Planning Effective Questions | Origin: ED125
This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:
Effective and Efficient Instructional Strategies --> Planning Effective Questions
Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.
Great questions come from understanding both course content and questioning techniques. Asking students if they have any questions , is not really a question at all.
It never occured to me to plan out the questions students should be asking me. I will work to anticipate the questions to achieve better comprehension of my lessons.
From the “Planning Effective Questions” module, I learned that asking the right types of questions can greatly improve student engagement and understanding. Effective questions go beyond simple recall and encourage students to think critically, analyze information, and apply their knowledge. I learned the importance of using open-ended questions, incorporating Bloom’s Taxonomy to reach different levels of thinking, and allowing students enough wait time to respond thoughtfully. Moving forward, I plan to apply these strategies in my lessons by designing higher-order questions that connect directly to real-world applications. For example, instead of asking students to define voltage, I might ask how changes in voltage would affect the performance of a circuit. This approach will help promote deeper thinking and meaningful classroom discussions.
Having effective questions is important to assessing student's knowledge and understanding of the content. It's also important to allow the student time to gather their thoughts and formulate their response. Be okay with awkward silence for a few minutes.
I learned to encourage role play so students can apply their knowledge. Ask questions that the teacher knows the students may ask.
You need to plan ahead for questions you may ask. Students need to have questions that involve critical thinking while answering.
Giving the students time to process what is being asked and allowing them to answer individually.
Good questions take some effort to plan and execute, but the benefits to the learners are greater than the best worded lecture.
An instructor can help a struggling student by first diagnosing the problem, then explaining the concept, and engaging the student with practice. Key strategies include providing encouragement, breaking down the problem by utilizing varied teaching methods, and creating a 'safe space' for students to ask questions and make mistakes.
I was shocked to learn I have been using " don't ask" questions in my classroom for many years and I found the alternative solution offered in the module ( the teacher should know the questions the student should be asking) very confusing. We are not mind readers and cannot predict what each student is unclear about in our lessons. I often tell students to feel free to reach out to me via email if they have any questions at the end of the class. This gives them time to reflect on the lesson content and reach out for clarification.
Being careful not to assume that quite means there is understanding from the students.
Asking follow up questions keep students engaged.
I never thought about planning the questions I should ask.
Asking individual students is something I have done but upon listening to this course work, I feel like I do not provide them with enough space to come up with the answer independently. I go to asking them more questions too quickly. I will definitely slow myself down.
When asking questions to be sure to give efficient time for answers.
As I primarily teach clinicals, I agree that having prepared questions and having each student participate in some way is a great way to gauge their understanding of the material.
Having a prepared set of questions for students is all in your preperation. You should always be prepared for questioning so that you don't have to shuffle through and figure out while going through the material.
I have never mapped out how questions can help students guide them to a bigger picture of a concept. I am going to try doing this in the upcoming semester.
This module emphasized that effective questioning is essential for promoting higher-level thinking and assessing understanding. I plan to create purposeful questions aligned with Bloom’s Taxonomy and allow time for thoughtful responses. I’ll also use follow-ups to guide learning and avoid vague prompts like “Any questions?”
