Effective Questioning: Working Towards a Thinking Classroom

Presented by John Medina

I keep six honest service men (They taught me all I knew);

Their names are What and Why and When And How and Where and Who

~ Rudyard Kipling

Advance Organizer

Art of Questioning in the Classroom

Range and Types of Questions

Right vs. Poor Questions

Rules and Guidelines in

Asking Questions

Questioning Techniques and Responding to

Students’ Answers

The Art of Questioning

in the Classroom

Self-Survey: First Thing First!

Why do teachers ask questions?

How do you use questions in teaching?

What kinds of questions do you ask?

Who asks more questions in your classes? yourself or your

students? Why?

Just when I finally knew the answers, they changed

all the questions!

What is a question?

The dictionary defines question as an inquiry.

Some educators define it as an oral statement

that is intended to evoke a response.

Questions are the most dominant mode of

communication in most classrooms.

The Art of Questioning

Questioning is an integral part of an inquiry centered

classroom.

It is a learner’s thinking tool to carry out investigation about a

subject matter.

Part of Good Teaching is Effective Questioning

The learning process and

effective instruction are

both anchored on the art of

questioning.

It is the skillful questioning that

can elicit the correct response

from students.

When questions are defective they

cease to make students think;

their thoughts are muddled and they

do not feel challenged at all.

Asking Questions in the Classroom: What does research say?

Teachers rarely pose questions

beyond the literal/factual level (Gall,

1970).

Questions that call for inferential reasoning or

hypothesis formation are rarely asked (Mills, Rice Berliner, & Rousseau,

1980).

Extended stretches of questioning in which the

information builds from facts toward insight or complex

ideas rarely take place (Goodlad, 1984; Sadker &

Sadker, 1985).

Many questions are rhetorical; mere

information checks (Bly, 1986; Cook-Gumperz, 1982).

Teachers tend to monopolize the right to question ( Campbell,

1986).

Question-driven exchanges take place often between

teacher and students only; rarely between students

(Erickson, 1975).

Issues and Concerns About the Questions Teachers Ask

What questions are asked How are questions posed

Do the questions teach students to think

What is the purpose of the question – rote learning or

inquiry

Questioning and Thinking Process in the Classroom

The kind of questions a teacher

asks

shapes the kind of

thinking of students

What are the type of questions that we should ask to promote critical thinking and creative

thinking in the classroom

Range and Types of

Questions

Type

s an

d R

ange

of

Que

stio

ns

Purpose in Asking Questions

Questions According to Thinking Process

Low-level Questions

High-level Questions

Questions According to Answers Requested

Convergent

Divergent

Let’s answer these questions:

•Why do teachers ask questions? •Why do students ask questions?

Purpose in Asking Questions

Purposes of Questioning (Teacher)

Instruction

Focus Thinking

Extend Thinking

Encouragement

Promote Active Learning

Encourage Involvement

Motivate Students

Management

Maintain Attention

Control Behavior

Maintain Order

Assessment

Evaluate Comprehension

Make Instructional Decisions

Diagnose Readiness

Such as

Purposes of Questioning (Students)

Such as

Procedural Information seeking Attention Seeking

How are we going to do … ? When are we going home?

Low-level Questions

Factual + Memory Questions; require only one

correct answer

Example: Who are the proponents of

constructivism?

High-level Questions Go beyond memory and

factual information; require varied points of

view/opinions/abstraction answers; challenging and

stimulating questions

Examples: In what classroom activity would

constructivism be demonstrated and why?

Questions According to Thinking Process

Low Level Questions

Comprehension Knowledge

What is the definition of … ? Can you state . . . ? What is the description … ? What did the text say … ?

How will you interpret the … ? What steps are required … ? Can you explain in your own words …?

High Level Questions

Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation

How would you solve for … ?

What principle is involved … ?

How is … used?

What factors influenced … ?

Which are facts and which are myths … ?

Why did you choose … ?

What are the differences and similarities?

What proposal can you suggest?

How can you establish … ?

What will happen to … ?

What generalization … ?

Which factor is most effective?

Which activity do you prefer?

Why would you not favor … ?

Given a choice, which … ?

Questions According to Answers Requested

Convergent Questions • Referred as low-level questions • Have one correct and best

answer • Used to drill vocabulary,

spelling, mathematical facts, and oral skills

• Usually start with what, who, when, where

• Require short and specific answers

Divergent Questions • Associated with high-level

thinking questions • Have many possible

acceptable answers • Use to encourage creative

thinking and discovery learning • Usually start with how, why or

what of who followed by why • Learners usually need to

explain and elaborate their answers.

Right vs. Poor

Questions

Right Question

Simple

Specific

Direct

Focused

Thought-provoking

Poor Question

High-sounding

General

Misleading

Loaded

Rhetorical

Simple vs. High-sounding

Simple • Employ commonly

used words • Easy to comprehend • E.g. What primate is

genetically closest to human being?

High-sounding • Contain unfamiliar

words • Creates confusion • E.g. What primate

juxtaposes human being?

NOTE: High-sounding questions usually contain technical words. Unless the technical word itself is considered significant, the questions on should be stated within the comprehension level of students.

Original: As your epidermis is worn

away, how is it replaced?

Improved: As your outer layer of skin is worn away, how is it

replaced?

Original: In what direction is light

refracted as it passes from air to water?

Improved: In what direction is light bent as it passes from air

to water?

Specific vs. General Questions

General • What are these

people doing? • What color is it?

Specific • What are these

people planting? • Was it a bright

or a dark color?

Direct vs. Misleading Questions

How do you correct this sentence?

What is the proper

punctuation mark at the end of this sentence?

Focused vs. Loaded Questions

Loaded: What are the three

branches of the government? What is the

function of each? What is the

composition of every branch,

and how are they interrelated?

Focused: What is the function of

each of the three branches of the government?

Loaded Questions = Confusing

Focused

Questions: Direct Student’s Thinking

Thought-provoking vs. Rhetorical Questions

Rhetorical: question sounds good; yet hard to understand or it’s not challenging. • Example: Why is it called

lipstick if you can still move your lips?

Thought-provoking: questions arouse strong, thoughtful responses form students • Example: Does putting

lipstick increase one’s self of beauty and confidence? Yes or No and Why?

Let’s improve these questions!

Poor Question

“The purpose of evaluation is

to…”

“Can you tell me the name of

this tool?”

Improved Question “What is the purpose of

evaluation?”

“What is the name of this

tool?”

Let’s improve these questions!

Poor Question

“What is the difference between wool and cotton in

warmth?”

“Tell me about needs analysis. What is it?”

Improved Question

“Why is wool warmer than cotton?”

“What is needs analysis?”

Let’s improve these questions!

Poor Question

“Eight different types of data about other

employees should be considered in salary appraisal. They are salary increases,

employees, performance ratings, and salary actions.

What are they?”

Improved Question

“What data should be considered in salary

appraisal?”

Let’s improve these questions!

Poor Question

“What do you know about

work program negotiations?”

Improved Question

“How do you negotiate a

work program?”

Rules and Guidelines in Asking Questions

Rule 1: Know why you are asking a question

Questions should be

purposeful.

Keep in mind the lesson objectives

and activities.

Rule 2: Provide students with some background information

before asking questions.

Activate students’ prior knowledge before

asking. Explain first some concepts they need as background information to answer

the question.

E.g. Don’t ask “How does environmental degradation relate to climate change?” if students don’t know these two concepts.

Rule 3: Present well-sequenced questions.

Well-sequenced questions result in

smooth flow of thoughts. This is more cognitively

sound.

Types of Questions Sequence: Logical,

Chronological, Inductive and

Deductive

Logical Questioning – syllogistic mode of

thinking

Chronological Questioning – step-by-step questioning

Inductive Questioning –

concrete to abstract; particular to general; known to unknown

Deductive Questioning –

abstract to concrete; general to particular; unknown to known.

Types of Questions Sequence

Logical Questioning Teacher: Kindly give one characteristic of

organisms?

Teacher: Are humans organisms?

Teacher: So what can humans do?

Student: Organisms can adapt.

Student: Yes, humans are organisms.

Student: Humans can adapt.

Chronological Questioning

Teacher: How did humans start?

Teacher: Later, how did they evolve?

Teacher: What is their latest change?

Student: Humans started as apes.

Student: They became half-

human, half-ape.

Student: They are truly humans.

Inductive Questioning Teacher: Study the following pairs:

typewriter → computer cart → car

telephone → cellphone

Teacher: Which in each pair is better than the other? Why?

Teacher: What do these four pair of things show?

Student will analyze the relationship of the first item to the second item.

Student: A computer is better than the typewriter because it has many

functions compare to it. A car is better than a cart because it is driven by machine and it goes far. A cellular phone is better than a telephone

because it is handy, more convenient, and so on.

Student: There is improvement in the things we use.

Deductive Questioning Teacher: To what group of countries does the Philippines belong?

Teacher: What are the characteristics of Third World Countries like the Philippines

?

Teacher: Kindly suggest how our country bails herself out

of the 3rd World?

Student: The Philippines belong to

Third World Countries.

Student: Some characteristics are Low GNP, imbalance foreign trade, and

massive foreign loans.

Student: Some ways are through Strong domestic trade, more employment opportunities, and so on.

Rule 4: Provide students with enough time to answer. (Pause

Time/ Wait Time – 3 to 5 seconds before calling a student.)

Students need time to process the question in order

to bring forward the necessary schema to their working memories and to

consider the question in light of what they already know

about the topic. (Eby, 2002)

The teacher should also remember that some

students need more time than others to see

connections between new ideas and already stored

information and to generate a response of their own.

Benefits of Wait Time or Pause Time

More students volunteer to

answer Students show

more confidence Students give long

answers

Failure to respond are reduced

Less-able students has greater

chance to respond

Student-student exchange increases

Number of HOTS and speculative

answers increase

Improves classroom climate; need to discipline

decreases

Questions and unsolicited

response from students increase

Rule 5: Vary the kind of questions asked.

Teacher must go beyond the questions that are mostly on the

factual level that merely requires simple recall of the past lesson and rote

memorization.

Pose high-level questions that call for

application of HOTS, to ensure in-depth and

more meaningful learning.

Rule 6: Avoid being bookish in formulating

questions.

Effective questioning does not start and ends up with what is contained in the

book. While it may begin with the book, it must gradually

move into the realities of life.

High-level questions are found in the realm of actual human experiences. While

the textbook may be a good guide in learning, it may be by itself inadequate and not

as meaningful as what students actually encounter

in their everyday lives.

Rule 7: Give all students fair chance to

answer questions. No student is to be left

out in answering question. Questions

should be well distributed, giving

everyone a chance to answer.

Teacher should discourage students’ monopoly. Provisions should be made for

both the less able and the more able

students.

Provisions for both less able and more able students (Moore, 1995)

Less Able

Ask convergent questions (E.g. “What is the process of food-making of green plants

called?”)

Use more review/recall questions. (E.g. “What lesson did

we draw out from the story?”)

More Able

Ask divergent questions (E.g. “Can you explain how

photosynthesis takes place?”)

Present relatively more difficult questions. (E.g. “How can you

apply in your daily life the lesson we derived from the story?”)

Provisions for both less able and more able students (Moore, 1995)

Less Able

Ask questions that call for giving another

similar example.

Use questions in a step-by-step approach.

More Able

Ask questions that call for new idea or

concepts.

Ask questions that call for inference

Rule 8: Allow the students to finish

answering the question.

Patience and respect should be observed when students are answering

questions, more particularly during the time

when they can hardly complete their response.

Interrupting or cutting off students before they are

through is unethical aside from being distracting,

frustrating, inappropriate, and a hindrance to develop

logical response on the part of the students.

Rule 9: Formulate questions using interrogating words in

the beginning.

Avoid elliptical questions because these are

confusing and encourage guessing.

Poor: Quartz crystals are formed from the _______

dissolved in ground water?

Improved: What is dissolved in ground water to make quartz crystals?

Rule 10: Questions should be stated

concisely.

Be direct and straightforward in asking

questions. Avoid unnecessary preambles

and words (E.g. “Can you tell me…?”)

Poor: Can you tell me your idea on why do you

think people are unequal?

Better: What cause human inequality?

Rule 11: Address questions to the whole

class. If you have a pattern on calling students make it unpredictable. If such

mechanical arrangement is done, students tend to

disregard questions they know are unassigned to

them.

Proper Way of Asking and Calling Students:

1. Ask the Question 2. Pause for 3-5 seconds

3. Call a student to answer

Rule 12: Questions should be used only for instructional purposes.

They should not be used to punish or embarrass students.

E.g. A student gives a wrong response and then is asked even more difficult

question.

E.g. A student who disrupts the class is

asked a question for which the

answer cannot be possibly known.

Rule 13: Ask with encouraging or friendly

tone.

E.g. Teachers should avoid being hostile and intimidating

when they ask questions. This practice creates a more

negative classroom atmosphere like withdrawal

from participating in the discussion.

E.g. Students who may know initially the answer to the

question might forget it as a result of nervousness.

Rule 14: Ask one question one at a time.

Asking one question one at a time gives

students enough time to understand it, to “digest” it, and to

increase the chance of answering it correctly.

But bombarding them with questions only

overwhelms, confuses, and bewilders them. It

does not speed up their learning, either.

Rule 15: Raise questions before students go through a planned classroom activity (e.g. film-showing, observational work,

group and individual investigation, watching a stage play, and the like).

Questions in advance serve as a guide for students in doing the

activity. They provide the lesson structure and direction (Burden

and Byrd, 2000). This practice will certainly result in successful

learning.

This strategy follows the principle of using the questions as an advance organizer. Giving

students the questions prior to the presentation of new materials alerts them to what to listen or

read for and allows sufficient time for them to process the

information they receive.

Common Pitfalls When Asking Questions

• Asking questions in a threatening way.

• Not indicating a change in the type of questions.

• Not using probing questions. • Not giving students the time to

think. • Not correcting wrong answers. • Failing to see the implications

of answers. • Failing to build on answers.

• Asking too many questions at once.

• Asking a question and answering it yourself.

• Asking questions only of the brightest and most likeable.

• Asking a difficult question too early

• Asking irrelevant questions. • Always asking the same

types of questions. • Ignoring answers.

Identify errors that you or your teachers committed recently.

In general, when you ask questions:

Vary the type of your questions. Ask different

kind of questions.

Questions should call for Higher-Order Thinking

Skills, Critical and Creative Thinking.

Ask non-directed question. Address the

question to all students.

Maximize students’ participation. Call on

non-volunteers.

Frame and sequence your questions correctly

and logically.

Allow for a sufficient wait time 2 to 5 seconds for

low-level questions or for “what” questions and 5 to 10 seconds for high-level

questions or for “how” and “why” questions.

Questioning Techniques

and Responding to Students’

Answers

Responding Techniques

Focusing

Prompting Probing

Redirecting

Focusing

A technique in which questions are asked to

make students concentrate on specific

items to the very essence of the lesson

Example: Questions that highlight the salient

points (e.g. the moral lesson of a story, the

conclusion of an investigation, the main

idea, and the most effective solution to a

particular problem.

Prompting It is a technique involving the use of hints or clues that are used to aid the student in responding

successfully or in correcting their wrong answers (Jacobson, Eggen, & Kauchak,

2002).

Here, the teacher makes follow-up questions to re-

direct the thinking process of students,

leading them to give the correct answer.

Example of Prompting

Example of Prompting

Example of Prompting

Example of Prompting

Probing

It is a technique which involves

asking questions after students have

given only half-answers, not well-thought out ones.

This technique is used when the

student’s reply is correct but

insufficient because it lacks depth (Lang

& Herber, 2000).

Sample Probing Questions

• Does that always apply? • Can you give an example of that? • How does that fit in (relevance)? • You say it is X, which particular kind of X? • What are the exceptions? • Why do you think that is true? • Is there another view? • What is the idea behind that? • Can you tell me the difference between the two?

Redirecting It is a technique used in which a

single question is framed for which there are many

possible responses are elicited from

students.

This attempts to minimize teacher participation and

conversely to maximize student

involvement.

Example of Redirecting

Techniques in handling student responses

• They should be made to feel free to do their best.

• Ask further questions to help students arrive at the correct answer.

Show an appreciative attitude toward student

responses.

• Refrain from giving sarcastic comments. • Any portion of the answer that is correct

should be recognized. Treat incorrect answers

tactfully.

• Seize the moment to praise students; praise sincerely.

• Commendation should be judged by the quality or nature of the response.

Compliment good answers.

cont. • If a student fails to make a point clear, ask

him/her to elaborate. • Guide students to frame their answers

clearly.

Encourage clarity of answers.

• This will result to classroom chaos. • The lazy or inattentive students will love this.

Discourage answering in concert.

• This will reduce recitation as a chore or as a burden.

• This may paralyze critical thinking and hamper spontaneity.

Avoid marking students in your record

notebook during class recitation.

In answering recitation questions, require students to:

always stand and face their classmates

answer in complete

sentence to get the

complete thought or

idea

frame grammatically

correct questions or

answers. (give your feedback or correction if

necessary)

Questions and Comments

• Answer relevant questions • Redirect them to class • Incorporate relevant comments into the lesson • Follow-up student comments with feedback • As much as possible, avoid dismissing irrelevant

questions and answers. Admonish, refocus, or relate students’ questions and answers to the lesson at hand.

Judge of a man by his questions rather than

by his answers.

~Voltaire (1694 - 1778)

References: Corpuz, B. B., & Salandanan , G. G. (2007). Principles of Teaching 1. Quezon City: Lorimar Publishing.

Garcia , M. B. (2010). A Teaching Handbook on Asking Questions. Quezon City: Rex Book Store.

Montealegre , M. (2013). Lecture on the Art of Questioning. Manila: Philippine Normal University.