Student Participation Through Questioning
Questioning is an important component of the teaching and learning process, permitting teachers to establish what students already know and facilitating acquisition of new concepts and ideas. Questions can be used to actively engage students in the learning process by describing processes, contemplating solutions, or defending a judgment (i.e. to engage in critical thinking.) Clasen (1990) has stated that teacher questions have the greatest impact in fostering critical thinking skills in students. He further indicated that the level of thinking engaged in by a student directly mirrors the level of questioning posed by the teacher. When teachers prepare a lesson plan, they must consider the purpose of each question and it will advance the learning objective.
Questions can be categorized in several different ways. One simple method is to implement the categories of convergent and divergent questioning. Convergent questioning requires very specific correct answers, while divergent questions allow for variety of correct answers. Convergent questions apply to Bloom’s Knowledge, Comprehension, and Applications levels and are therefore most frequently used with students in the elementary grades. Divergent questions apply to Bloom’s Analysis, Syntheses, and Evaluation levels. Divergent questions are usually open-ended to foster student-led discussion and debate, thereby utilizing higher-order critical thinking skills.
To effectively engage students in learning, teachers must become highly skilled in designing questions. The critical elements of becoming an effective questioner are that the teacher 1) poses questions that are concise, 2) is prepared to rephrase the question, 3) is prepared to draw further information from students, 4) uses a variety of techniques, 5) provides feedback without repeating answers, and 6) involves all students.
Teachers may utilize a variety of strategies to improve their questioning skills:
1. Replace one-on-one questioning with interactive group discussion. Individual questioning focuses on one student at a time. Those students not directly involved in the Q/A will have a tendency to disengage from the lesson.
2. Shift from leading to facilitating the discussion. The teacher’s role then becomes to foster intellectual growth through the use of critical thinking skills. The teacher must be ready to intercede on behalf of shy or lazy students, ensuring that they are active participants in the activity. The teacher must also be able to effectively handle the over-talkative student, as well as the student who consistently seeks to challenge your authority.
3. Utilize the appropriate discussion model. The focused discussion model is most appropriate to science and mathematical lesson plans which work best when the student is able to keep the students focused on a tightly structured curriculum This method allows the teacher to cover a large amount of material, and to place greater emphasis on review, clarification, and elaboration of the key concepts presented during the lesson. The open discussion model is a good choice for the “softer” subject areas such as social science or humanities, where there is seldom one correct answer or method. A less structured and less focused or directed discussion works best in these subject areas. Most subject areas benefit from a combination of both techniques.
4. Teachers should continually refine their questioning technique. The most effective questions are those which elicit a variety of responses and will encourage students to think and respond at a higher level of Bloom’s taxonomy.
5. Teachers should be prepared to guide students to the answers or refer the student to a source that will provide further explanation. The main advantage of this approach is that students are given the opportunity to utilize analytical thinking in the search for answers.
6. The teacher should seek to provide an environment in which students help other students. Thus, when a student comes to the teacher for an answer, the teacher should redirect the question to the class to foster cooperative problem solving. The teacher may rephrase the question, guide the class to the correct answer, or use that question to introduce a related subject.
7. All students should have the opportunity to interact with the teacher and other students. Teachers should schedule time in each lesson for interactive discussion and debate. Students must come to perceive themselves as in control of their learning and experience success when they apply what they have learned to classroom activities.
Elder and Paul (2002) have proposed that the art of questioning is essential to the learning process. Students learn about math by answering teacher questions about math and by posing their own. Students learn History, Science, English, and any other subject area in exactly the same way. The use of strategic questioning techniques can foster a good deal of critical thinking in any classroom setting! |
