Questioning techniques in classroom pdf

Some researchers have simplified classification of questions into lower and higher cognitive questions. Lower cognitive questions fact, closed, direct, recall, and knowledge questions involve the recall of information. Higher cognitive questions open-ended, interpretive, evaluative, inquiry, inferential, and synthesis questions involve the mental manipulation of information to produce or support an answer. Regardless of the classification, traditional wisdom holds that the higher cognitive questions lead to higher-quality answers and increased learning and achievement.

However, the research has mixed conclusions in this area. Some studies found that higher level questions did indeed produce deeper learning, while others found that not to be the case. Lower cognitive questions are also more effective when the goal is to impart factual knowledge and commit it to memory. This finding does not mean that primary teachers should avoid all higher cognitive questions.

Certainly, primary students need to have chances to speculate, imagine, and manipulate the information being presented. Some research, however, suggests that for these youngest students, these questions should be used more sparingly.

Higher cognitive questions application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation should make up a higher percentage of questions asked above the primary grades. Studies show that a combination of lower and higher questions is more effective than the exclusive use of one or the other. Increasing the use of higher cognitive questions can produce superior learning gains for older students, particularly those in secondary school, and does not reduce student performance on lower cognitive questions.

It is important to note, though, that simply asking these kinds of questions does not guarantee higher responses or greater learning gains.

Students need explicit instruction in answering these types of questions, including making inferences. This instruction, in conjunction with the use of higher cognitive questions, can positively impact student achievement. The use of a high frequency 50 percent or more of higher cognitive questions with older students is positively related to increases in on-task behavior, length of student responses, the number of relevant contributions, the number of student-to-student interactions, student use of complete sentences, speculative thinking, and relevant questions posed by students.

How many questions should a teacher ask? And at what point during the lesson? Frequent questioning has been shown to be positively related to learning facts, but simply asking a greater number of questions does not facilitate the learning of more complex material.

Just as with higher cognitive questions, it may be necessary to include explicit instruction to promote student learning of complicated concepts. Teachers often pose questions prior to reading. Research shows that while this strategy is effective for older students, those with high ability, and those interested in the subject matter, it is not as effective for younger students and poor readers, who tend to focus only on the material that will help them answer the questions.

Wait-time is another crucial factor in questioning techniques. Wait-time can be defined as the amount of time a teacher allows to elapse after he or she has posed a question. A less frequently used and researched definition is the amount of time that a teacher allows to elapse before responding after a student stops speaking.

While traditional wisdom advocates a brisk pace of instruction to maintain interest and cover more material, research shows that slowing slightly to include more wait-time promotes achievement. In the classrooms studied, the average wait-time after a question was posed was one second or less.

Students perceived as slow or poor learners were afforded less wait-time than students viewed as more capable. This amount of wait-time is not sufficient for students, particularly for those that experience difficulty. Studies show that for lower cognitive questions, a wait-time of three seconds is most effective in terms of achievement.

Shorter or longer times were less positively correlated with student success. For higher cognitive questions, no wait-time threshold was observed. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Bloom, B. New York: David McKay.

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So, the Tug of War strategy goes like this: Present a fairness dilemma. Identify the factors that "pull" at each side of the dilemma. The interaction between teacher and learners is the most important feature of the classroom.

Whether helping learners to acquire basic skills or a better understanding to solve problems, or to engage in higher-order thinking such as evaluation, questions are crucial. Of course, questions may be asked by students as well as teachers: they are essential tools for both teaching and learning. For teachers, questioning is a key skill that anyone can learn to use well.

Similarly, ways of helping students develop their own ability to raise and formulate questions can also be learned. Asking students challenging and thought-provoking questions encourages students to tap their existing mental models and build upon previous knowledge. Faculty can ask key questions to get students to see the relevance of a topic. In turn, it is hoped that students will then ask follow-up questions, engaging in dialogue while critically analyzing viewpoints shared.