Questioning can be useful in moving the class conversation into a deeper level as well as encourage other students to become active participants.
Hi Elizabeth- Thanks for your post to the forum. I find that deliberately formulating questions that allow students to draw upon their own experiences are really effective. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
During questioning sessions, students have the opportunity to personalize the content and add their opinion into the answer. This keeps them actively involved in what is happening, which encourages learning.
Elizabeth
Hi Diana - I love the anonymous notecards for questions idea! Thanks for sharing! Susan
I like using questioning sessions in my class, students will get more excited about participating as more students respond not only to my original question, but related questions will be introduce by students creating an even more responsive environment in the class.
I use note cards to encourage students to ask questions in case students come up with questions and we dont have lab time to answer them. The questions are anonymous and I repeat them aloud so everyone receives the benefit of the question. I respond the next class session which gives me time to research the answer properly and add-on extra info I feel might be valueable to the students.
HI Thadeus- That regular feedback is so valuable as we build on concepts we have already taught. Best wishes! Susan
I agree completely. I try to use questions/class discussion in every topic I cover in class, almost everyday.
Hi Mario - Thanks for your post to the forum. Your comments on the importance of questioning are "right-on"! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Questioning builds discussion that demonstrates that the students are getting it. It helps to clarify instruction, it draws in students to the learning process, and it helps them to apply the information as they work through answers.
Questioning seesions are very useful when teaching one of my coding classes because it is a two part tool that first I lecture on a topic and then the class is challenged to find the correct answer in the book. For the students who get the answer incorrect it is an excellent opportunity to be able to ask them how they came to that particular answer and be able to redirect back through the right direction to come up with the correct answer.
Hi Jennifer- Thanks for your post to the forum. Too often, I think that we get stuck in our own interpretation of concepts and dismiss student ideas as "off-topic". As you point out, however, we can sometimes use those student interpretations to rethink the concepts! Thanks for sharing! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
By asking why questions it becomes clear if the students have understood the material. I always ask them to explain what was learned at the end of the class.
You can build on the student answers to reinforce your main points. Also, I think that when students answer in ways you didn't expect, that can lead to more creativity. You have a chance to think about and summarize your points differently.
I think a questioning session is very good because it shows what the students has learned and what you need to go back over because they would still behaving problems with.
1) To check for understanding --- how is the student progressing?
2) To encourage active participation.
3) To provide an opportunity to praise/reward the learner.
4) To show empathy --- does the instructor truly care?
Questions challenge the skills and knowledge of the students. If they know that there will be questions during the activity they will be prepared to answer and look well before their peers. Or it could be for many other reasons but always question should be motivating-so they will help to process of learning of the students.
Questioning sessions can easily become learning tools in a variety of ways.
1. Answers provided to a question can broaden the material covered in class by adding new information to better explain an answer.
2. Questioning encourages thinking skills; not only by the person asking the question, but also by the person responding. It may also encourage thinking or processing skills of the listeners.
3. A question that is verbalized can aid in understanding for another student in the classroom who may have had the same question, but was hesitant to ask.
4. Questions can be used to gauge student understanding and background knowledge.
By one turning the question into a game and having them earn points for every question they get correct
Questioning sessions are a very good tools, I like to start a session re-reviewing the material covered last session, this allows me to assess whether students understood the class, this way I can stop a little to explain or continue to next topic.
