Blog Post 6

Asking Questions to Improve Learning

General Strategies for Asking Questions
Project-Based Learning requires teacher to raise questions to see if students understand the task at hand. Teachers ask questions pertaining to the material they are covering and students respond to the best of their knowledge. However, teachers can ask questions that can be unclear at times. Students can become confused by the question or unsure to answer the question. The question that was asked, what do we need to know about asking questions.

Teachingcenter.edu provides strategies, titled Asking Questions to Improve Learning, that help teachers with asking questions. PBL allows students to extend their learning outside the classroom In order to have constructive discussions and research, teachers need to know the "General Strategies for Asking Questions".

According to teachingcenter.edu, teachers should keep course goals in mind when planning. When planning teachers should think about what they what they want their students to know. The question ask should help students "practice skills, communicate facts, ideas, and the way of thinking in the course".

Teachers should not ask "leading questions". Leading questions require its own answer. Because of this it can be discouraging to the students.

Always follow a "yes or no" question with an addition question. Ask students to explain why they gave the answer they have chose. Or if a student agrees ask them to explain why another student gave that answer.

Try to be direct as possible. Be clear ans specific as possible when asking a question. Start off by asking simple questions, then raise the questions to complexity.

During class discussion, try not to answer more than one question at a time. Too many questions at once can be confusing. Students wouldn't know which question to respond too.

When preparing the class activity, include when will questions will be ask and answer. Asking question helps teachers measure if the students is grasping the material or not.

Ask a different range of question. Ask "closed" questions. This types of question only have a certain number of correct answers. "Closed" questions helps "test students comprehensions and retention of important information. Ask managerial questions. Managerial questions helps to "ensure that students understand an assignment or have access to necessary material".In addition, questions like "open" questions allows teachers and students to have an effective class discussion.

Responding Effectively
Asking questions is only part of the process of Project-Based Learning. Teachers often times get passionate about material they are covering in class. They sometimes answer questions before students can even formulate the question that is being ask. To solve the problem of being overly-passionate when asking certain questions, teachingcenter.edu gave some helpful tips on how to respond effectively.

teacheringcenter.edu states that when responding the teacher should wait and allow students to think and formulate response. By waiting, this allows an increase in participants who want to answer the question. It also allows longer more complex answers to be form by the students.
"Do not interrupt students' answers." Hearing the students full response to the question allows teachers to understand their students idea. It also allows the teacher to see if students understand the material.

Be interested in what your students have to say. Let the students know that you are interested in what they have to say. Show gestures, such as facial expressions and nodding, to let them know that you are engage in what they have to say.

"Develop a response that keep students thinking." A way that this can be done is by asking the rest of the class what they thinking about one particular student's idea to a question.

Ask the student who answered the question to explain the thinking process that help them come up with their answer. If the student answer the question with a weak statement or just an incorrect answer, the teacher should make note to the student what they have done wrong. By doing this teacher should ask a follow up question to see why the student choice that answer.

At times, students look over the most important point of the study that is being discussed. To gain clarity of what the student is saying, ask the same student to "recall what that conclusion is."

Why Asking "Open-Ended" Questions 12 Objectives
Teachingcenter.edu provided the objectives to "Open-Ended" Question. As I mentioned earlier, "open-ended" are more effective when having discussions. It also provides active learning inside the classroom. Here are the twelve objectives to why ask open ended discussion.
Objectives
1. To assess learning
2. To ask a student to clarify a vague comment
3. To prompt students to explore attitudes, values, or feelings
4. To prompt students to see a concept from another perspective
5. To ask a student to refine a statement or idea
6. To prompt students to support their assertions and interpretation
7. To direct students to respond to one another
8. To prompt students to investigate a thought process
9. To ask students to predict possible outcome
10. To prompt student to connect and organize information
11. To ask students to apply a principle or formula
12. To ask students to illustrate a concept with an example

Following the strategies that is given allows teacher and students to more understanding to one another. It actually makes Project-Based Learning more effective for students. Asking questions gives teachers the opportunity to see what their students have discover. It also allows students to get a better understanding. I personally think that teachercenter.edu gave some helpful tools that will make discussion more interested and fun. I believe that a person will never grasp a concept fully until they ask question. Question will be one of my main tools I will use in my classroom. It gives students the opportunity to teach themselves as well as their fellow classmates.