The first thing would be to stress the importance of open ended questions.
The second would be to discuss the importance of increased wait time for students to answer questions
The third thing to remind new teachers of would be the protection of students self esteem.
The first thing that I would advise would be to ask open ended questions about any subject matter that is of interest to your student population that is close to your specific lesson plan. This would be to encourage feedback from your students, creating an environment where they feel their answers are encouraged. The second piece of advice would be to very careful to validate everyone's response on some level. Even if this requires effort to somehow make a response relevant, you need your students to feel their participation is valued and appreciated. The third piece of advice would be to be careful to incorporate every students involvement. This creates an environment of cooperation as well as responsibility towards the learning environment.
make sure to give them "wait time" before responding, and be consistent with every student. Also don't call on the same students every time, or just take answers from ones that raise their hands.
Three things I would emphasize with a new instructor when it comes to questioning effectively in the classroom are:
1. Give everyone the opportunity to answer to be sure that everyone understands the material. This could mean calling on various people to answer certain questions or dividing the class in groups to discuss the answers to questions before responding.
2. Wait times are important! I realized some time ago that I was not waiting very long between questions/responses/reactions. Students who haven't had me before find my wait times a little awkward at first, but later comment on how they appreciate being given the time to formulate their own response before a classmate answers or I react to that answer.
3. Ask thought stimulating questions (aka open ended questions). It's one thing if your students can regurgitate material given to them, it's another if they can think for themselves using knew knowledge that we as instructors give them.
Stopping to ask questions, not only gives you a break from instruction, it gives the students a moment to pause and think about what you have presented.
1. Make sure your questions will assess their understanding of what's been presented
2. They aren't overly complicated.
3. The same student isn't always responding. Or if you do have an eager beaver, ask, does everyone agree, and you will see their response in their facial expresion, let the discussion continue if applicable.
1. Be sure not to allow one person to continue to answer all the questions. One way to avoid this would be to call on students directly by name.
2. Allow for sufficient time for students to think about the question and develop an answer before interjecting and giving the correct answer.
3. Ensure to ask a variety of different types of questions and not just closed questions.
These are the first three things I would share with a new instructor about questioning:
1) There is a difference between simple recall questions (closed), and questions that require some critical thinking (open).
2) Closed questions may be more appropriate for entry level classes or initial lessons. Open questions are more appropriate for higher level classes or once the students have some grounding in the basic terms and concepts.
3) Ultimately, it is best to ask more open questions to develop critical thinking skills.
How to prepare effectively (organization).
How to engage and motivate students (edutainment).
How to ask effective questions and include the enitre group as per this course. Great information.
I have students that will over power the Q&A sessions. great advice micheal
Don't ignore any student. Don't embarrass any student. Use praise and reinforcement, but don't overdo it.
Try to use more open questions so that there are more possible answers and makes your students think a little more than just a yes or no answer. Consider that students may not want to answer in fear of the wrong answer. Always have positive feed back whether they are right or wrong.
I would first address how they are wording the questions, second I would encourage more open questions to engage more students, and third I would make sure they are not using too many procedural questions.
@JMohammedQuestioning of students has always been a challenge in having them interact with the discussion. This course really makes you think on different approches to achiving student particapation.
@JMohammed
As a mentor to a new instructor who has never taught before, the first three things I would share about questioning effectively in the classroom would be :
1. Ask them open ended questions allows for critical thinking.
2. Ask questions to gather their responses and comprehension of the content materials.
3. Use best teaching practices such as reinforcement and praise to encourage positive student input.
@rkloehnig3@rkloehnig3 the hardist thing about quiestions is that some open ended questions could cause students to miss question on test. Some students will remember what was said during Q&A and forget what was said during lecture.
For our students, relavancy and knowledge is critical. If you show that you are lost in the material, you've just lost your edge in the classroom. it's important to be able to not just teach the material, but show how it is relavant to them before, during, and after they have recieved the informaiton.
@JMohammed
I would divide student into groups because students learn differently. I would involve students in an activity such as a communication activity so they can see how well they can communicate with each other. I would have group activities, phone games
When you ask a question insist on students answering. If you do not allow enough time or are always answering your own questions students will learn that if they wait long enough, they will not have to participate in the discussions. This can cause them to start falling asleep. If after a short waiting period no one has stepped up to answer your question, call on someone by name. This helps in at least two ways. It forces you to learn the names of the students if you have not yet done so or helps them to realize that you know who they are personally. It will also involve them in class dialogues.
@JMohammed@nicole77@JMohammed
I normally ask some open ended questions and some direct content questions to take a feel as to where does the class stands as whole and also to set a stage as how in depth we have to go for technical content. I also give each student 4-5 seconds to respond. If I find I have different answers then we discuss it and ask students to offer little more insight into their answers as why do they think it like that. This involves more students into discussion.
I really like the idea of planning some jokes in the lecture.
@JMohammed
Aside from the open and closed questions, I would also recommend that my new instructor utilize "planted" questions. The instructor thinks of several open and closed ended questions prior to the start of class and secretly distributes these to a few students. When the instructor gives a verbal or visual cue, the student will then ask the question you have given them. This usually relates to your key objectives and helps wrap up that objective. It is also a technique to help keep students engaged and actively listening to the instructor.
