Perhaps there was some information given as an Instructor that you know was not completely understood by the lack of questions that should have been asked. If this was the case, then the question and answer session is ,and should be of most importance. The purpose of questions is to make sure the material was delivered and recieved adequatally.
it gives the professor a guide for what the student is more interested in learning and it helps to develop a more direct plan for the future classes.
Hi David, Thanks for your post to the forum. That is an excellent observation! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
I like to get a discussion going about a subject with the use of questions and guide it along to create an interaction with the students. Questioning is a great way of checking for understanding and developing a mutually agreed terminology of a subject. I think that often students sometimes understand a topic but the terminology trips them up or makes them afraid of seeming unknowledgeable. Building terminology in discussions builds the students communication skills.
Hi Azra, Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, Questioning is the best way to determine what our students have in mind for their futures.
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
Through asking questions, students become involved with the discussion and they practice critical thinking.
To evaluate student learning their goals & objectives
Hi Yolanda, Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, when students find what they are learning relevant to their experience it is much more effective. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
Hi Jim, Knowing that what you are reviewing may be on the exam is quite motivating!
Susan Polick
I always ask questions of the content as it applies to the students experiences. Hopefully they make the connections.
Most days I start with questions on thewhite board. The questions are from tests, quizes and homeworks. When going over a group of questions I will tell about how many test questions are on the board, I do not tell which ones or if math is involved, I use different numbers. Students work seriously to get answers. Space takers who are in class because a fund or program is paying their way or as one stated ''Just to humor the old man and waste his $20,000''.
Hi Treva, If we can get our students to move to enagaged critical thinking we have done a good job!
Susan Polick
Questioning sessions are a great learning tool especially if the use of socratic questioning is used where it asks for open-ended questions that create higher-level thinking.
Questioning sessions are more of a learning tool to me as an instructor to see the areas of confusion. I also noticed that some of the other students have the same question but are afraid to ask. The most rewarding response is when a student answer the question in a simple way that has just took me half an hour to explain. I found out that students learn better from other students sometimes.
Hi Asha, Punctuating lectures with questioning also keeps us from moving on when students are not clear about what was just presented. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
questioning grabs students attention more than when an instructor is lecturing for a while. It brings the focus back to the students from the instructor as the center if attention.
With the question I think the students are in spotlight. They start to think about what they have learnt and start coming up with ways to use that knowledge and respond.
I always try and include other students responses to the same question so they all learn from each other and comments.
It is amazing but my questions bring about another stream of questioning from the students. And suddenly we are all in the middle of a healthy discussion about our topic. I think that is the best kind of learning because it sticks better than lecturing about a topic.
Hi Travis, Thanks for your post to the forum. That's an excellent point - sometimes students may have a perspective that other students can benefit from. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
Hi Denisse, Thanks for your post to the forum. The trick is to get them to ask questions!! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
This demonstrates the understanding of the class as a whole. It also demonstrates which students have a better comprehension of the subject. Also some students can communicate in such a manner that his/her peers may gain new insight into the subject or develop a better understanding through their peer's answer.
• When students ask questions they are self-motivated learners ("Inquiring minds want to know!"). This is a skill for life-time learning that we must encourage.
