In The Right Way to ask Questions in the Classroom, Ben Johnson asks, "What does a teacher asking questions of a class expect the class to learn from the questioning process?" Some teachers might say that to ask a question is to ask for understanding from the students; this benefits the teacher more than the student. When we ask a question to the class, what we are really asking is, "If you have any questions, ask now." From experience, we know that this is not an accurate assessment of a child's understanding due to fear of looking stupid in front of his/her peers. Johnson suggests that when a question is asked, it tends to be the "smart students" that raise their hands to answer the question regardless of whether they will be right or wrong. The other students in the class tend to stop paying attention at this point thus defeating the purpose of the discussion in the first place. All students need to be engaged in the answering process; this is the only way learning can be effective.
How can teachers ask a question the correct way? First, we should ask a rhetorical question instead of a close-ended question. Next, we allow a few seconds to pass so that each student has enough time to contemplate what the answer to the question might be. Last, we call on a student at random to have them deliver the answer. Students tend to think that their response quota for the day is fulfilled once they have answered one question. However, when names are called at random, their attention will have to remain on the current topic so that they will be able to answer additional questions in case they are called again.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Blog Post #6
What Questions Do We Ask? How Do We Ask?
The Right Way to Ask Questions in the Classroom
In The Right Way to ask Questions in the Classroom, Ben Johnson asks, "What does a teacher asking questions of a class expect the class to learn from the questioning process?" Some teachers might say that to ask a question is to ask for understanding from the students; this benefits the teacher more than the student. When we ask a question to the class, what we are really asking is, "If you have any questions, ask now." From experience, we know that this is not an accurate assessment of a child's understanding due to fear of looking stupid in front of his/her peers. Johnson suggests that when a question is asked, it tends to be the "smart students" that raise their hands to answer the question regardless of whether they will be right or wrong. The other students in the class tend to stop paying attention at this point thus defeating the purpose of the discussion in the first place. All students need to be engaged in the answering process; this is the only way learning can be effective.
How can teachers ask a question the correct way? First, we should ask a rhetorical question instead of a close-ended question. Next, we allow a few seconds to pass so that each student has enough time to contemplate what the answer to the question might be. Last, we call on a student at random to have them deliver the answer. Students tend to think that their response quota for the day is fulfilled once they have answered one question. However, when names are called at random, their attention will have to remain on the current topic so that they will be able to answer additional questions in case they are called again.
In The Right Way to ask Questions in the Classroom, Ben Johnson asks, "What does a teacher asking questions of a class expect the class to learn from the questioning process?" Some teachers might say that to ask a question is to ask for understanding from the students; this benefits the teacher more than the student. When we ask a question to the class, what we are really asking is, "If you have any questions, ask now." From experience, we know that this is not an accurate assessment of a child's understanding due to fear of looking stupid in front of his/her peers. Johnson suggests that when a question is asked, it tends to be the "smart students" that raise their hands to answer the question regardless of whether they will be right or wrong. The other students in the class tend to stop paying attention at this point thus defeating the purpose of the discussion in the first place. All students need to be engaged in the answering process; this is the only way learning can be effective.
How can teachers ask a question the correct way? First, we should ask a rhetorical question instead of a close-ended question. Next, we allow a few seconds to pass so that each student has enough time to contemplate what the answer to the question might be. Last, we call on a student at random to have them deliver the answer. Students tend to think that their response quota for the day is fulfilled once they have answered one question. However, when names are called at random, their attention will have to remain on the current topic so that they will be able to answer additional questions in case they are called again.
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Hey Lisa! Your blog post number six was well written and very thorough. I actually learned a few things from reading your blog. I really liked the part where you said, "call on a student at random to have them deliver the answer." I've actually never thought about doing that or thought that it could be effective. I would really like to see how this approach affects students. Great post!
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