Module - Effective Techniques of Questioning

Modules

Effective Techniques of Questioning

Written by Eileen Anderson

“In the twentieth century, the ability to engage in careful, reflective thought has been viewed in various ways: as a fundamental characteristic of an educated person, as a requirement for responsible citizenship in a democratic society, and, more recently, as an employability skill for an increasingly wide range of jobs.”¹

- Kathleen Cotton

Kathleen Cotton’s words accurately reflect the current viewpoint in education about the importance of teaching today’s students to think critically and creatively. Such concern is not a new issue for educators. At least as far back as ancient Greece, the spirit of inquiry and effective thinking has been prized and methods of questioning devised to help develop higher order thinking skills.

Most of our students do not score well on tests that measure their ability to recognize assumptions, evaluate arguments, and draw inferences. Fortunately, current research affirms that the direct teaching of thinking skills CAN produce better, more creative thinkers, if they are taught HOW to do so through the art of effective questioning.

CONSIDER:
	*Who asks more questions in your classes –yourself or the students? Why might that be so?* *When do most of the questions get asked? – at the start of class, during class, or at the end of the class period?*

For most professors, asking questions seems to come as naturally as breathing. Most would agree that questioning is an essential in their methodology. Spontaneous questions that come up during class time are helpful but questions that are thinking skill-builders usually require more thoughtful pre- planning and structuring.

CONSIDER:
	*For best results, wait at least 6 to 8 seconds before calling on a student for a response.*

Asking Questions

Whatever your favorite teaching methods, they will be enhanced by including well-planned questions. Perhaps you now use questions spontaneously in your classes., For best results in developing critical thinking skills, however, you probably will want to plan and write out some of your more sophisticated questions. Here are a few ideas to try:

1. Ask some open-ended, not just “yes” or “no” questions. An open –ended question has the advantage of allowing you to draw several students into the discussion that otherwise would not participate. Some examples are: “What actions might have been taken by the Federal Government before the country entered into all-out war?”

2. Ask divergent questions. A question where there is not one “correct” answer but where the task is to search for many possible correct answers. For example, “What are some possible ways to solve the problems of poverty ?”

3. Promote discussions among students. Paraphrase and drawing others in.

4. Ask probing questions. Questions that draw the students’ attention to things only implied in their answers.

5. Discourage inappropriate questions. Be tactful but firm and fearless.

CONSIDER:
	*Learning to tolerate the silence while students think through their responses is probably the hardest skill to master!*

Bloom’s Taxonomy in the Art of Questioning

Researchers have often focused attention on the levels of questions being asked in college classrooms. Recently, they have found that professors tend to ask “knowledge” questions 80% to 90% of the time. Our goal is to include more questions that require higher order thinking. These categories of Benjamin Bloom can help you to plan effective questions:

KNOWLEDGE questions dealing with …

Remembering,

memorizing,

recognizing,

recalling information,

recalling identification.

COMPREHENSION questions dealing with

Interpreting,

describing in one’s own words,

organization and selection of facts and ideas,

Retell…

APPLICATION questions dealing with …

problem solving,

applying information,

use of rules or principles,

How is…? Why is,,,?

ANALYSIS questions dealing with …

identifying motives,

separate the whole into component parts,

classify parts according to …

outline/diagram, compare/contrast.

SYNTHESIS questions dealing with …

inferences or predictions,

adding to what was given,

combining ideas…

finding solutions.

EVALUATION questions dealing with …

placing in order of priority.

deciding on actions to take …

choosing criteria for assessing …

agree or disagreeing with a premise.

Effective Techniques of Questioning
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Well-planned Questions Can

Be Used to:

• begin active inquiry.

• start discussions.

• involve all your students.

• extend the new knowledge.

• encourage discussions.

• problem- solve.

• encourage interactions.

search: questioning

http://www.teachers.ash. org.au/researchskills/ questions.htm

Creating an Accepting Atmosphere

Along with adding variety to the questioning processes, professors who wish to encourage critical thinking dialogues need to establish an environment where students are at ease in responding. Here are some strategies to try:

• Plan opportunities for students to ask questions during class. Then, be sure to allow time for the group to formulate their questions before moving on.

• Look at your group as you teach to be sure that you are not missing a student who is too timid to raise a hand to answer.

• Watch for non-verbal cues that the group really needs to ask questions. Look for puzzled expression, frowns, etc. Be sure to clear up their confusions!

• Be sure you fully answer a student’s question before moving on. In some such moments, you might choose to clarify for two or three students after the class.

• Be sure that your non-verbal communications encourage questions. Never put down student for their questions.

Related Links:

http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu

Topics for Discussion

On-Line

At what point in a class do you think questioning is most effective? At the beginning? During the presentation? At your conclusion?

Please be prepared to discuss on WebCT.

Does the subject you teach seem to lend itself to the development of higher order thinking? Please be prepared to discuss on WebCT.

Fiscal Agent: Northeast Texas Community College P.O. Box 1307 Mt. Pleasant, TX 75456 Tel: 903.572.1911 Fax: 903.572.6712

This project is funded by the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Act though the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
under the title of Academy for Part-Time Teachers.