Using Effective Questioning Techniques

Presented by: H.O.D. Mrs. Maha Al- Harb ELT Supervisor: Mrs. Khawla Al-Rifa’e Principal: Mrs. Suad Al-Shbaily

Introduction

Objectives

At the end of this session , you are expected to: 1. Develop self awareness and analysis of questioning techniques.

2. Use questioning and elicitation techniques effectively in class.

3. Identify various types of questions with examples.

4. Recognize the importance of Bloom’s taxonomy as a taxonomy of questions.

5. Identify the characteristics of a good question.

6. Recognize the importance of good questioning techniques.

What questions can you ask about this picture?

Task 1

What do we mean by Questioning Techniques?

Methods questions information.

in used for constructing and presenting order to promote effective discussions and learning or to elicit

Why do you think we have chosen this topic to talk about?

.Interaction

The most common form of interaction between teacher and pupil.

.Challenge

Provide motivation by encouraging students to actively participate in learning.

.Influence

Influence can cause integration of the four skills.

.Progress

Asking questions help teachers to promote the level of the pupils.

.Assessment

The teacher can assess the effectiveness of her own teaching.

What’s the purpose of using Questioning

pupils.

to a new topic.

Techniques?

knowledge and experience in order to create new understanding and meaning.

*To extend pupil’s thinking from the concrete and factual to the analytical and evaluative.

*To lead pupils through a planned sequence which progressively establishes key *To promote reasoning, problem solving, evaluation and the formulation of hypotheses.

*To promote pupil’s thinking about the way they have learned.

Task 2

What’s the purpose behind asking questions in the following stages?

Stage

Warming up Presentation

Purpose

Revising Recalling Motivating Eliciting Practice Production (wrap up) Practicing the taught material Checking Comprehension

1. Wh questions:

- Asking for information about something.

- Asking for a reason.

- Asking about time.

- Asking about place.

- Asking about choice.

- Asking what or which person or people.

- Asking about ownership. ( Task 3 )

Wh Song

Task 4

Write 5 sample questions for “ Set Book “ in exams:

1.What do bees do?

2. Where does Kuwait lie?

3. When do Muslims pray?

4. Who is Abdulaziz Husain?

5. Why do we go to school?

2. Yes / No Questions ( Closed Questions ) : There are two definitions that are used to describe closed questions. A common definition is: A closed question can be answered with either a single word or a short phrase.

A closed question can be answered with either Yes or No.

They should be used with care – too many closed questions can cause frustration and shut down conversation.

Closed Questions have the following characteristics: - They give you facts.

- They are easy and quick to answer.

questioner.

3. Open Questions:

(

These are useful in getting another person to speak.

“ They’re likely to receive a long answer. )

begin with the words: What , Why, When , Who Sometimes they are statements :

give me an example

information.

of” “ tell me

They often

about” , …

They can provide you with a good deal of Open questions have the following characteristics: - They ask the student to think and reflect.

- They will give you opinions and feelings.

- They hand control of the conversation to the respondent.

4. Tag Questions:

A tag question is a special construction in English.

It is a statement followed by a mini-question whether it is positive or negative. The whole sentence is a "tag question", and the mini-question at the end is called a "question tag".

We use tag questions at the end of statements to ask for confirmation. They mean something like: "Am I right?" or "Do you agree?" They are very common in English.

5. Inference Questions: Inference questions ask you to find the inferences and assumptions made in the passage. The main goal of the entire test is to assess your ability to go beyond what is on the page. It’s not unusual to face two or more inference questions in each passage.

Ex. They went out at 6.

They came back at 10.

How long did they stay out?

Techniques of asking a question:

1. The Default: 2. The Volunteer: Ask a question Pause Call on a student

Master this technique and use it as your standard

Ask a question Pause Wait for a raised hand

Use for conceptually challenging questions.

3. Jump Ball: Ask a question Pause “ Any body ”

Use for conceptually challenging questions and when you need a fast answer

4. The Choir: Ask a question Pause “ Every body “

Use for simple but important points that everyone should know

When a student asks a question:

*Clarify it , if necessary.

* Whenever possible, help the student answer the question himself. * Ask other students to answer the question.

* Defer until later, if possible. * Answer it yourself, only as a last resort… * But, never let a student’s question go unanswered.

When a student says ( I don’t know)

As A General Rule Don’t Let Them Off The Hook!

Task 5

What are the characteristics of a good question?

Short Properly Directed Thought Provoking Common Vocabulary

A good question should be

unambiguous Relevant Comprehensive Straight forward Related to the objectives Clearly stated

effective questioning should :

1. Reinforce and promote the learning objectives.

2. Include “staging” questions to draw pupils towards key understanding or to increase the level of challenge in a lesson as it proceeds.

3. Involve all pupils.

4. Engage pupils in thinking for themselves.

5. Promote justification and reasoning.

6. Create an atmosphere of trust where pupil’s opinions and ideas are valued.

7. Show connections between previous and new learning.

8. Encourage pupils to speculate and hypothesize.

9. Encourage pupils to ask as well as to “receive” questions.

10. Encourage pupils to listen and respond to each other as well as to the teacher.

General Strategies For Asking Questions: 1. When planning questions, keep in mind your lesson goals.

2. Avoid asking leading questions.

3. Follow a “ yes” or “ no “ question with an additional question.

4. When you plan each class lesson, include notes of when you will pause to ask and answer questions.

5. Ask a mix of different types of questions and use keywords of questioning like: Who, Why, What, Where, When…. .

6. Wait for students to think and formulate responses.

7. Encourage students to ask questions at any time. 8. Scatter questions over the entire class.

9. Pose questions within the ability of the student to whom the question is addressed.

10. Ask students to give complete answers.

11. Do not permit frequent group responses.

12. Avoid asking questions that can be answered by guessing.

Pitfalls Of Questioning: It is easy to fall in the trap of:

1. Asking too many closed questions.

2. Asking pupils questions to which they can respond with a simple yes or no answer. 3. Asking too many short – answer, recall – based questions.

4. Asking bogus, “ What I’m thinking” questions.

5. Starting all questions with the same stem.

6. Focusing on a small number of pupils and not involving the whole class.

7. Making the sequence of questions too rigid.

8. Not giving pupils time to reflect, or to pose their own questions.

9. Dealing ineffectively with incorrect answers.

10. Asking questions when another strategy might be more appropriate.

Task 6

Write an example for each category:

Category Evaluation Synthesis Analysis Application Comprehension Knowledge Question Word Judge, appraise, evaluate, assess design, predict contrast, examine, analyze Restate, discuss, describe, explain Who, What, When, define, recall, list Example

Famous sayings about Asking Questions ‘In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

The important thing is not to stop questioning.

Albert Einstein

Teaching is the art of asking questions.

Socrates

To question well is to teach well. In the skillful use of questions. More than anything else, lies the fine art of teaching.

Earnst Sachs

Famous sayings about Asking Questions “ Instructors will perform with excellence if they employ effective questioning techniques”

Bob Powers( 1992 )

Good learning starts with questions, not answers.

Guy Claxton, Bristol University

Summary

In summary, we have learned that :

Good questioning is a major determinant of the success of teaching.