I sometimes ask broad questions concerning a particular day's lessons to get a sense of how well the class understands the material before I begin that day's lesson. That can let me know what points I may need to emphasize. It also sets the stage for the class. It lets the students know "This is what we will be covering."
HI Brenda- As you mention, Questioning often reveals gaps that need to be addressed. The sooner we do this the better, so frequent questioning is important. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
They can be used as learning tools by that you can see where the student is struggling. For instance if they have a hard time answering a question or understanding it- then it shows that they may not have grasped all the important information out of the course. The intructor may have to back up a little and help the student understand better
Hi Jayson- Thanks for your post to the forum. That sort of open-ended question is especially effective at getting class discussions going.
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Questions posed to students is a fairly effective tool to assess the general knowledge of a topic... and questions posed to individuals is even more telling. In my class, I might also use questions to introduce concepts or develop problem solving skills, i.e. "is there another way to skin this cat?"... figuratively, of course.
Questioning sessions used as learning tools can help enhance participation and increase the students' knowledge.This will help develop critical thinking skills.
it reinforces the materails or content learned
By doing this you can find out how much each student is comprehending and retaining, therefore it gives you the opportunity to help each student on a individual basis and assist them with succeeding in the class.
Hi Carol-The type of higher level questions you mention, are certainly more effective at getting discussions going. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Asking thought provoking questions, helps to see if students are absorbing, processing, and comprehending the lesson materials that you are presenting, also to give you the instructor an opportunity to either clarify, or explain further what you are trying to convey. It also gives the student the opportunity to ask questions they may have had.
And this gets them excited because they can see their knowledge base expand.
Hi David- Thanks for your post to the forum. You are obviously a very observant instructor! Noticing that a shy student knows an answer and calling on them, thus getting a correct answer does wonders for their self esteem and confidence. I occasionally "prime" a shy student by discussing a topic before hand and then asking a question in class that I know they will know.Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career! Susan
Hi Antoinette- Thanks for your post to the forum. You mention another valuable result of questioning. Of course it lets us, as instructors, know what the students know, but also it gives that same information to our students. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career! Susan
Questions allow the isntructor and the student to evaluate whether they have the lesson in its understanding of the topic.
Keep an eye on everyone as you are discussing / leading up to a question. Students give off tell-tale signs if they hear somthing that they know the answer to. Recognize that glint of recognition in the eye of a quiet student and direct a question their way. Much more likely to become involved in the discussion.
I always use questioning as part of my lecture type presentations, but also have a more formal questioning event built into each learning unit. I use a team-based approach that satrts a unit by requiring students to complete a reading assignment. Students are required to take a 20 to 25 item multiple choice test on the material individually. Then they take the same test again as teams, using a lottery scratch-off type answer sheet (available online from Epstein Educational Enterprises) to determine the correct answers. If they miss on the first try, they continue until they find the correct answer. This elicits a fair amount of group discussion as the team comes to consensus. The tests typically contain items from the lower three levels of Bloom's taxonomy: factual knowledge, comprehension, and application. The test is followed by programming labs (I teach computer programming) to bring in the analysis, synthesis, and evaluation levels.
I often use a questioning session to introduce a topic. By the end of the session the class ussally forms a further series of topics, issues, and further questions that lead right into the topic and objectives of the day. In this way, I find my students framed a relevance to material, even an anticipation.
Hi Ed- Thanks for mentioning that student led questioning will often reflect areas that they did not quite grasp. We need to pay close attention and flag those areas for review. Best wishes - Susan
If the questions are teacher-led, they could drive the students into deeper aspect of the topics explored; if they are student led questions, it makes it apparent what they are interested in or have difficulty grasping.
Questions help students in the class grasp information they may not have understood in the book or in your style of lecture. Students may attempt to learn through asking a question, and their peers may answer it in a way that accomodates their needs. Having an open forum enables students to hear the information in multiple ways. Sometimes, we teachers know so much about a subject that we forget our students do not share our depth of knowledge. Having a question session helps us know what we are successfully teaching and where our weaknesses lie.
