ED103
I like this course because it helped me see the importance of asking questions. Sometimes as an instructor you get into the lecture mode and forget to ask questions. Asking questions is really the only way to see if your students are understanding what is being taught. the questions should allow for more than a yes or no response as well.
I agree totally with the asking questions....However, sometimes, I get a student who goes off on a tangent and before I know it she's talking about her personal family issues... and then it becomes a free for all... YIKES!!!
I try to allow some time for questions. I also ask students to email me about questions before a live class so we can share the answer with others.
Sometimes you have to let students know that in order to accomplish everything and make the best use of class time "we have to move on" but perhaps we can chat more about your (dog, cat, sister....fill in the blank) issue later.
The instructor should be in control of the question/answer portion of class just as much as any other aspect. It's a great chance for the students to feel that they are a vital part of the entire classroom dynamic!
When I want to make sure they are getting the concept(s) as just discussed, I would ask questions for them to reflect on what we just talked about, this lets me know as an instructor which part they actually got and which part they actually missed, then I would reinforce the issue.
