Blog #5-Questions

Asking questions in the classroom...It seems like a simple small concept in comparison to creating a lesson plan, making sure you understand the concept enough to answer, and staying within the parameters of the course goals that have been set up for you to follow.  When you really think about it though, questions are what stimulate all of these goals.  What lesson plan will I use for this subject matter?  What questions will the students ask?  Have I hit upon each course goal for this unit?

Questions are unequivocally the driving force for knowledge.  Anyone can sit through a lecture, but to really retain information and knowledge, a certain repertoire must be created between the instructor and the students.  Questions provide the bridge between “I’m not sure”, and “Oh, I see!”.  It is our responsibility as teachers to ask the right questions and have our students formulate their own in response.  In this blog post, I will attempt to cover a bit about the best way to ask questions in the classroom.  The subject is so important, however, that I feel the information could be the subject of a whole semester course for teachers.  

Questions are possibly the most important resource in our teaching toolbox.  Questions can be used to tease out answers, or stimulate more questions.  They can be a conversation dead end, or lead to a more complex and rich experience.  I believe the most important function of questions is to ensure that the knowledge that you are passing forward is being understood at the intended level.  Ben Johnson said in a blog post:  “If they do not know what they do not know, there is no way that they can ask a question about it”.  It is up to the instructor to ask pertinent questions in order to ensure that student comprehension is occurring.  Questions should be thought inspiring, multi-leveled, and should be stimulating a critical though response.  A great question is often the only one that needs to be asked, the one question will propagate many others in its wake and this process will emphasize what the students need the most help in understanding the subject matter.  

How do we as teachers know that we are asking the best questions?  Well, for a new teacher, this really depends on trial and error.  Parameters can be followed, such as following course goals, preparing questions in advance and building them into the lesson, and keeping track of the questions that generate the best responses, whether they be asked by you or the students themselves.  Even with great attention to detail, and following personal parameters, some questions will emerge as giving better results.  The best strategy is to read your classroom.  Wait for answers, give the students time to get their thoughts together, and once they are answering, do not interrupt and definately show interest.  Respect goes a long way in a classroom setting (and really in any setting).  When asked a question by a student, keep them thinking by explaining and asking open-ended questions while inviting extended answers.  This goes back to the idea of “intellectual ownership”  in which the students participate fully in the learning process, and will retain information more efficiently because they themselves helped to propagate the learning process.  

If questions are the driving force for knowledge, who should be asking them?  The answer:  everyone.  Teachers should ask questions of the students in order to facilitate the knowledge cycle between themselves and students.  They should also ask questions of themselves throughout the lesson planning process to ensure that the knowledge is fleshed out and ready for presentation.  Students should ask questions of the teacher in order to facilitate self-awareness and critical thinking.  They should ask questions of themselves and each other to stimulate group learning and refine knowledge.  A teacher should be open to moving the lesson in a different direction if a provoking question is asked by a student.  This gives another opportunity for “intellectual ownership” and provides an opportunity for the student to have made a major contribution to the learning process.  

The process of questioning alone is a complex one.  Questions can take on many meanings and facets, and bring about a myriad of conclusions.  Closed questions can be answered with a simple yes or no.  Managerial questions are asked with the intention of keeping up with student organization (lab notebook, journal, time management, etc.).  The best and most effective type of question is the open question.  This type of query requires and more complex, thought out answer.  Instead of just one word, the student is challenged to formulate a well-rounded, critically thoughtful answer.  Open questions can also be multi-layered, meaning that a series of questions is asked, with the first being fairly simple and the remaining taking more and more time and thought to answer.  This is especially effective in the science classroom, where the building of knowledge from simple to complex seems to be a successful teaching method.  A teacher should practice asking “good” questions, that is, ones that focus on real world issues and resolutions that the students can connect with.  

The good (or great) questions should occur at each step in the learning process, throughout the lesson.  There is no one time that questions should be entertained or allowed in the classroom, rather, it should be an organic, natural process.  At the beginning of class, questions can be used to reintroduce and cement previous lessons into students’ minds; during the lecture, to stimulate and cultivate a critical thinking response; and at the end of each lecture, so as to flush out any misunderstandings or loss of subject matter.  

In conclusion, questions are one of the most important aspects of teaching in the classroom.  They can inspire, facilitate, continue a thought or stop one.  In order to successfully teach, great question asking must be practiced, and like any skill, with practice, comes mastery.  

Thanks to Ben Johnson's blog 

The Teaching Center

and Faculty Focus

for references and quotes