Chapter 5: "Questioning" Response

Questions are a powerful tool in learning process. Inquiry is a facet of learning that strongly promotes brainstorming and higher order thinking. The last thing students need is teacher reading text to them and handing out worksheets. Questions being provided, not only on paper, but in discussions, can be extremely conducive to a successful classroom. The key idea to remember is consistent engagement in the learning process. Questioning throughout the learning process has that power, in that it gives the students a sense of purpose and the assurance that their input is important in the classroom.

Based on my experiences as a student, many teachers do question their students, but in the wrong manner. Often times my teachers' questions were either not challenging enough, to the point that it was insulting; too challenging, to the point that I felt stupid when not knowing the answer; or too rushed. For questions to be successful to a good learning environment, they should be challenging, yet reasonable; and should allow an appropriate amount of answering time. When questions are not asked in the correct way, students can feel challenged in a bad way, and can easily become overwhelmed.

When I was in school growing up, I was one of the students who immediately crept under my shell once the teacher started asking questions. I immediately correlated questions with "tests" and judgement from my teacher and peers. "Teachers are inclined to plan thinking activities where the learners' potential to question the text is diminished because the teacher dominates the questioning." I chose this quote from the text because it is so true. All throughout my classes, I was often intimidated by answering teachers' questions. This was either because there was a "smart kid" who answered everything, or the teacher would belittle me for answering wrongly. I never correlated questions with discussion and conversation, and I think that is what left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Question: How can we, as teachers, be sure we are targeting ALL students in the classroom? Also, what is an effective way to make other students feel they can speak, and ways to prevent the "smart kid" from dying to answer every question?