Notepad
A collection of thoughts, problems, solutions
1. The Art of Questioning: Someone once said that the right answers reveal themselves only to the right questions. But the right questions are also powerful ways to direct thoughts. Well-phrased questions may be more effective than commands because the answer that the student must give is necessarily their own. The result of a command is impersonal; the result following from a question is personal. The art of skillful questioning in teaching is an active effort by the instructor to understand and guide students to their own understanding. The awareness and skill required to perform at this level of instruction is truly awe-inspiring! 2. Types of Questions: Note that the points to consider when formulating questions are, for the most part, not topical (low-level memory based). The underlying goals which frame the questions are often about developing the foundational skills. For a physics course, this underlying foundation or skill necessarily involves the method of scientific inquiry (or scientific process). Raising the “cognitive emphasis” of questions is critical. However, a balance of low-to-high level questions should also be considered. 3. Divergent Questions: The use of divergent questioning in the technical fields are just as useful as the convergent questioning. Too often, teachers forget that engineering or science is much more than just “right” or “wrong”. Everything must be evaluated in terms of what is already understood. One could even say that the process of doing science is a never ending quest to verify what we know. 4. Time: Instructors must wait at least five seconds after asking a question. A very good rule! 5. Purpose: Questions are to invite and stimulate discussion within the classroom, not to probe an individual student! I myself have experienced multiple uncomfortable moments when the lecturer asks a question and waits for a response. Someone with a temperament similar to my own will undoubtedly be afraid of answering any question in a classroom setting. In fact, I often break out in a sweat! To alleviate this stress in some students, instructors should craft their questions to stimulate and invite rather than assess. This small difference is the difference between dreading a course of study and being inspired by it for many pupils (including myself).
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Leave a Reply.Al DanielsHi. I'm a currently a PhD student at the Vermont Complex Systems Center. I prefer not to use social media platforms, so I occasionally share my thoughts here! Archives
December 2018
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