CED 522 Teacher as Facilitator of Learning
Timothy W. Brock
The Art of Asking Questions
Introduction
The material in these notes was derived from Chapter 10, “The Art of Asking Questions,” in the textbook, Teacher Today’s Teachers to Teach, by Donald Griggs. The professor will supplement the lecture with additional information from other sources, as noted.
The art (and science) of writing and asking good questions is one of the basic skills needed by all Christian educators. When asked a great question, the student is invited to engage the designated topic from a variety of perspectives and at a variety of levels. And as we know from previous discussions, the more engaged in the learning process, the more the student will learn and retain.
Ways to Use Questions in the Classroom
On page 113-114 of the text, Griggs listed a number of ways that questions can be used in the classroom context:
· The teacher can ask a question of the group.
· The teacher can ask a question for one member of the group.
· Questions can be written on worksheets.
· Questions can be included as part of a set of instructions.
· Class members can ask questions of the teacher.
· Class members can ask questions of one another.
· Class members can raise questions for their own exploration.
Questions Combined with Other Teaching Methods
On page 114, Griggs suggested a number of ways to combine questions with other teaching methods:
· To introduce a new subject.
· To probe deeper into a familiar subject.
· To review a subject studied earlier.
· To interpret a Bible passage.
· To reflect on what was seen and heard in a video or computer program.
· To interview a class guest.
· To motivate further investigation of a topic.
· To debate the pros and cons of alternative actions.
· To clarify personal beliefs and values.
· To analyze an ethical or controversial issue in the news and to connect a biblical passage to a personal experience.
Three Types of Questions
Griggs proposed that there are three basic types of questions:
· Information Questions…based on facts and data.
· Analytical Questions…based on concepts.
· Personalized Questions…based on personal experience, beliefs, feelings, and values.
The following table compares and contrasts the characteristics associated with these three types of questions
|
Information Questions
|
Analytical Questions
|
Personalized Questions
|
|
· When you ask this type of question, you expect to get a “right answer,” or a specific response.
· If you do not get the correct answer, you must find a way to “redeem the response,” i.e. to thank the responder for their response but then to illicit the correct response, from the responder or from other members of the class.
· This type of question can limit discussion and student interaction.
· Asking too many of this type of question can make the student feel that they are “in school” or are being “drilled” in a verbal test.
· Griggs indicated that teachers often ask this type of question because they require little preparation or forethought.
|
· Analytical questions can have any number of appropriate responses.
· These questions invite the student to analyze the information of the topic, think about the concepts associated with the topic, and to their own conclusions and interpretations.
· This type of questions often illicit energetic discussion and opinion-sharing.
· It is very important for the teacher to carefully think about the exact wording of this type of question, i.e. to prepare these questions well in advance of the class.
· The manner in which this type of question is asked in also very important.
|
· This type of question invites the learner to think about the information and concepts explore through information and analytical questions into their own life and faith journey.
· Again, this type of questions has the potential to engage the learner in a variety of ways and at a variety of levels.
· This type of questions is the most “open-ended.”
· Because of the personal nature of this type of questions, the teacher must carefully consider both the questions asked and the ways in which students are allowed to (or not to) share their responses in the classroom context.
· Once again, the teacher must prepare this type of questions well in advance of the class.
· Finally, the teacher’s knowledge of each student and of his or her life situation is a critical factor in developing this type of questions.
|
.
Practical Aspect of Asking Questions
While it is very important to know how to write excellent questions in these categories, a practical knowledge of how to ask questions in the classroom context is also critical. In the book, on pages 118-120, Griggs listed and discussed ten guidelines associated with the art of asking questions:
1. Ask questions that are more open than closed.
2. Ask only one question at a time.
3. Present questions to the whole group (while using a variety of strategies to insure that no one person dominates the process and that all people who want to share have that opportunity).
4. Provide feedback after a participant responds.
5. Follow up with probing questions. “Tell me more about that.” “Can you provide an example of that?”
6. After asking a question, be silent (even if you have to wait for one or two minutes before someone responds). Sometimes, we are so uncomfortable with silence that we rush to fill the void. Sometimes, we assume (in error) that the class did not understand the question. Ask and be quiet!
7. Use an inquiry style (tone) rather than an interrogative style.
8. Encourage participants to ask their own questions (without allowing individuals to put others “on the spot.”).
9. Avoid repeating the responses of the participants. (At this point, I would add a caveat: sometimes it is very appropriate to provide a paraphrase of the participant’s response in order to double-check if you have heard the person accurately.)
10. Accept responses as if they were gifts. While you may anticipate certain answers (even to open-ended questions), occasionally we are pleasantly surprised by the insights shared in our classrooms.
Class Activity
Prior to class, please complete the exercise included on page 121. We will discuss the results of this exercise during our class time.
Relationship to Assignment 4
The material covered in this lesson is directly related to Assignment 4, in which each student will lead a Bible study in a congregational context (or in the classroom context) based on questions. At the beginning of the next class session (October 23), each student must submit a list of 10-15 questions that he or she will use in this study.
The student should teach (and record) the lesson by Saturday, November 6. Then, in small groups, the members of the class will critique one another’s questions, using a rubric provided by the professor.
Additional Resources
Galindo, Israel. The Craft of Christian Teaching: Essentials for Becoming a VERY GOOD Teacher. Valley Forge, Pennsylvania: Judson Press, 1998. Chapter 7 of this book is entitled, “The Art of Asking Questions.”
Galindo, Israel. How to Be the Best Christian Study Group Leader Ever in the Whole History of the Universe. Valley Forge, Pennsylvania: Judson Press, 2006. The entire book focuses on the topic of dialogical teaching.
CED 522 Teacher as Facilitator of Learning
Timothy W. Brock
The Art of Asking Questions
Introduction
The material in these notes was derived from Chapter 10, “The Art of Asking Questions,” in the textbook, Teacher Today’s Teachers to Teach, by Donald Griggs. The professor will supplement the lecture with additional information from other sources, as noted.
The art (and science) of writing and asking good questions is one of the basic skills needed by all Christian educators. When asked a great question, the student is invited to engage the designated topic from a variety of perspectives and at a variety of levels. And as we know from previous discussions, the more engaged in the learning process, the more the student will learn and retain.
Ways to Use Questions in the Classroom
On page 113-114 of the text, Griggs listed a number of ways that questions can be used in the classroom context:
· The teacher can ask a question of the group.
· The teacher can ask a question for one member of the group.
· Questions can be written on worksheets.
· Questions can be included as part of a set of instructions.
· Class members can ask questions of the teacher.
· Class members can ask questions of one another.
· Class members can raise questions for their own exploration.
Questions Combined with Other Teaching Methods
On page 114, Griggs suggested a number of ways to combine questions with other teaching methods:
· To introduce a new subject.
· To probe deeper into a familiar subject.
· To review a subject studied earlier.
· To interpret a Bible passage.
· To reflect on what was seen and heard in a video or computer program.
· To interview a class guest.
· To motivate further investigation of a topic.
· To debate the pros and cons of alternative actions.
· To clarify personal beliefs and values.
· To analyze an ethical or controversial issue in the news and to connect a biblical passage to a personal experience.
Three Types of Questions
Griggs proposed that there are three basic types of questions:
· Information Questions…based on facts and data.
· Analytical Questions…based on concepts.
· Personalized Questions…based on personal experience, beliefs, feelings, and values.
The following table compares and contrasts the characteristics associated with these three types of questions
|
Information Questions
|
Analytical Questions
|
Personalized Questions
|
|
· When you ask this type of question, you expect to get a “right answer,” or a specific response.
· If you do not get the correct answer, you must find a way to “redeem the response,” i.e. to thank the responder for their response but then to illicit the correct response, from the responder or from other members of the class.
· This type of question can limit discussion and student interaction.
· Asking too many of this type of question can make the student feel that they are “in school” or are being “drilled” in a verbal test.
· Griggs indicated that teachers often ask this type of question because they require little preparation or forethought.
|
· Analytical questions can have any number of appropriate responses.
· These questions invite the student to analyze the information of the topic, think about the concepts associated with the topic, and to their own conclusions and interpretations.
· This type of questions often illicit energetic discussion and opinion-sharing.
· It is very important for the teacher to carefully think about the exact wording of this type of question, i.e. to prepare these questions well in advance of the class.
· The manner in which this type of question is asked in also very important.
|
· This type of question invites the learner to think about the information and concepts explore through information and analytical questions into their own life and faith journey.
· Again, this type of questions has the potential to engage the learner in a variety of ways and at a variety of levels.
· This type of questions is the most “open-ended.”
· Because of the personal nature of this type of questions, the teacher must carefully consider both the questions asked and the ways in which students are allowed to (or not to) share their responses in the classroom context.
· Once again, the teacher must prepare this type of questions well in advance of the class.
· Finally, the teacher’s knowledge of each student and of his or her life situation is a critical factor in developing this type of questions.
|
.
Practical Aspect of Asking Questions
While it is very important to know how to write excellent questions in these categories, a practical knowledge of how to ask questions in the classroom context is also critical. In the book, on pages 118-120, Griggs listed and discussed ten guidelines associated with the art of asking questions:
1. Ask questions that are more open than closed.
2. Ask only one question at a time.
3. Present questions to the whole group (while using a variety of strategies to insure that no one person dominates the process and that all people who want to share have that opportunity).
4. Provide feedback after a participant responds.
5. Follow up with probing questions. “Tell me more about that.” “Can you provide an example of that?”
6. After asking a question, be silent (even if you have to wait for one or two minutes before someone responds). Sometimes, we are so uncomfortable with silence that we rush to fill the void. Sometimes, we assume (in error) that the class did not understand the question. Ask and be quiet!
7. Use an inquiry style (tone) rather than an interrogative style.
8. Encourage participants to ask their own questions (without allowing individuals to put others “on the spot.”).
9. Avoid repeating the responses of the participants. (At this point, I would add a caveat: sometimes it is very appropriate to provide a paraphrase of the participant’s response in order to double-check if you have heard the person accurately.)
10. Accept responses as if they were gifts. While you may anticipate certain answers (even to open-ended questions), occasionally we are pleasantly surprised by the insights shared in our classrooms.
Class Activity
Prior to class, please complete the exercise included on page 121. We will discuss the results of this exercise during our class time.
Relationship to Assignment 4
The material covered in this lesson is directly related to Assignment 4, in which each student will lead a Bible study in a congregational context (or in the classroom context) based on questions. At the beginning of the next class session (October 23), each student must submit a list of 10-15 questions that he or she will use in this study.
The student should teach (and record) the lesson by Saturday, November 6. Then, in small groups, the members of the class will critique one another’s questions, using a rubric provided by the professor.
Additional Resources
Galindo, Israel. The Craft of Christian Teaching: Essentials for Becoming a VERY GOOD Teacher. Valley Forge, Pennsylvania: Judson Press, 1998. Chapter 7 of this book is entitled, “The Art of Asking Questions.”
Galindo, Israel. How to Be the Best Christian Study Group Leader Ever in the Whole History of the Universe. Valley Forge, Pennsylvania: Judson Press, 2006. The entire book focuses on the topic of dialogical teaching.