Ideas for Effective Questioning in the Classroom

What makes students love a particular teacher’s class? To begin with, we can say that the environment created by that teacher and the teaching style of that teacher. The way a teacher teaches matters a lot no doubt in saying that, what kind of questions a teacher asks in the classroom can shape the whole lecture.

Menachem Moscovitz believes that effective questioning is needed in every classroom for a positive and great outcome. The purpose of a teacher should not be only good results but along what also what life lessons can kids grasp as well.

There are five principles with the help of which you can make sure that your class stands out from the rest and an effective method of questioning can take place among your students.  

 

1. Ask Questions that Encourage Thinking and Reasoning

 

Great questions have the power to encourage great thinking- this saying is true in all terms. Unless budding minds are pushed to think in a unique way there can never be a discovery.

Menachem Moscovitz says that effective questioning should be prepared before taking the class. It is useful to build a sequence of questions that can extend students thinking capacity. A good questioner remains flexible and asks useful follow-up questions. 

 

2. Ask Questions Including Everyone

A good teacher always asks questions keeping everyone in mind say Menachem Moscovitz. It is significant to include everyone in the questions asked and thinking. Here are three ways through which you can use this technique;

• Ask questions that encourage a range of reactions or questions that can start a healthy discussion.
• Encourage kids to listen to each other’s reply calmly.
• Make sure to set rules for any sort of discussion.

3. Give Students Time to Think and Analyze

The time between a teacher asking the question and student replying is called ‘waits time’. Menachem Moscovitz suggests that teachers should give at least 10 seconds to students to prepare their answers. 

When teachers increase the wait time to 5 to 10 seconds, the research shows that students begin to:

• Respond at greater length and with greater confidence;
• Offer more unsolicited, but appropriate, responses;
• Offer more diverse, alternative explanations;
• Relate responses to those from other students.

4. Avoid Judging Students Response

Teachers make a silly habit of judging students' responses which leads to mistrust among the classroom. When a teacher judges kids' response as ‘good’, ‘excellent’, or ‘brilliant’, kids morale increases and they start participating more in the classroom. Asks questions that permit a greater variety of responses. 

Benefits of Effective Questioning

Menachem Moscovitz shares that using the effective questioning technique in your classroom brings a host of benefits, as it:

• Encourages students to engage with their project and each other.
• Help students to think out loud.
• Facilitates learning through some active discussion.
• Motivate students to feel confident about their ideas.
• Improves the speaking and listening skills of kids.
• Builds crucial thinking skills.
• Teaches respect for people’s opinions.
• Helps students to clarify their understanding.
• Motivates students and develops an interest in a topic.
• Allows teachers to check students’ understanding.