Asking Questions More Effectively.

Sometimes, its hard to use effective questioning on students when you didn't get it during your teacher training program.  I am having to learn to ask effective questions but I still stumble at it.

There are eight things you can do to prepare yourself to ask more effective questions but they aren't all that easy.

First, as you write the lesson give some thought to how your students will interpret the new material.  Try to anticipate their thinking and all the ways they might solve the problem.  This can help you plan on the questions you might ask so you encourage deeper understanding.

Second, connect your instruction to the learning goals formed by the curriculum.  These goals help the teacher determine the questions to be asked and the problems used to reinforce learning goals. By asking questions which go back to the curriculum, students are able to focus on key ideas and principles. 

Third, include more open ended questions because they challenge student learning and supports learning.  These type of questions encourage a multitude of strategies and responses.  An open ended question might be 'How many different ways can you draw an area of 48 square units?' vs closed which might be 'How many sides does a quadrilateral have?'

Fourth, make sure the questions you ask can be answered and do not provide students with the answer.  They need to think about the question to find the answer.

Fifth, use verbs such as observe, connect, justify and others which demand higher levels of thinking.  These verbs need to encourage students to share their thinking,  while deepening their understanding and extend their learning.

Sixth, ask questions in such a way as to open up conversation among all the students and not just between the teacher and students.  These questions should have students discuss their thinking behind their solutions so as to build on prior knowledge and relates to new learning.

Seventh, make sure questions are neutral and do not contain words such as hard or easy which might shut a student down before they try.  Teachers should also monitor their facial expression so they are not giving out nonverbal clues which could shut a student down.

Finally, As stated earlier this week, allow enough wait time for students to pull their thoughts together to answer.  Students, especially English Language Learners may need extra time to pull together their thinking.  Do not be afraid of silence.

I think all good teachers want to improve their teaching style but sometimes it becomes difficult and we revert to the way we experienced questioning when we were in school.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.