Methods of Teaching scienceØ QUESTIONING TECHNIQUE
Prepared by
SABARISH-P
M.Sc., M.Ed.,
JRF & NET
Assistant
professor in Physical Science, Arafa Institute for Teacher Education
Attur, Thrissur.
"Good
learning starts with questions, not answers"
Questioning consumes a
considerable proportion of time in classrooms. Interest in questioning as an
instructional tool can be traced back to the fourth century as evidenced in the
Socratic dialogues recorded by Plato.
In the 21st century,
teachers use questions to manage student behavior and classroom activities, to
promote students' inquiry and thinking, and to assess students' knowledge or
understanding. Questioning enables teachers to check learners' understanding.
It also benefits learners as it encourages engagement and focuses their
thinking on key concepts and ideas. Questioning actively encourages the
development of thinking and dialogue skills.
Questioning can serve
at least 5 distinct purposes in effective classrooms.
1. To guide students toward understanding
when introducing material.
2. To guide students to do a greater share
of the thinking.
3. To remediate an error.
4. To stretch or motivating students.
5. To check for understanding (Evaluation
purpose).
In questioning
technique teachers uses questions as a tool to promote inquiry, thinking, and
ultimately learning.
An effective question
must involve the following techniques
1)
Redirection:
This involves the framing of a single question for which there are many
possible responses from the students. Redirection is possible only in the case
of high order, divergent questions.
Example:
At the end of this unit Halogens, which do you think is the most useful one? ………….Why?
2)
Prompting:
This
technique involves the use of hints or clues which are used to aid the student
in responding correctly. This is required when a student is asked a question
and he fails to reply or response correctly.
3)
Probing:
This technique is used when the students reply is correct but insufficient
because it lacks depth. This helps to process information.
Thumb
rules of effective questioning
A few general rules of thumb for designing effective
questions are:
1)
One
at a Time: Have only one question in the question.
2)
Simple
to Complex: Ask questions that progress from simple
to complex.
3)
Clear
and Concise: The questions should be clear and
Concise
4)
Start
with a question word. (who,
when, what, where, why, how)
5)
Ask
an actual question.
6)
Assume
the answer. (Ask, “Who can tell me…,”
not, “Can anyone tell me…”
7)
Stock
Questions: Ask one sequence of questions in a
row. Ask versions of the same question.
8)
Break
it down: Break
complex questions to simple, one after the other.
