Blog Post 4

Asking Questions

Effectively asking a question to a group (regardless of age) is possibly one of the most intimidating events a new teacher can encounter. I know from previous experience that without proper research on the subject before executing the idea can and will result in what some would deem as a catastrophe. Luckily, there are online venues that one can find to assist in preparing for the classroom.

In an article on Faculty Focus, Maryellen Weimer listed three objectives when asking a question: prepare questions, play with questions, and preserve good questions. Dr. Weimer stated that knowing the content of the material that is to be discussed is of significant importance, but one should also prepare the questions to make the students think. Writing the question down can help with ensuring that it will make sense to your audience. Another approach she gave in regard to asking a question is not having the students answer it immediately. Allow it to "simmer" within the students's minds. The instructor can present the question in various forms such as having group discussions among students. The objective is to retain the impact the question will have on the students. Dr. Weimer suggested that one could take notes on the answers provided by students so she could possibly revise it later. One could reintroduce or give an example of a previous student's statement in another class session. Not only are you giving a perspective on the topic from a peer, but you display that you value your students's opinions.

The video blog of Dr. Joanne Chesley, Asking Better Questions, focused on the proper technique of open-ended and close-ended questions. In general, instructors are often faced with lack of responses when asking a question because of the format of how they are asked. Dr. Chesley stated that it is partially the fault of the instructor due to not providing the tools within the question that will give a extensive response. She suggested that teachers concentrate on open-ended questions so students are able to respond with an answer that will allow them to think and thus "yield more information". One simply can adjust the word choice to assist in that method.