What is questioning?
The art of asking questions is at the heart of effective communication and information exchange, which underpins good teaching. If you use questioning well, you can improve the student learning experience in a whole range of teaching settings.
Socrates believed that to teach well, an educator must reach into a student's prior knowledge and awareness to help the student reach new levels of thinking. You can use questions to draw from and build on students' prior knowledge and experience to help them to develop deeper understanding of a topic (Paul & Elder, 2019).
Why use questioning?
Through thoughtful questioning, teachers can not only extract factual information, but help learners:
- connect concepts
- make inferences
- think creatively and imaginatively
- think critically
- explore deeper levels of knowing, thinking and understanding.
Developing good questioning skills is particularly important if you use Case Studies in your teaching.
Common issues with questioning
The challenges with questioning are similar to those with Discussions:
- getting students to talk, and keeping the discussion moving
- pointless or off-topic arguments.
Sometimes lecturers tend to overuse particular types of questions; for example, only factual or only divergent questions (see question types in Table 1 below). This can hinder the development of a good debate, or stop students moving through discussion towards a conclusion.
Effective questioning: how do I achieve it?
- Use a variety of question types.
- Hone your questioning skills by practising asking different types of questions.
- Monitor your teaching so that you include varied levels of questioning.
Table 1: Types of questions
There are five basic types of questions: factual, convergent, divergent, evaluative and combination.
Factual | Factual questions solicit reasonably simple, straightforward answers based on obvious facts or awareness. They are usually at the lowest level of cognitive or affective processes. Answers are frequently either right or wrong. EXAMPLE: |
Convergent | Answers to convergent questions are usually within a very finite range of acceptable accuracy. These may be at several different levels of cognition (comprehension, application, analysis) or the answerer may have to make inferences or conjectures based on personal awareness, or on material read, presented or known. EXAMPLE: |
Divergent | Divergent questions allow students to explore different avenues and create many different variations and alternative answers or scenarios. Correctness may be:
Divergent questions often require students to analyse, synthesise or evaluate a knowledge base and then project or predict different outcomes. Frequently the intention of divergent questions is to stimulate imaginative and creative thought, investigate cause-and-effect relationships or provoke deeper thought or extensive investigations. Be prepared for the fact that there may not be right or definitely correct answers to these questions. EXAMPLE: |
Evaluative | Evaluative questions usually require sophisticated levels of cognitive and/or emotional or affective judgment. In attempting to answer evaluative questions, students may be combining multiple logical and/or affective thinking processes, or comparative frameworks. Often an answer is analysed at multiple levels and from different perspectives before the answerer arrives at newly synthesised information or conclusions. EXAMPLES: |
Combination | Combination questions blend any combination of the other four types. |
Tips and techniques
- Plan key questions to provide structure and direction to the lesson. Spontaneous questions that emerge are fine, but make sure to plan the overall direction of the discussion.
- Phrase the questions clearly and specifically. Avoid vague and ambiguous questions.
- Adapt questions to the level of the students' abilities.
- Ask questions logically and sequentially.
- Ask questions at various cognitive levels.
- Follow up on students' responses.
- Elicit longer, more meaningful and more frequent responses from students after an initial response by:
- maintaining a deliberate silence
- making a declarative statement
- making a reflective statement giving a sense of what the students said
- declaring perplexity over the response
- inviting elaboration
- encouraging other students to comment.
- Give students time to think (wait time) after you ask a question.
- Use divergent questions, which are most likely to produce a range of responses.
Resources
- Questioning Techniques (changingminds.org)
Hill, J. B. (2016). Questioning techniques: A study of instructional practice. Peabody Journal of Education, 91(5), 660-671. https://doi.org/10.1080/0161956X.2016.1227190
Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2019). The thinker's guide to Socratic questioning. Rowman & Littlefield.
Greetings, enthusiasts of effective communication and pedagogical prowess. As an ardent advocate for the art of questioning, I bring forth a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the realm of communication strategies, particularly as they pertain to education and information exchange. Allow me to substantiate my credentials by delving into the nuances of questioning, a subject that lies at the heart of my demonstrable expertise.
The article in question delves into the multifaceted world of questioning, emphasizing its pivotal role in fostering effective communication and information exchange in educational settings. Drawing inspiration from the wisdom of Socrates, the article posits that adept educators can unlock new realms of thinking in students by tapping into their prior knowledge through skillful questioning (Paul & Elder, 2019).
Concepts Explored:
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Purpose of Questioning: The article underscores the importance of questioning in teaching, asserting that well-crafted questions can enhance the student learning experience by connecting concepts, fostering creativity, and promoting critical thinking.
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Questioning Techniques: The piece introduces various questioning techniques, including factual, convergent, divergent, evaluative, and combination questions. Each type serves a distinct purpose in extracting information and promoting different cognitive processes.
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Common Issues with Questioning: The challenges associated with questioning, such as difficulty in engaging students and the risk of off-topic discussions, are addressed. Overreliance on specific question types is also highlighted as a potential hindrance to productive debates.
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Effective Questioning: The article provides guidance on achieving effective questioning by advocating for the use of a variety of question types, honing questioning skills through practice, and monitoring teaching to include diverse levels of questioning.
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Questioning Types Defined: Each of the five basic question types—factual, convergent, divergent, evaluative, and combination—is elucidated with examples to illustrate their characteristics and applications in educational contexts.
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Tips and Techniques for Effective Questioning: Practical tips and techniques are offered to enhance the quality of questioning. These include planning key questions, phrasing questions clearly, adapting questions to student abilities, asking questions logically and sequentially, and following up on student responses.
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Resources for Further Exploration: The article concludes by providing additional resources for those keen on delving deeper into questioning techniques, including a reference to the work of Hill (2016) and the guide by Paul and Elder (2019).
In essence, the art of questioning, as expounded in the article, serves as a linchpin for effective teaching and communication, offering educators a powerful tool to unlock the full potential of their students' intellectual capacities. As we navigate the landscape of education, let us be mindful of the diverse questioning strategies at our disposal, aiming to foster a dynamic and enriching learning environment.
