I warn them ahead of time that everyone will be participating. I also like to build rapport with all members of the class in order to put them at ease with class participation, since I know some of them will shy away from it.
Hi Dorothy, Yes, students do seem to enjoy group discussions and it certainly increases participation! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
Hi Nicole, Thanks for your post to the forum. I find it useful to ask students if they have had any experience with the topic. Often older students will relate their own experience and it is really effective in demonstrate relevance. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
Sometimes I will have the student's get into a group and present the question to each group and have them write a reply
I agree with what you said. Being able to see the relevance of a topic with the lesson is important for students.
Sometimes I incorporate statements into my lecture and get the student's feedback in response to the statement. It sets ground for class discussion and student's get to voice their opinion or thoughts.
Hi Donald, Thanks for your post to the form. The "why" question requires students to use critical thinking, something employers tell us they really value in their employees. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
I try to help students see logic or patterns in the material I deliver. When asking questions I try to word them so that there is a logical conclusion, an answer that follows the pattern. I also like to sprinkle questions into the lecture that have no right or wrong answer - that just asks students for their thoughts and opinions. Then I ask that they have an open mind as we move into that subject matter. Once through the topic I do a review and ask the class how "we did" - did things turn out as we expected.
I find that in alot of cases the student gets focused on the subject matter and they often times have or are unable to think of any questions because the feel they understand the subject matter. That is when I hit them with the "why" question! Sometimes students just take in the information at face value, asking why seems to open a different approach to problem solving.
Hi Mary, Thanks for your post to the forum. Students generally do try to help each other so this can be an effective strategy. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
For the students who are non-participants, I would pose a question to the student; if the student fail to answer correctly I would ask another student to help with the question.
Hi Kathleen, Great example - thanks for sharing!!
Susan Polick
I really like to try to get students to see how the information is relative to them. I used to teach athletes Exercise Science and I would explain metabolism as how it related to and affected their game play. That way learning all this "sciency" stuff did not seem so overwhelming. So trying to ask questions that points out how the information is related to their life.
The best thing is using open ended question. This is helpful for them to know how to answer questions on the state standardize test.
I also like to have students ask questions and other students answer them. I fell this works because they answering their peer question.
When I taught elemantry school, I would pull student's name out of a can.
Hi Dawn, Thanks for your post to the forum. Students do indeed enjoy talking about themselves! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
I like to ask students to give me real life examples of "a time when" they experienced a certain situation and how did they respond - pertaining to the topic we are discussing. This seems to prompt others to add their views and experiences as well. It has prompted some very lively discussions and new ideas for problem solving.
To ask open ended questions or to ask them to direct it to a past experience they have had
I think it's important to use examples and comparison with one's daily routine outside of the classroom which can pull them into responding.Alot of students tend to grasp a better understanding when familiar scenarios are used in which they can relate.
Hi Janice, Thanks for sharing a great example of effective questioning!
Susan Polick
I pose a question that is multifaceted and one person will start answering and when they are finished I ask if anyone can add to it. It starts a dialogue and no one is afraid of anwering wring due to the many part of the question. They can add what they know and learn from the rest.
