Blog Post 4

Asking Questions: What questions do we ask? How do we ask?

This weeks topic was really strange to me at first. When I read the heading "Asking Questions: What questions do we ask? How do we ask them?" I thought to myself, what do mean, I ask questions all the time. But after reading the links that were posted, it all became clear. The Right Way to Ask Questions in the Classroom in the Classroom by Ben Johnson, really hit home for me. Johnson's opening question "have you ever thought how silly we teachers can be?" Honestly, no I have never thought of it. He says, we stand in front of the students teaching them material acting like we know everything then, turn around and ask a question like we do not know what we just talked about. Teachers always ask the same question many times throughout the day, "does everybody understand?" Most of the time students do not respond to this question. Some are daydreaming and others are so confused they do not know how to ask a question. What is sad to me is by fourth grade, students figure out whether they are the

smart kid, the kid who has to study or the kid who does not care and this "label" usually sticks with them. So, when the teacher asks a question about what was taught to the whole class, it is likely, that the smart kid will have his/her hand up first. A simple way to fix this issue is to ask the question, wait about three seconds then call on a student. In those three seconds everyone will be trying to think of the answer. This post opened my eyes so much. It made me think about the teacher I want to be someday.

In the post Asking Questions to Improve Learning  Questioning Styles and Strategies and Three Ways to Ask Better Questions in the Classroom, all stress that it is important to plan your questions before you ask them. Asking a question that you pulled from thin air could lead to a leading question. A leading question is a question that suggests its own answer and it is asked in a way that does not allow students to think on their own. Make sure your questions are direct, clear and specific in class and on quizzes and exams.

In Joanne Chesley's YouTube video, Asking better questions in the classroom, she talks about open-ended and close-ended questions. Chesley says, a close-ended question structures the answer for the responder and can be answered by one word like, yes and no. For example, "will you please do me a favor?" But an open-ended question leaves the answer up to the responder and leads to more thinking. For example, "what is your favorite memory from your childhood?" Using an open-ended question allows the student to think and to learn more in the process.