I ask questions after when they don't have any questions to ask me. I tell the students that asking questions would be counted towards the class participation. And it really works.
What a fantastic idea! The "shooting hoops" part gives the students a mental break and introduces some fun into the classroom. It also gives those kinestetic learners a bit of a boost!
I teach the very first class the students take. I begin that class by asking a very broad question, open to everyone. This immediately gets them involved and leads to a very good general discussion. I can immediately assess who are strong participators and who are not. I redirect questions all around the room to try to involve as many people as possible. I have found this is an amazingly effective way to inspire the students from the very first second of their learning experience.
I dont let up either. Every class I teach is full of questions. It is an integral part of my teaching style and a great method to daily test learning and retention too.
Hi Tiwauna, Thanks for your post to the forum. Encouraging critical thinking skills through questioning is excellent! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Kathryn, Yes, there is a sense of comfort when working in small groups. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Alan, Thanks for your post to the forum. Good idea for the very hesitant student! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
I enjoy open- ended questions as well as questions that will allow for critical thinking usually when the subject is openly discussed even the non- responsive students began to speak on the topic.
Sometimes I use questions as a group challenge. I pair up student and the group with the most points gets a homework pass.
Thank you! That is such a good idea. I have been trying to figure out a way to draw out certain students without making them feel picked on. Your way makes it clear that everyone has to participate.
i attempt to get the non-responsive student involved by asking them to respond to an answer given by another student. Also, on occasion, when I have a particularly shy or hesitant student I will pose a question and advise the class that I want them to find the answer in the text. Then I will ask this hesitant student to advise us all where we can find the answer insuring some measure of success.
Hi Theresa, Thanks for sharing an excellent example of really effective questioning! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Happy Thanksgiving! Susan
Susan Polick
I sometimes pair them up in groups of 2 or 3 and let them work on the responses together. If I have ALL in the group participate then they don't worry about having to be alone in their response. I have also tried having the students write down their responses and then it is sometimes easier for them to read what they have written down.
I tend to use scenario questions for this. These are often questions for which there are no right or wrong answers, but rather an exploration of how the student would handle a given scenario in the field. They must think about their own life experience and apply it to the class material in order to formulate a plan of action.
Hi Alisa, In my experience teachers usually relate that learning to use questioning skills effectively is one of the biggest hurdles. You have a good grasp of this skill! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
I like to use open ended questions at first, to try to engage the students as a group. I then start to get more answer specific with my questions, which is were I get individuals who begin to answer. The more students answer, the more I can tailor questions for the rest of the students who are still a little timid.
Hi Dan, Excellent! Getting to know students and concentrating on recalling that sort of information takes work, but as you state it can make our students feel successful! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Upon recognizing the students in class that usually do not participate in answering questions, a strategy to involve those students may be to tailor a question for them individually,dealing with something you know they have a great deal of experience with, that relates to the subject matter in some way. This will help bring that student into the discussion, and give them a sense of success and worth as it relates to the subject matter. This will help build their self-esteem as well, both in their feelings of competency in the subject, and as to the way they feel, in that throgh success they better relate to their peers.
Hi John, Thanks for your post to the forum. Good questioning skills take some practice and really have a great results in student engagement! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
I let students know that this is the perfect time to learn and that learning comes from asking and responding to questions. I also let them know that there are no "stupid" questions and that I never tell a student that their answer is wrong but rather, I direct the entire class to the true answer.
The first day of class, I have students place their name on a 3X5 card--Last name in the middle and first name at the top. I periodically use these cards for answers to questions (shuffle them up) or for Presentations (if no one wishes to volunteer). It's democratic and effective
