Five Principles for Effective Questioning

1. Five Principles for Five Principles for E Effective ffective Q Questioning uestioning The purpose of classroom questioning is to promote learning and develop learning skills. Asking challenging questions steer students to become independent thinkers and develop their own perspectives. A thinking classroom’s teacher plans their questioning in such a way that it helps to promote differentiation, independence of thoughts, opportunities to think collectively, share views and ideas with fellow students resulting in exploring the differences in thinking. Types of questions that develop thinking and reasoning Some questions are effective in developing students in thinking and reasoning in comparison to others. The teachers use their experience to find examples of types of questions that may help in stimulating student thinking. Types of questions can further be classified as Closed and open questions. Closed Questions: The questions which require a simple response, such as Yes, No, or a short answer. Examples include: ●How are you today? ●Does 5 plus 8 equals to 13? ●What is the periodic symbol of Iron? ●Who wrote Romeo and Juliet?

2. These questions are quick and easy to respond to, producing less confusion. However, a closed set of questions limit the ability of a child’s opportunity to expand, as they require fewer reasoning skills. Open Questions: These questions require a deeper level of thinking and a lengthier response. Examples can be: ●Describe the role of vitamin ‘D’ in the body. ●How do you interpret the end of the film? ●Explain Photosynthesis. ●What happens when we mix green and blue colors? Open questions produce better results as they enrich the learning experience by encouraging individual thinking. Techniques for asking effective questions in class Introduce a no hand policy: Teachers in Global Indian International School (GIIS) offer the question to the entire class and then randomly pick up a student to answer. Classteacher passes out the fact to the entire class that any student may be called upon to answer so that the class begins to think through and prepare the answer. Plan Ahead: Plan in advance the type of questions you want to ask the class. While creating a class lesson, plan which parts of the content you want to ask to keep the studies on track and achieve desired learning outcomes. Use a mix of questions: Open and closed questions are both beneficial for different purposes. Therefore, a teacher should vary the items and include questions depending on the reason for asking. Give students time to think: Give some more time to the students to think individually before discussing so that they all have something to share. Don’t dismiss answers: It is important to understand that every contribution is valuable. Even if the answer isn’t necessarily correct, a teacher should develop a habit to appreciate the answer and offer appropriate praise based on the quality of response.

3. Conclusion Effective questioning is a good methodology for preparing students to think critically and independently. Once applied properly in a classroom, this is sure to generate productive results and be beneficial for their future careers.