essay. |
Facilitate responses
For effective questioning, teachers should bear the following points in mind:
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Promote students' questions
Teachers should also encourage students to ask questions and answer each other’s questions. Creating a classroom where students are empowered to generate authentic questions is an important strategy for teaching and learning. What are the benefits of students’ formulating questions and sparking discussion themselves?
If some learners are not confident enough to put their hand up and ask a question, you could try using the following techniques:
- Why …? - How do we know that ...? - What if ...? - How does this compare to ...? - How would you ...? - How did ...? - Explain why ...? - What might it mean if ...? - What might happen if ...? - How could you tell if ... is true?
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