How and why questions are the easiest questions to engage students. They will then feed off one another until the process winds itself to its natural climax or endpoint.
Hi all, I have seem some good suggestions posted here, such as wating, games, and relating questions to personal experience.
Also, how often the instructor pauses to ask questions is important,I think. In other words, pause frequently to ask questions to see if the material is "sinking in."
Text books can serve as good resources for questions.. especially the kind that ask questions that are more than just recall of the information. These can be assigned to small teams of students - the teams can be given a few moments to discuss their answers then present their thoughts to the class.
All the best, Lyn
I ask questions that help tie the content to a students life experience, whether it be personal, professional etc.
Hi Darrell - I'd say you're "Dead on" (sorry, couldn't resist! (-;) From what I've seen of professional kitchens and of course all the new Chef competition shows, culinary professionals have to be able to react quickly, so your "Firing Squad" drill is really useful in the long run. Best wishes - Susan
Hi Andrea - Students love participating in some games that incorporate learning. We actually had our Electronics students rig up buzzers so that we can play games like "family feud" with teams of classmates. It's great fun! Best wishes - Susan
I ask students questions that I know that they know the answer to. If all do not know the answer, then I answer the question in full detail. I also have students ask each other questions as a game. They really like that because I simply stand back and intervene when needed.
i play a game named firing squad, i fire the questions, they answer the question verbaly on the spot in front of the rest of the class, i ask a variety of questions pertaioning to the info i lecture and demo. i gotta say it rocks.
I've found nothing works quite as well as the wait time technique. Individually calling on students sends them out of their comfort zone, and usually results in "I don't know" -- not helpful for anyone. With wait time, both the number of responses and the quality of the responses is higher than with any other technique.
Hi Stuart- I'm sorry for the delay in responding to your post. I really like the calming way that you use this technique. No pressure to answer the question and then an open discussion to expand on the ansers. Excellent! Best wishes - Susan
Hi John- I'm sorry it has taken me so long to respond to your posting! If teaching is truly in your blood, the Socratic Method is the best way to get both you and your students excited. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career! Susan
Hi Ted - Thanks for your post! It really does boil down to making your students comfortable with interacting. As I'm sure you know, that can be an art, but well worth perfecting! Best wishes - Susan
Asking about past experience, trying to make it relevant to what I'm discussing. Using one student's response to ask another question that delves deeper into the subject at hand. Asking students to repeat or paraphrase what I was discussing.
By providing questions that help to draw on a students personal experiences I find it allows them an easier access to a conversation. If they can talk about something they are comfortable with initally it can make the jump to conversations about topics they are less sure about easier.
Hi Charlin - Welcome to ED 103! When students are encouraged to expand on previous answers the questioning period becomes more of a dialogue and learning actually progresses. Best wishes- Susan
I use a combination of wait time and also at the end of my demonstrations I will ask some questions to recap/review what I was talking about. I will also use questioning as a way to start the demo off and to recap the reading assignment from the night before.
I definitely let the students expand on partial answers given by classmates. They pay more attention to the questions and the answers.
I am particularly fond of the Socratic Method of instruction. The engaging interchange between faculty and student-learner can be really exciting. Additionally, I like to invite the students in my class to reflect on their own experiences so as to add richness to our dialogue.
One of my favorite questioning techniques is to put a thought provoking question on the board at the beginning of class. I ask students to think about it and write a short answer to the question. After they are done, we randomly go around the room and people share their answers to spark discussion. When then use this discussion to move into the lecture topic of the day.
I agree. I also tell my students that there are no right or wrong answers for some questions. Some answers will depend upon a person's experience and will be that person's opinion. I encourage students who don't usually speak up because they are afraid of being "wrong" to answer the "what do you think?" type questions because there is no wrong answer.
Asking open questions are very effective for getting all students to participate in class discussion
