Blog Assignment #6

What do we need to know about asking questions to be an effective teacher?
Learning continues to take place far beyond the classroom walls, and teaching students to ask questions helps prepare them for life in the real world. Questions engage students, encourage participation and make them think for themselves. Asking questions helps develop cognitive skills, and prepares students for a lifetime of learning.

Strategies for Asking Questions

Prepare Questions in Advance

When planning for a lesson, prepare specific questions that you will ask your students as well as questions they might ask you. While planning, be sure to keep the standard or goal of the lesson in mind. This will help keep the lesson on track.

Timing is Everything

Another tip for planning is to mark specific points in the lecture when you'll pause for questions. This makes the lesson more engaging. Students are not as likely to ask questions when they know the lesson is coming to an end.

Start Simple

Begin with clear, simple questions. These short questions will slowly build onto each other and develop multiple layers and complexities. Starting a lecture with a deep and complicated question can be overwhelming for students.

Avoid Common Mistakes

Make students think. Avoid 'leading questions', in which the answer is implied. When asking a yes or no question, follow up with a more complicated question. Ask the student why they answered yes or no. Be careful not to ask more than one question at a time. Students are less likely to answer if they are not sure what the question is.

Review and Revise Questions

After teaching a lesson, refine it by reviewing the questions you asked and evaluating their effectiveness. Make notes so you can improve next time.

Different Kinds of Questions
Asking different types of questions ensures the students understand and retain the information. Before you decide how to frame your question, consider the desired answer.

Closed questions

Closed questions have a limited number of answers. They are designed to test if the students are comprehending and remembering information. The most common closed questions result in a yes/no response.

Managerial Questions

Managerial questions ensure students understand directions and have necessary materials.

Open Questions

Open questions result in multiple, possibly conflicting, correct answers. Open questions are best for engaging the class and encouraging students to think critically. Open questions are used to assess learning and spark discussion in classroom.




Asking questions makes students think and helps them learn. Questions are not only valuable in the classroom, but also throughout life. Claude Levi-Strauss said it best: "The wise man doesn't give the right answers, he poses the right questions."