After reading Classroom Habitudes Lesson: Curiosity - The Right Question from Angela Maiers Educational Services by Angela Maiers, I started to think about how we teach our students to ask questions. Angela states,“The ability to ask the right kind of question, at the right time is the hallmark of a truly efficient and successful learner. Like drivers in a car, the right question can plow the road ahead or leave us stuck in a ditch along the side of the highway…I want students to see that each type of question is a tool in their thinking toolbox. A variety of “tools” may be needed to complete a project, and those tools must be chosen carefully.”
She is so right when she talks about teaching our students how to question. I remember growing up and in my home, I was taught that it was wrong to question and that a good student does what she is told, when she is told to do it. I’ve been teased as I grew up that I talked too much (and maybe I still do but no one teases me about it any more). This teasing made me stop asking questions so much.
As a teacher, I wonder if I discouraged my students from asking questions in this way. A lot of times, I would tell my students to be quiet or hate getting interrupted in a great lesson because of all of the questions. Sometimes I felt like the students weren’t paying attention and would ask questions that I just finished explaining. Or I would ask them to wait until I was finished, and then they would forget the question. Sometimes my attitude (unconsciously) would discourage the students from asking because they are afraid it would make me mad. This is one more example where I needed to change my behavior in order to teach the students a new skill.
I would start the lesson by telling the students I would explain it and then take questions when I finished. By reassuring the students that I will answer questions later, they can focus more on the explanation. If they had a question, they needed to write it down so they would remember it. I also tell them that they need to listen closely in case I answer that question later in my explanation. When I’m done explaining what I want them to do, I review the steps. Then I tell the students to raise their hands whenever I get to a step they don’t understand. I also teach them how to phrase a question for clarification so it doesn’t come out like they weren’t listening to me at all. When they ask a question that seems like they weren’t paying attention, sometimes other students make mean remarks or their body language show their negative attitudes, and this discourages some students from asking questions. I explain to the class how I perceive this and that we will not do that when someone asks a question because we want to help each other understand and be successful.
When I have a speaker coming to my class, I prepare the class before the speaker comes. We actually talk about the questions that we will ask. First I let the students brainstorm about what information they would like to learn from the speaker. We write a list on the board with this information. Then beside each one, we write the question that we would ask in order to find out this information. I also explain that we need to listen to the speaker in case he answers some of these questions before we ask them. Then, we wouldn’t want to ask the question because it would show we weren’t paying attention. If we aren’t sure that we heard the answer right, we could phrase the question a different way in order to clarify what we heard.
I also encourage my students to write questions down when they think of it as the speaker is talking. Sometimes you don’t want to interrupt the speaker or another question is being answered so by the time the speaker gets to you, you forget what you wanted to ask. This also helps you focus on the discussion rather than trying to remember what you want to ask.
When focusing on the right questions, it enables the speaker to give the information the students need or want. By not asking the right questions, I think it leaves the students feeling like they missed something. I feel that by preparing the students ahead of time, and giving them lots of practice, they will eventually know how to come up with the right questions on their own. Once they learn how to question, they will be more successful in gaining information and gathering knowledge.
Do you teach questioning skills and if so, what do you do?
Original image: 'Questions' http://www.flickr.com/photos/42788859@N00/318947873 by: Tim O'Brien
She is so right when she talks about teaching our students how to question. I remember growing up and in my home, I was taught that it was wrong to question and that a good student does what she is told, when she is told to do it. I’ve been teased as I grew up that I talked too much (and maybe I still do but no one teases me about it any more). This teasing made me stop asking questions so much.
As a teacher, I wonder if I discouraged my students from asking questions in this way. A lot of times, I would tell my students to be quiet or hate getting interrupted in a great lesson because of all of the questions. Sometimes I felt like the students weren’t paying attention and would ask questions that I just finished explaining. Or I would ask them to wait until I was finished, and then they would forget the question. Sometimes my attitude (unconsciously) would discourage the students from asking because they are afraid it would make me mad. This is one more example where I needed to change my behavior in order to teach the students a new skill.
I would start the lesson by telling the students I would explain it and then take questions when I finished. By reassuring the students that I will answer questions later, they can focus more on the explanation. If they had a question, they needed to write it down so they would remember it. I also tell them that they need to listen closely in case I answer that question later in my explanation. When I’m done explaining what I want them to do, I review the steps. Then I tell the students to raise their hands whenever I get to a step they don’t understand. I also teach them how to phrase a question for clarification so it doesn’t come out like they weren’t listening to me at all. When they ask a question that seems like they weren’t paying attention, sometimes other students make mean remarks or their body language show their negative attitudes, and this discourages some students from asking questions. I explain to the class how I perceive this and that we will not do that when someone asks a question because we want to help each other understand and be successful.
When I have a speaker coming to my class, I prepare the class before the speaker comes. We actually talk about the questions that we will ask. First I let the students brainstorm about what information they would like to learn from the speaker. We write a list on the board with this information. Then beside each one, we write the question that we would ask in order to find out this information. I also explain that we need to listen to the speaker in case he answers some of these questions before we ask them. Then, we wouldn’t want to ask the question because it would show we weren’t paying attention. If we aren’t sure that we heard the answer right, we could phrase the question a different way in order to clarify what we heard.
I also encourage my students to write questions down when they think of it as the speaker is talking. Sometimes you don’t want to interrupt the speaker or another question is being answered so by the time the speaker gets to you, you forget what you wanted to ask. This also helps you focus on the discussion rather than trying to remember what you want to ask.
When focusing on the right questions, it enables the speaker to give the information the students need or want. By not asking the right questions, I think it leaves the students feeling like they missed something. I feel that by preparing the students ahead of time, and giving them lots of practice, they will eventually know how to come up with the right questions on their own. Once they learn how to question, they will be more successful in gaining information and gathering knowledge.
Do you teach questioning skills and if so, what do you do?
Original image: 'Questions' http://www.flickr.com/photos/42788859@N00/318947873 by: Tim O'Brien
13 comments:
Pat-
What a wonderful reflection on this important teaching conversation. What I have found most interesting is that even our youngest students - the ones who come in bursting to ask WHY- struggle practicing "question- asking".
As you stated -it really does take focus, practice, and sustained attention to become a "better- question-asker."
Thank you so much for sharing with us even more ways in which we can get this important job accomplished. Your tips are like gold- keep 'em coming!
Pat - great post. I completely agree that question asking is the heart of good learning. Thanks for the additional tips. Very useful!
A bit of a twist on your question...
I think that the #1 thing that prevents student from asking the "right" questions in class is fear. Most class environments are not set-up to encourage risk and mistakes. There is a lack of trust. Students have been told for years not to be wrong. Asking a question is admitting that you do not know an answer. It's the opposite of what is taught. We test them and give them grades based on their answers, not their questions.
So I teach them how to ask the "right" question by creating an environment that becomes so supportive and trusting that questions just pop out. When they do I can give a response which elicits another question, and another and slowly guide them to ask the right question without them even knowing they are being taught. The other way is for me to "think" out loud. Model asking the right questions. Seeing the teacher have to ask questions and not know all of the answers has a great impact.
Angela: And I learn so much from your posts! Thanks for giving me lots to think about in my own teaching! You inspire me!
Neil: I'm glad you found this useful! Thanks for reading!
Paul: You are so right! Fear sometimes even keeps me from asking a question in front of my peers. And modeling is so important for our students! It isn't so much as what we say as to what we do that our students learn how to do things.
Pass the CBEST test: Glad you found this helpful. Thanks for reading!
Asking the right question is important - asking it at the right time is also important - and I love the idea of writing down questions for the end or having a regular question slot every few minutes as a break from listening.
@Peter I agree that writing down the questions help. Sometimes I even feel a little intimidated and I'm not sure when to ask a question at a meeting. It helps me to write it down so I don't forget and then I don't spend the time trying to remember the question that I don't hear what is going on around me.
Getting students to open up by putting their fears aside can be an impossible proposition. I thank you so much for the useful information.
I need strategies that encourage students to ask questions....please name them....
Other strategies have names like Wheel Chart, Number Fever, 3-2-1 Strategy, Problem Solution Chart...etc..
Thanks!
Just came across your excellent post by chance. Do you the Right Question Institute and it's method of teaching students to ask their own questions? I think you would appreciate it. Here's an introductory article, and you can also visit the website and join the educator network for free downloadable resources.
http://hepg.org/hel/article/507
Http://rightquestion.org
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