In Asking better questions in the classroom, by Joanne Chesley, I learned that an effective teacher does not use close ended questions in their lesson. Close ended questions do not offer any positives in terms of learning. They just give a yes, no, maybe, whatever, blah answer. Instead, effective teachers should be using open ended questions because they can be perceived in different ways and start a meaningful discussion among students. Open ended questions allow for more creativity and learning to occur in a classroom. As a student, I would much rather be able to talk and bounce ideas off my teacher than to just sit there and maybe answer a yes or no question.
In Three Ways to Ask Better Questions in the Classroom I learned that a effective teacher needs to prepare, play, and preserve questions. Good questions play a crucial role in learning. For a teacher a question resembles a lesson, it needs to be given at the appropriate time and order. A teacher does not walk into class and start talking about the first point that comes to mind. So, why would you ask a question without preparing it too? An effective teacher also needs to understand that once you have given the correct answer to a question, the students are not thinking about the question anymore. It is gone. Their brain has been shut off, they no longer care to think about another possible answer. To prevent a student from shutting their brain off, a teacher needs to play with a question and discuss the answers with the class before saying what is correct. Finally, an effective teacher needs to preserve good questions. If you are asked a good question keep it! Write it down for the next time you are teaching the lesson. It shows the students you care what they say, as well as helps point students in the direction you want in the future.
Great comparison between a lesson and questions. I hate when teachers ask yes or no questions. It doesn't give the students any further information than what they already know. If they prepare what questions they will ask during a certain point in the lesson, I believe it will be more effective. Also, I agree that after the students know the answer, they no longer care about the question. I know when I was a student, especially in high school, when a teacher gave us an answer, I'd write it down and move right along.
ReplyDeleteWill you follow these suggestions in your teaching?
ReplyDeleteThoughtful. Interesting. Well written.
I always hated getting asked close-ended questions in high school. I really enjoyed when my teachers asked open-ended questions because I loved discussing the possible answers. By discussing, you might learn that there's more than one correct answer to a question!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I have to point out is that, where you say, "I learned that a effective teacher". "A" should be "an". :) Great post!