What do we need to know about asking questions to be an effective teacher?
I never really thought about how to ask questions or that it even made a difference. Reading and watching the suggested videos brought to light a whole new way to prepare and teach.
In the article, "The Right Way to ask Questions in the Classroom", Ben Johnson brought up the age old question that every teacher asks, "Does everybody understand?". I can't begin to count how many times my teachers have stood in front of the classroom and asked that question. Almost 95% of the time no one said a word and just shook their heads yes. I can only speak for myself but there were quite a few times when I wanted to ask a question because I didn't understand but I didn't ask. The article also brought up the subject of roles that students play. There are the smart kids, the not so smart kids, and the kids that simply just do not care. The students seem to realize what their "roles" are and play them all throughout their school career. I can see where this would be true and I find it to be very interesting. As a future teacher I hope to be able to recognize these roles and come up with a way to not let them stick with the students. I want all of them to feel smart and to care. One of the suggestions on how to keep students on their toes and thinking was to wait three seconds after asking a question and then call on someone to answer. This gives everyone enough time to think about what their are going to say if they get called. I think this is a great suggestion that I will use in my classroom.
The next article, "Ask Questions to Improve Learning" brought up a few good points and suggestions. As a teacher it is easy to get caught up in being the leader. One of the suggestions in this article was to not interrupt the students when they are answering a question. Even when you are jut trying to finish their sentence because you think you know what they are about to say. I am guilty of this in my everyday life with family and friends so this is definitely something I will need to be aware of when I am teaching. Another suggestion that was brought up in this article was to show that you are interested in the students answers whether they are right or wrong. I think this will give the students more confidence in answering questions.
I found another source that I thought was very animated, colorful, and informative. It is a YouTube video called "Questioning Strategies" by Lourdes Altamirano. It pretty much just reiterates what the listed sources are saying but I found it to be more interesting and easier to watch.
The Right Way to Ask Questions in the Classroom
Johnson, B. (2009, March 30). The Right Way to Ask Questions in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/asking-better-questions-deeper-learning-ben-johnson
Ask Questions to Improve Learning
Bloom, Benjamin (ed). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Vol. 1: Cognitive Domain. New York: McKay, 1956.
Davis, Barbara Gross. Tools for Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. 1993.
“Questioning Strategies.” Center for Teaching Excellence. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.http://cte.illinois.edu/resources/topics/methods/strateg.html.
McKeachie, Wilbert, et al. McKeachie’s Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005.
© 2009, The Teaching Center, Washington University in St. Louis
Questioning Strategies
Callie Barton
Your blog writing was good, but I'm a little confusing about everything going on towards the end of it. Instead of posting a YouTube url, you need to make that a clickable link. Also, for your picture you do not need to have the source listed below it, you need to follow the ALT and title modifier instructions to fix that. Remember that if you refer to any videos or article that you read, to put the clickable links in your blogging. Sorry for all the corrective comments, I just want to be sure you catch all of this early on so that you aren't having to go back to blogs at the end of the semester and make corrections :)
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