Art

of
Questioning

Gonzaga, Anna Priscilla

Mendoza
BSEDMT 3-1

Prof. Jane

The ability to ask and answer questions is central to learning. For more
than two thousand years (since Socrates) the question has been an integral
part of teaching. Only within the last decade and a half, however, has
extensive research been directed to questions and questioning strategies.
The information which has been generated from this research indicates that
teachers largely have been asking the wrong questions. We have been
focusing primarily on questions regarding the specific information students
possessed rather than questions to promote learning.
The art of questioning for students is the foundation of all good
teaching practice. It provides for both assessment and student growth
(learning) and is the core of the scientific method and how we learn.

Purposes of Questions

To promote student thinking

To verify student understanding
To foster student participation

Types of Questions

Focusing Question
A question that clearly specifies the issue.

Probing Question
The main job of the probing question, which follows main or follow-up

question, is to clarify.

Prompting Question

A prompt is a cue or aide. Prompts aid recall by triggering a memory

association. Prompts help respondents talk about something you are

interested in, but they have not talked about voluntarily. Prompts can be
brands, products, activities, names of things, and people.

Levels of Questions

Knowledge (who, what, whom, where, why, how)

Comprehension (retell)
Analysis (What are the parts of.... ? features of....? Classify according

to....)
Application (How is.... an example of....? How is.... related to.....? Why

is.... significant....?)
Synthesis (What would infer from? What ideas can you add to? How

would you design a new....? What would happen if you combine...?)

Evaluation (Do you agree that...? What do you think about...? What is
the most important.....? Place the ff. in order of priority. How would you
decide about...? What criteria do you need to use to assess....?)

Techniques of Effective Questioning

1. Establish an appropriate environment
2. Create a climate conducive to learning
3. Prepare the students for the questioning session and discussion
4. Use both pre-planned and emerging questions
5. Use an appropriate variety and mix of questions
6. Avoid trick questions and those that require only a YES or NO response
7. Phrase the questions carefully, concisely, and clearly
8. Address questions to the group, versus the individual
9. Select both volunteers and non-volunteers to answer questions
10.
Adapt questions to the needs of the learners
11.
Use sufficient wait time
12.
Respond to answers given by students
13.
Use questions to identify learning objectives for follow-up selfstudy

Handling Students Response

1.
2.
3.
4.
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7.

Show appreciation for any answer

Wrong answers should never be allowed to go uncorrected
Giving appropriate praise for high quality responses
Following up a students response with related questions
Answering in chorus should not be allowed by the teacher
Student should recite to the whole class, not to the teacher
Students should be encouraged to observe correct grammar and

answer in complete sentence

8. Showing non-verbal encouragement
9. Refrain from marking the student in the record book during class
recitation

Handling Students Questions

1. Teacher should be glad to welcome questions
2. Irrelevant and inane questions should not be entertained
3. Questions should be thrown first to the whole class for an answer or
discussion
4. Questions should be in correct grammar or in good language
5. The teacher should honestly admit if he does not know the answer to a
question
6. Very shy students should be encouraged to write their questions
anonymously and give them to the teacher
7. Allot appropriate time slot for open questioning

References
http://www.slideshare.net/adelinecantillas/the-art-of-questioning-5946182
http://www.focusgrouptips.com/focus-group-questionnaire.html