MODULE D - QUESTIONING STRATEGIES

OBJECTIVES: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

By the end of this module, the student should be able to:

1 identify strategies teachers use to capture and hold attention.

2 observe the process of communication in a classroom, particularly the feedback from pupils to the teacher.

3 identify 10 reasons for asking questions in a class.

4 define each of the following types of questions:

a) managerial

b) rhetorical

c) closed

d) open

5 given a list of questions, classify them according to whether they are managerial, rhetorical, open, or closed.

6 identify a faulty question and indicate why the questionis not well worded.

7 identify specific aspects of the question and answer technique.

8 recognize the potential consequences of increasing the pause (wait) time after asking a question from 1 sec. to 3 sec.

9 identify ways that effective questioning contributes to positive class management.

 

INTRODUCTION

Before a teacher begins to map out the details of a lesson he/she must establish:

a) the needs of the Learners (the students being taught), and

b) the goals and specific objectives of the lesson.

These ideas were discussed in earlier modules. With the objectives clearly specified, the teacher moves on to develop a lesson plan. A well-designed plan will enable the students to achieve the-desired objectives provided the material is presented in a clear and meaningful way. The most carefully thought-out lesson, however, will fall short of the mark if the teacher lacks the basic skills which must be used to develop in the students the ability to master the concepts and content of the lesson. The development of such skills as observing children and skillful questioning form the basis of this module.

Objective 1

The student shold be able to identify strategies teachers use to capture and hold attention.

OBSERVING CLASSROOMS

How does a teacher know when a child-is paying attention? One of the first skills a teacher must acquire is a sense of awareness of what is going on in children's minds. What clues does the teacher look for?

When you visit other teachers' classrooms during the Student Teacher Experience Program or Practice Teaching, notice how teacher's judge the moment to begin teaching. Watch the teacher's eyes: are they roving over all the pupils detecting their readiness, and locking onto the eyes of any who are not yet attentive? EYE CONTACT is an extremely important part of a teacher's package of skills. Practice eye contact when you talk to friends, family, or your pet. Teachers use eye contact to

- catch pupils' attention

- prevent attention from wandering

- reward pupils for contributing to discussion

- warn pupils that their conduct is verging on the unacceptable

- reprimand pupils for unsatisfactory behaviour

All of these aims can be achieved without a spoken word' They are a part of body Language, an important communication tool. (More about this under Objective 2)

Objective 2

The student should be able to observe the process of communication in a classroom, particularly the feedback from pupils to the teacher.

Have you ever really listened to a child? As a teacher, to learn what children are thinking, you will need to listen closely. Only by listening can you determine what ideas the children are grasping.

Watch other teachers: do they really hear and understand children's responses and questions? (It is common for beginning teachers to respond to what they expect to hear, rather than what is actually said.) Communication involves both sending and receiving messages. (The word communicate is related to the word common: the process should result in a common under standing of ideas.) Teachers need to develop active listening skills so that they can hear the feedback that is necessary to complete communication. Questioning skills. will then lead to common understanding.

Objective 3

The student should be able to identify 10 reasons for asking questions in a class.

WHY ASK QUESTIONS?

A discussion in a staff room centres around how children best learn. Teacher A argues that students must be told things in order to gain a complete education. Teacher B counters by stating that children learn best by having their curiosity raised, by posing questions, not all of which have known answers. Assuming that you enter the discussion at this point, which teacher would you support? (Our bias is toward supporting Teacher B. We feel that questioning is a most important educational tool.)

The following is but a partial list of the functions served by asking different questions. Questions can be used to:

1. Collect observations from students.

2. Assist in class management.

3. Review a lesson.

4. Find what general knowledge students have on which the teacher can build.

5. Encourage creativity in a class.

6. Help a teacher establish a grade for a student.

ACTIVITY II

a) Take a pen and paper and list at least four other different reasons why teachers ask questions.

b) Now return to our introductory discussion between teachers A and B. How can you convince Teacher A that it is better to ask questions of students than to simply tell them facts? What additional information should you possess in order to resolve this difference of opinion?

Objective 4

The student should be able to define each of the following types of questions: a) manageria,l b) rhetorical, c) closed, d) open

CLASSIFYING QUESTIONS

For convenience, questions are frequently classified according to the function they serve. The following are definitions used in one such basic classification:

A question is a sentence, adapted by order of words, by punctuation, or by intonation, to elicit an answer.

A managerial question is one that provides the teacher with feedback for controlling the class organization or pacing.

A rhetorical question is one that is asked for emphasis, and not to elicit an answer.

A closed question is one that elicits a specific answer, often a specific fact.

An open question 1s one that has many possible acceptable answers.

 
QUESTION TYPE & EXAMPLE ROLE SERVED BY QUESTION
Managerial: "Who still needs time to finish their picture?" Serves to keep the class organized and moving along through an activity.
Rhetorical: "What colour is this ribbon?" Blue. Serves to emphasize a point (The teacher does not really expect an answer.)
Closed: "What does 6 + 9 equal?"

Serves to guide a lesson along a definite path. It is also used to review very specific information, perhaps from an earlier lesson. Questions tend to converge on a key concept or idea.

Open: "What do you know about the Inuit? This type of question generates a varied student response. Generally all answers are accepted by the teacher. Such questioning stimulates divergent thinking (the opposite approach to convergent or closed questioning). When a teacher asks open questions, it is an excellent opportunity to get the students to brainstorm the topic.

 

Objective 5

Given a list of questions, the student should be able to classify them according to whether they are managerial, rhetorical, open or closed.

ACTIVITY III

For each of the following, classify the numbered questions in the space provided to the right of each question. Be prepared to defend your answers.

 
QUESTION
TYPE OF QUESTION
I. What is the top layer of a leaf called?  
2. Who cannot see the demonstration?  
3. What do you thing would happen if ...?  

4. Who did not collect their sample from the side table?

 

5. What happened when we added the vinegar?

 

6. Will you turn to page 36, please?

 
7. How long did it take for the chick to hatch?  
8. What would you do, if a doctor told you that you had one month to live?  
9. What-is the guinea pig doing? Sleeping, right?  
10. How can you get the clay to float?  

 

SEQUENCING QUESTIONS

To guide pupils' thinking through the pathways to a new concept or big idea, it is important to structure your questions in a logical sequence. In Module A, The Nature of the Learner, you saw Robert Gagne's recommendation of constructing a task analysis, a step-by-step breakdown of the way ideas build to major concepts. You can arrange your questions to lead pupils to understanding by making such a logical sequence. In class, as you listen to pupils' responses, you will be able to improvise additional questions to meet their specific needs. It Is certainly helpful to plan your initial sequence In advance of the lesson, and then to remain flexible to modify It as you teach.

Objective 6

The student should be able to identify a faulty question and indicate why the question is not well worded.

FAULTY QUESTIONS

As a teacher, you will ask many, many questions during the course of a single day.. Every effort should be made -to phrase your questions in such a manner that the students understand your intent. The following are examples of question types which you should try to avoid. You will really only be able to achieve this end by practising asking questions.

Inverted Question

a) "The action of baking soda with vinegar is what?"

b) "The area of the diagram marked 'L' is an example of what?"

This type of question leaves the student waiting for you to complete the statement. The teacher should ask the question in a form that conveys to students that an answer is required.

2. Indefinite Question

a) "What about all the Low pressure areas?''

b) "What about the action of iodine or corn starch?"

Because the wording is so general, the teacher receives a variety of answers. Chances are, the teacher was looking for a specific response. If so, a more specific question should have been asked.

3. Incomplete Statement Question

a) "The colour of the candle is . . . ?"

b ) "The answer to the question is

Like inverted questions, the students expect the teacher to complete the statement before asking the question. A deathly silence prevails when the students finally realise that they are expected to "fill in the blank". This also nurtures low-level thinking.

4. Piece Meal Question

a) "What is the answer to the second part? What happens ,just before the end?" What is the answer to the first question?"

Individually, these questions are acceptable. However, the sequence moves around in such a manner that the students fail to see any order. In most cases, the questions should be rearranged into a logical order from the beginning of the exercise to the end.

5. Multiple Question

a) "What happens in the fall, when leaves turn colour, why do the leaves fall, and how does the tree produce new leaves in the spring?"

Obviously, too many thoughts are wrapped up in this question. When analyzing any question, if there are really several ideas, separate them into individual questions.

6. Over-Involved Question

a) "What do all the low pressure areas have in common when we look at the positions of the blue arrows showing the motion of the air and the blue arrows showing the push of the air?"

A single question, perhaps, but one which requires. students to examine a great deal of information in order to answer the question. Again, break the question down into simpler questions, then rebuild to finish with the major concept.

7. Dual Option Question

a) "Are there any differences among the powders?"

b) "Is this a Low pressure or a high pressure area?"

Such questions, as stated, do not necessarily require any understanding of the concept in order to answer correctly. Students can simply choose one of the two options. Thus, they have a 50-50 chance of answering the question successfully. This type of question also forces the teacher to ask such additional questions as "Why did you say that . . . ?", etc.

8. Minimal Function Question

a) "How many of you have pencils?"

b) "How many are finished making the diagram?"

Questions of this type achieve very little. As a teacher, you should make every effort to ask questions which do indeed serve a useful function. For example, "Who does not have a pencil? Who is not finished?"

9. 'Superfluous Introductory Words' Question

a) "Who can tell me . . . ?"

b) "Can anyone tell me . . . ?

c) "Hour many o f you know .

Be more precise. Ask a question in a straight-forward manner, deleting any unnecessary words. A11 of the examples above could have been started after the introductory words. Do a simple calculation. Figure out if the teacher asks 250 questions a day, and each one begins with unnecessary extra words, how much time, in hours, is wasted during a teaching career?

To avoid problems related to questioning, in the early stages of your practice teaching experience, you should write out several key questions and place them directly into your lesson plan. (A key question, is one used to begin or end an activity and to analyze results.) Your questioning skills can and will improve with practice.

ACTIVITY IV

For each of the nine categories of faulty questions above, take the first example and rephrase the question to remove the fault.

Objective 7

The student should be able to identify specific aspects of the question and answer technique.

THE QUESTION AND ANSWER TECHNIQUE

Wording questions correctly is an important aspect of asking questions in a classroom. It is, however, not the only consideration related to questioning. The following are a number of 'do's' and 'don'ts' which pertain to this topic.

Do's

1. Plan your key questions before your class. Do not count on coming up with the correct wording on the spot. Key questions, again, are used to begin a lesson or a sequence of points, to analyze results or to end a lesson or questioning sequence.

2. Ask a question - pause - and then designate a student to answer. The name of a specific student should not precede the question unless the teacher is using it to serve a class management function. (The teacher, for example, might address the question to Mary because she is not paying attention.) If the student is named before the question, the other members of the class are not obliged to think of an answer. More will be said about pausing after asking a question in the next section of this module.

3. Distribute your questions. Avoid the temptation to involve only those students who raise their hands. In this regard, work at asking questions geared to the abilities of your students. For example, ask a simple question of a slow learner and a more difficult question of a more capable student.

4. Match the pause time to the question and the ability of the class. (Pause time is the time between asking a question and accepting a response.) The pause time should be longer in the case of students of less than average ability.

5. Work at using incorrect answers constructively. More often than not, a student response is partially correct. Build on this and accept it for what it is. Other members of the class are generally willing to improve upon the answer, without embarrassing the first student.

6. Provide positive reinforcement for student answers in a varied manner. For example, accept one response as "fine", another as "very good", etc.

7. Use questions to assist with class management. For example, questions can be asked of inattentive students. By asking questions of students and involving them in the lesson, they are less likely to create problems.

8. Use questions to establish class procedures and keep the class working ahead. Ask questions, for example, to determine where individual students are in an exercise, whether or not students have all of the materials, etc.

Don't s

1. Do not repeat student answers, as a general rule. You can repeat answers when you wish to emphasize a particular point.

2. Refrain from rephrasing questions. Concentrate on wording them correctly in the first place. Rephrasing -a question tends to confuse the students. Often, they are still grappling with the first wording.

Objective 8

The student should be able to recognize the potential consequences of increasing the pause (wait) time after asking a question from 1 sec to 3 sec.

THE PAUSE (WAIT) TIME CONCEPT

The concept of pause time has already been mentioned in this module. Although a simple idea, there are many potential gains to be made by using this technique. The following figure illustrates two points at which a teacher might pause before proceeding.

 
Teacher Question Pause/ Wait Time 1 Student Response Pause/Wait Time 2 Teacher Reaction

Now consider the potential benefits of using the pause or wait time technique. The following are some of the possible consequences of extending the pause time from 1 sec to 3 sec after asking a question or accepting a student response.

Generally, when teachers wait longer before accepting answers,

1. the length of student response increases.

2. the number of student responses increases.

3. students begin to speculate, to make guesses about which they have given some thought.

4. student confidence is increased.

5. the number of questions asked by students increases.

6. the failure to respond or to attempt an answer decreases.

7. there is an increase in inferences made - with supporting data.

8.slower learners contribute more.

9. the necessity to take disciplinary action decreases.

In summary, if you want students to participate in a lesson and to give thoughtful answers, give your students more time to compose their responses. Try increasing the wait time from 1 sec. to 3 sec. It might work wonders.

Objective 9

the student should be able to identify ways,-that effective questioning contributes to positive class management.

QUESTIONING AND CLASS MANAGEMENT

In the list above, Point 9 states that research in actual classrooms found a positive connection between good questioning techniques and class management. Pupils that are involved to the lesson are more apt to remain co-operative and "on-task" than pupils who "tune out" because they are frustrated, bored, or not involved. Thus, proper wait time contributes to class control, by keeping more pupils involved.

The psychology of positive reinforcement also keeps pupils interested in the lesson. If every pupil, somewhere in the lesson, feels rewarded by the teacher's attention, then none will feel neglected or uninvolved. Active listening to the pupils' answers or their questions provides this reward: every pupil gains a sense of self worth. In the Do's of question and answer technique, Point 6 suggests variety in the ways you acknowledge responses: too many OK's become boring. Throw in "that's right", "well done", "excellent", "good" for variety.

Try to accept an answer from every pupil every day. If you can't get around to everyone today, try to reach the others tomorrow. If pupils give the wrong answer sometime, try to get back to them later to give them a chance to redeem themselves In the eyes of the others.

Another way to share involvement in the lesson is to ask other pupils to extend or comment on a first pupil's answer, before you comment yourself. This 1s a variation in the wait time 2 technique:

Mary, can you add any more to Alison's answers?

John, do you agree with George's reply? If not, what would you have said? (If so, tell the class why he's right.)

SAMPLE TEST ITEMS

1. "How many legs has a sowbug?" is a question that would be classified as:

A. managerial

B. rhetorical

C. open

D. closed

2. An open question is one in which

A. is asked to manage a class

B. elicits many different acceptable answers

C. is used to ephasze a point

D. requires a specific answer

3. All but one of the following are faulty questions be changed. Which one is an acceptable question?

A. What about the bubbles in the water?

B. The pink crystals turn into ?

C. Where do the bubbles first appear?

D. Heating the crystals produced what kind of sound?

 

4. Eye contact is an important skill for teachers to develop. This contact can help a teacher to achieve all but one of the following. Which one cannot be achieved by eye contact?

A.Catch pupils' attention

B. Ask better questions

C. Hold wandering attention

D. Warn pupils of unacceptable behaviour

5. An initiating tactic is often a springboard for many questions from pupils and teachers. This is because an initiating tactic may

A. stimulate thought through apparent contradictions

B. involve active listening and eye contact

C. stimulate communication by sending and receiving messages

D. provide positive reinforcement for the pupil.