Getting student participation in questioning sessions
What are some questioning techniques you have used that were successful in getting students to participate in class discussions?
Hi Shirley- Thanks for your post to the forum. You are using great skills at getting students to participate in questioning. Susan
During and throughout a lecture, I constantly engage the student to ask questions even if they think it is a stupid one. Ask not know not, is a phrase i use during lectures. I most often ask what if questions that lead to other questions being askes by the students for a broader understanding.After the lecture i recap what has been discussed and request the students to come up with at least three questions that puzzled them or was not clearly understood during the lecture.
I will call a students name prior to asking question
Hi Melissa- thanks for your post to the forum., What a great way to have your students relate the concepts that they are learning to the applications that they will be ecountering! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I work with the students in a Operating Room setting so I am asking questions that have them thinking what comes next.
I try to ask the question in different ways. Being in a technical trade, and preparing the student for State Licensing, we take the question and ask it in many different formats that they will encounter when taking the exam, this prepares them for the exam, and how to read the question, and recognize it.
Hi Judith- Thanks for your post to the forum. You do a great job of motivating your students to participate in questioning. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
To try to encourage all students to participate in discussions, I try to begin by asking questions that I think most students can answer. Then, I try to ask slightly harder questions while staying focused on the ideas we are currently studying. I understand that some students will rarely answer or participate in a group setting, while other students will answer every time. I praise every response and help all students feel comfortable about asking questions of me, in the group or privately after class. Sometimes, after students are comfortable with a private discussion, they respond better in the group setting.
I always put the objectives for the day on the board and I ask a question based on the objectives. For example, if I will be lecturing on the chain of infection, my question on the board would be, "How can we make each other sick?" or something to that effect. Then when we are going over the links, the students will share how it is seen in a real life example. They have the time to think about the question and their life experiences and when it comes up in lecture they can share or ask questions about it.
I always ask questions to the entire question, this makes every student use their own critical thinking. Depending on the class, I might divide the classroom in smaller groups, have all the student come to the board one by one an explain their answers. I call it student's "brain storming".
I start with open ended questions, always reiterate that every question is important, always solicit ideas from the students and get more than one answer to see the way different students think.
Hi Erika - Thanks for your post to the forum. You are using reviews to very effectively determine what students are retaining! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Opened ended questions relating to current events something popular,positive and interesting. Once you have started the engagement, try to involve all students in someway to make sure the majority is recognized.
Starting the class with a verbal review from the previous class info, and ending the class with a verbal review of that days material.
reward and praise the students even though they gave the wrong answer, this give them the inspiration to participate in Q/A
Hi Jessica- Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, when students get to know each other from the beginning of class, they are much more inclined to participate. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
On the first day of the class, I ask them to introduced themselves to the whole class, that gives them a chance to loosen up and feel more comfortable with their surroundings and in turn, they're more probable to ask questions in the future.
Hi Phuong- Thanks for your post to the forum. Asking the "why" question is a great way to get more students participating! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
What works best is calling each student out with a questions and having the class to answer agree or dis-agree at the end. As the student answer then you ask "Why?" is that thier answer. That way the topic can go on and on until a final answer comes to an agreement with all the students.
