I would help them with using a mix of open, followed by closed questions. Also the use of procedural quesions to protect students self esteem. Next,using proper wait times for questions. I have found longer wait times help when I have several students answering a question, and helping them to come to the correct response.
After asking the question give adequate time as some students have a slower thinking process than others but can still come up with an adequate or even excellent answer given a few extra seconds. Ask students to raise their hands so the "know-it-alls" don't blurt out an answer before others can process the question. Finally, even if the first answer is correct, ask if the other students agree or not and follow with "why?"
Krista,
This is excellent advice. You are a good trainer.
Judy Mohammed
I have trained and mentored many new instructors over the years. Three of the main guidelines that I discuss with them in relation to the skill of questioning are: 1) Prepare both open-ended and closed questions while they prepare each lesson. It is often harder for a new instructor to think up open-ended questions on the spot. 2) Ask a question and then count to 5! As we say in business “Time is money.†For educators asking questions of their students “Time is learning.†The silence in the classroom after you ask a question is the sound of thinking … you will get used to it! 3) Give students a chance to create and ask their own questions. This is an excellent group activity at the end of class or students can submit anonymous questions asking for clarification on points they just did not “get†in the lecture. I sometimes call this activity “The Muddiest Point.†Ask students to write down one question that was unclear (muddiest) and submit it to you. Start the next class by clarifying those questions.
Carol,
Has this lesson been helpful to you?
Judy Mohammed
Carol,
Please share more of your opinion.
Judy Mohammed
Carol,
Questions do help us to check comprehension and learning. I think we can avoid students feeling like you described by using wait time and probing.
Judy Mohammed
Tom,
Classroom management is absolutely the way to go for teachers. Using open ended questions and giving praise appropriately are excellent tools as well.
Judy Mohammed
Unidad (Ning),
These are great pieces of advice. I also used close-ended questions when time is of the essence. Your class ending is wonderful.
Judy Mohammed
I also like to make them recall previously presented and discussed content. I do not think it inappropriate if a student gives an incorrect answer to a question to in a polite way and not to make him feel stupid to ask another student to respond
Proper discipline in the classroom, the use of open questions and proper praise of students.
Allen ,
It is wonderful when we can use the "other" perspective and remember ourselves as students.
Judy Mohammed
The 3 things I would share to a new instuctor regarding "questioning" are:
1. use close-ended questioning very minimally at the beginning mainly to establish rapport with his/her new students and assess the level (& variations thereof) of knowledge the students have
2. use close-ended questioning mainly to "jump start" any class and be intentional and cosistent in the use of open-ended follow up questioning
3. at the end of each class session, plan to take a few minutes to celebrate learning that transpired , summarize the concepts that were highlighted and ask feedback using open-ended questions as a segway to start building up
momentum/ interest for next class meeting
I have been educating for most of my time in the kitchen. Teaching the new guy how to run a station I have mastered. But when I started formal education I felt overwhelmed. As I started educating myself to be effective in the classroom I discovered using questions and how powerful they are. I have continued to use them ever since.
Jeff,
This is excellent advice. I hope that you have opportunities to work with new teachers.
Judy Mohammed
Do not single out students based on their intelligence by asking majority of the questions to that one student. This may be discouraging to other students and make them feel as if they are not included in the discussion.
Take time to allow students to answer the questions. Depending on the type of question, may require critical thinking and a collection of thoughts that can be clearly conveyed. Suggest allowing at least three seconds for response to critical thinking questions. Even longer if you are presenting a case study that requires multiple answers. If no response, begin to give part of the answer(s) to see if that will generate a response.
If the answer to the question you asked the student is incomplete, acknowledge the student’s portion that is correct and explain why the other portion of the answer is incorrect. Then probe the class for additional answers.
Gayle,
You seem to have captured the gist of this lesson very well. I hope that you have opportunities to work with new teachers.
Judy Mohammed
Three questioning techniques I would share with a new instructor include: increasing open questioning by 50% and utilizing redirection and probing practices when lecturing. I feel these three are the most important because they are the easiest to incorporate and offer the quickest fix to a disengaged group of students. For example, closed questions are great for simple recall practices, and serve a purpose, whereas open questions will encourage critical thinking which help to better prepare our students for exams. Students have a tendency to complain when the exam questions (recall) are not worded exactly the same as presented in lecture. My goal is to get them to understand the concepts and not just recall info for the exam.
