Planning questionsEffective questioning sessions in classroom require advance preparation. While some instructors may be skilled in extemporaneous questioning, many find that such questions have phrasing problems, are not organized in a logical sequence, or do not require students to use the desired thinking skills. Show
Levels and types of questions Questioning should be used to achieve well-defined goals. An instructor should ask questions that will require students to use the thinking skills that he or she is trying to develop. Bloom's Taxonomy is a hierarchical system for ordering thinking skills from lower to higher, where each level requires a student's mastery of the skills below it. It is not essential that an instructor be able to classify each question at a specific level. The taxonomy is introduced as a tool which is helpful for defining the kinds of thinking skills instructors expect from students and for helping to establish congruence between the instructor's goals and the questions he or she asks. People often refer to "lower-level" and "higher-level" questions or behaviors, rather than assigning a specific level to those questions or behaviors. Lower-level questions are typically at the remember, understand, and apply levels of the taxonomy and are most appropriate for:
Higher-level questions involve the ability to analyze, evaluate, or create, and are most appropriate for:
Typically, an instructor would vary the level of questions within a single class period. For example, an instructor might ask the higher-level question, "How can style of writing and the thesis of a given essay be related?" If she gets inadequate or incorrect student response to that question, she might ask lower-questions to check whether students know and understand the material. For example, she might then ask, "What is the definition of thesis statement?" or "What are some characteristics of different writing styles?" In addition to asking questions at various levels of the taxonomy, an instructor might consider whether he is asking closed or open questions. A closed question is one for which there are a limited number of acceptable answers, most of which will usually be anticipated by the instructor. For example, "What is the definition of an adjective?" An open question is one for which there are many acceptable answers, most of which will not be anticipated by the instructor. For example, "What is an example of an adjective?" Both open and closed questions may be used at any level of the taxonomy:
Steps for planning questions
Handling student responses to questions An important aspect of classroom interaction is the manner in which the instructor handles student responses. When an instructor asks a question, students can either respond, ask a question, or give no response. Handling student responses to questionsAn important aspect of classroom interaction is the manner in which the instructor handles student responses. When an instructor asks a question, students can either respond, ask a question, or give no response. Strategies to use when students respond
Strategies for responding to student questions There are many ways in which an instructor can respond to questions from students. However, all strategies begin with this important step: Listen to the student's question. After you are certain that you understand the question, be sure that other students have heard and understood the question. Then proceed with one of the following strategies:
No matter which strategy you use you should return to the student after addressing the question and determine whether the response has satisfied the student. If you don't know the answer to a student question never fake an answer. Admit that you cannot answer the question and then select one of these strategies or others you find appropriate:
Strategies to use when students don't respond
Allowing wait-time after a student response or question also produced significant changes in classroom interaction. The most notable change was that the instructor made fewer teaching errors characterized by responding illogically or inappropriately to a student comment. On the other hand, too much wait-time can also be detrimental to student interaction. When no one seems to be able to answer a question, more wait-time will not necessarily solve the problem. Experts say that waiting more than 20-30 seconds is perceived as punishing by students. The amount of wait-time needed in part depends upon the level of question the instructor asks and student characteristics such as familiarity with content and past experience with the thought process required. Which one of the following examples best describes differences between students with a mastery orientation and students with learned helplessness?Which one of the following alternatives best describes the differences between people with a mastery orientation and those with learned helplessness? People with a mastery orientation set high goals and seek challenges. People with learned helplessness underestimate their ability and set low goals.
Which one of the following is the best example of a student working for an incentive?EDF Final. Which one of the following is the best example of extrinsic motivation?Being paid to do a job is an example of extrinsic motivation. You may enjoy spending your day doing something other than work, but you're motivated to go to work because you need a paycheck to pay your bills.
Which one of the following is a student who has developed learned helplessness about his or her spelling ability most likely to say?A student who has developed learned helplessness about his or her spelling ability is most likely to say which of the following? "No matter how much I study words, I can't remember how to spell them."
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