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Teaching and the Art of Questioning 

David Deubelbeiss 

http://setiteachers.ning.com http://eflclassroom.ning.comDev

eloping the art of questioning can be as simple as practicing. Itis with practice thatwe gain competence and “pattern” the

process.

In pairs or 3s – Look at Appendix 1 

. Choose one question, ask it and then give twofollow up

questions.

The art of questioning students is the foundation of all good

teaching practice.It provides for both assessment and student

growth (learning) and is the coreof the scientific method and

how we learn.Yet, teachers spend comparably little time,

learning how to ask questions or make questions which lead togood teaching. Moreover, many teachers spendlittle time

developing this fundamental skill in their students. You can’t

have“real” communication without questions yet so many

students gain Englishcompetence in this – too far along their

learning curve to benefit.This workshop will address both

aspects of questioning.

Part 1  – How to deliver questions as a teacher?Assessing students

through questions.

Part 2 

- Activities to promote question making skills in our students.

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 Recalling -Who, what, when,where, how _______?Identifying Errors -What is wrong

with_______?

Comparing -How is similarto/different from_______?Inferring -What might we inferfrom _______? 

What conclusions mightbe drawn from _______? 

Identifying Attributesand Components - 

What are thecharacteristics/parts of _______? 

Predicting - 

What might happen if _______? 

Classifying -How might we organizeinto categories_______?Elaborating -What ideas/details

canyou add to _______?Give an example of _______.Ordering -Arrange into

sequenceaccording to _______?Summarizing -Can you summarize_______?Establishing

Criteria -What criteria would youuse to judge/evaluate_______?IdentifyingRelationships

andPatterns -Develop anoutline/diagram/web of _______?Identifying Main Ideas -What iswrong with_______? 

What conclusions mightbe drawn from_______? 

Verifying -What evidencesupports _______? 

How might we 

Representing - 

In what other ways mightwe show/illustrate _______? 

prove/confirm _______? 

Techniques of EffectiveQuestioning 1.

Establish an appropriateenvironment 

.Onlycertain questionsshouldbeposed in front of students; “bedside” (beginning)questionsshouldfocusprincipallyon knowledge and recall and to a lesser

extent oncomprehension.

2.

Createaclimateconduciveto learning 

.A happyfacial expression, nod,or verbal acknowledgement of a correct response encouragesother studentsto participate in the discussion.Pose questionsin a

non-threateningwayand receive answersin a supportive fashion.A harshtone, especiallywhen used to interrupt a response from the student, canbe

devastatingfor both the student and hisor her peers.

3.

Preparethestudents for thequestioning session and discussion 

.Explain to studentsthe format, expectations, and howthisknowledge willhelp them.

4.

Useboth pre-planned and emergingquestions 

.Pre-planned questionsare those incorporated into the teachingplan that are asked duringtheteachingsession to introduce newconcepts, focusthe discussion

oncertain items, steer the discussion in specificdirections, or identifystudentknowledge / level on the topic. Emergingquestionsderive from thediscussion itself and

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the specificanswersgiven to previousquestions.Thinkquicklyand act decisivelyto phrase these questionsaccuratelyandpose them at appropriate timesin the

discussion.

5.

Usean appropriatevarietyand mix of questions. 

One good strategyisto start with convergent questionsand then continue with divergentquestions, perhapsaskingquestionsin hierarchical sequence and

buildingfrom the recall of factsto higher levelsof thinkingand problem-solving.If aquestion requiringa higher level thinkingskill blocksthe student, go downtoa question requiringlower-level thinkingskillsand then workup thehierarchy.

6.

Avoid trickquestions and thosethat requireonlyaYESor NOresponse. 

Trickquestionsshould be avoided, astheyfrustrate studentsand tend to encourage frivolousresponses.YES or NOquestionsencourage students to respond

without fullyunderstandingor thinkingthrough the issue.When used, such questionsshould be followed byother questionsto determine the thinkingprocess

of the student.