Blog Post #4

What do we need to know about asking questions to be an effective teacher?  In the article, “The Right Way to Ask Questions in the Classroom,” author Ben Johnson, makes an excellent point that teachers should not assume that they know everything or that the students know nothing.  We learn so many new things everyday, and we can learn even more by asking the right questions.  This article really brought to my attention how students can identify the “smart kids,” in the class, and fall into a routine of just letting them always answer the questions without even trying or raising his or her hand.  As teachers, we can pick different students  to answer questions so that everyone gets a chance.  In the classroom I am currently sitting in for my field experience, the teacher pulls sticks with the students’ names on them to see who will answer the next question. You must ask the question before pulling the stick so that all students will be thinking of the answer.  This would be a fun method I would use as a future teacher.  

I learned important tips for asking effective questions after reading “Three Ways to Ask Better Questions in the Classroom,” by Dr.  Maryellen Weimer.  First, teachers should plan their questions.  Yes it is important to plan your lessons, assignments, and examples, but what about your questions?  Preparing effective questions and knowing when to ask them can be very effective.  Ask questions that you know will be stimulating, clear,  and improve your students understanding of the content. Next, we should play with the questions by leaving a little time before supplying the students with answer of the question being asked.  Allow your students time to write down ideas or have more time to think on the question for a more sufficient answer.    Lastly, once you have effective and solid questions, keep them!  You can even save questions that students ask and use them in all of your classrooms you will have. Doing this will be beneficial for all of your classes you will teach.   

I found so much useful information about asking questions on “Asking Questions To Improve Learning,”  For teachers to be effective in asking questions, they must not ask leading questions because this decreases the amount you are making the students think.  You want to ask questions to get their minds active.  It is also important to not go over board with “yes or no,” questions.  I really liked how this article also showed us great tips on how to not only ask questions, but also how we should appropriately respond to questions. It is important to remember that if a student answers a question wrong, ask them to follow up with a different answer instead of asking another student immediately.  Teachers should ask a variety of types of questions. Ask questions about cause and effect, outcomes, ideas, and also ask students to interpret certain information. Most importantly,whatever questions are being asked, be sure that they are clearly stated and understandable.  

All of these sites that I explored were incredibly helpful on how to ask effective questions.  Remembering all of these important tips and information on asking questions can help teachers be more successful with their students grasping the information.  Not only will you become a better teacher by asking questions, your students will also benefit tremendously.