Blog Assignment #6

What do we need to know about asking question to be an effective teacher?

Students learn and gain a better understanding of the material being taught when the teacher asks multiple questions throughout the lesson. This not only benefits the students, but it also assures the teacher that the class is understanding what is being taught and that he or she can move on to the next lesson.

When teachers ask questions in the classroom, they are modeling a process that students can and should use for themselves. Before asking questions in a classroom, teachers should remember to ask questions that allow students to use critical thinking skills to improve their learning. There are certain aspects teachers should think about before asking questions to students. The important thing to remember is to aim for direct, clear, and specific questions. When planning questions, keep in mind your course goals. For example, do you want students to master core concepts? Do you want students to develop critical thinking skills? The questions teachers ask should help students master these skills as well as communication skills. Follow up with a "yes or no" question with an additional question. That way the teacher could ask the student to explain why he or she answered the question the way they did. Also during class discussions, do not ask more than one question at once, allow the student enough time to think and formulate responses. When you ask more than one question, students often do not respond because they are unsure which question you want them to answer.

Never ask the question "Does everyone understand?" because all students may not understand, and the teacher will never know. This type of behavior only causes more confusion to build up on the student, which in the end will affect the teacher because he or she did not properly check for understanding. The best ways to check for understanding in your classroom is to ask specific questions, and remember to always be direct and clear as possible. Teachers should try their best to avoid using closed ended questions in their classroom. These types of questions structure the response for the students and can be answered by a simple "yes or no". Closed ended questions are okay if they are followed with an additional question, but they do not give students a chance to use critical thinking skills. Teachers should use open-ended questions. Open-ended questions leaves the form of the answer up to the person who is responding, thereby enhancing more thinking and yielding more information.

Before a teacher prepare for class, they should compose specific questions that they will ask their students or they anticipate the students will ask them. Doing so will help increase the students participation and encourage active learning.