2. “CHILDREN GO TO SCHOOL
AS QUESTION MARKS AND
LEAVE SCHOOL AS PERIODS.”Niel Postman
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
3. FOCUS QUESTIONS:
1. For a highly interactive classroom, what are the various
types of questions asked?
2. What are some questioning skills that teachers should
develop to generate interaction?
3. How can a teacher improve his/her questioning skills?
4. What are some effective reacting techniques?
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
4. LOW LEVEL QUESTIONS DEMAND LOW LEVEL
RESPONSES
Examples:
• What was the temperature range yesterday?
• What insect transmits dengue fever?
• What part of a plant serves as its factory?
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
5. HIGH LEVEL QUESTIONS CALL FOR HIGHER-ORDER
THINKING ABILITY
Examples:
• Why does temperature continue to rise from early
morning till about noontime?
• How does the hydrologic cycle occur?
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
6. TYPES OF QUESTIONS
ACCORDING TO PURPOSE
1. For Assessing Cognition 5. For Productive Thinking
2. For Verification 6. For Motivating
3. For Creative Thinking 7. For Instructing
4. For Evaluating
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
7. FOR ASSESSING COGNITION
This type of questions is used to determine one’s
knowledge in understanding.
Examples:
• What is likely to happen if the ozone layer of the atmosphere
continues to deteriorate?
• Why is sound heard louder when underwater than out of it?
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
8. FOR VERIFICATION
It determines the exactness or accuracy of the results
of an activity or performance.
Examples:
• Was the weight of liquid displaced exactly the same as the
weight of the object immersed in it?
• Why is lightning seen before thunder is heard?
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
9. FOR CREATIVE THINKING
It probes into one’s originality.
Example:
•How will you present the layers of the earth to
your class?
•How can you demonstrate soil – less gardening?
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
10. FOR EVALUATING
It elicits responses that include judgments,
value and choice. It also asks personal opinions
about an event, a policy or a person.
Example:
• Was your teacher’s slide presentation well done?
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
11. FOR PRODUCTIVE THINKING
It includes cognitive reasoning. It analyses facts,
recognizes patterns or trends and invokes memory
and recall.
Examples:
• Why was our fourth Secretary of the Department of
Agriculture successful with the small landowners?
• How can we apply the Law of Conservation of Energy?
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
12. FOR MOTIVATING
Before discussing the lesson, a number of questions about
the topic can serve to arouse their interest and focus attention. It
attempts to put students in the right mood.
Examples:
• Would you like to know how your favorite flower can remain fresh
longer?
• Did you ever train a pet?
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
13. FOR INSTRUCTING
The question asks for useful information. It
directs, guides and advise on what and how to
do an activity.
Example:
•What are the steps in performing an experiment?
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
14. TYPES OF QUESTIONS
ACCORDING TO LEVEL/ANSWER
1. Low Level Questions 3. Convergent Questions
2. High Level Questions 4. Divergent Questions
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
15. LOW LEVEL QUESTIONS
They include memory questions or those
that require simple recall.
Examples:
•Define Energy.
•State the first law of motion.
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
16. HIGH LEVEL QUESTIONS
These questions call for a respondent’s ability to
analyze, evaluate and solve problems.
Examples:
• What is the relationship between the distance of a planet and
its period of revolution?
• Why does temperature rise towards noontime?
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
17. CONVERGENT QUESTIONS
They are questions that require a single predictable
answer. Examples are those that call for:
1) Defining, 2) Stating, 3) Interpreting & 4) Summarizing
Example:
• When does lunar eclipse occur?
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
18. DIVERGENT QUESTIONS
They require the respondents to think in “different
directions”, to think of alternative actions or to arrive at own
decision.
Examples:
• Why are you voting for him?
• What will happen if you leave it under direct sunlight for a week?
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
19. QUESTIONING SKILLS
1. Varying Type of Question 6. Requiring Abstract Thinking
2. Asking Non-directed Questions 7. Asking Open-ended Questions
3. Calling on Non-volunteers 8. Allowing for Sufficient Wait Time
4. Rephrasing 9. Assessing Comprehension
5. Sequencing Logically 10. Involving as Many as Possible
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
20. VARYING TYPE OF QUESTION
Convergent – have only one acceptable correct answer
e.g. “What is the process of food manufacture that takes place in plants
called?”
Divergent – open and may have more than one acceptable answer
e.g. “How can the government most effectively enforce laws against
water pollution?”
Evaluative – requires judgment concerning the subject of focus
e.g. “What is your evaluation of our manner of election in the country?”
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
23. REPHRASING
If you sense a question was not
understood, simplify it or ask it in another
way.
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
24. SEQUENCING LOGICALLY
It is asking related questions one from
simple to complex one after another.
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
25. REQUIRING ABSTRACT THINKING
This means going beyond simple recall questions.
Examples:
• What meaning can you derive from the data presented in
the graph?
• What generalization can you draw from the data
presented?
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
26. ASKING OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS
This means asking divergent questions
to develop higher-order thinking skills.
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
27. ALLOWING FOR SUFFICIENT WAIT TIME
A number of things to consider are:
a) The Level of Difficulty of the Question
b) The Type of Response Required
c) The Background Knowledge of the Respondents
d) The Intellectual Ability of the Respondents
Average of 2 to 5 seconds – “what” questions
Average of 5 to 10 seconds – “why” and “how” questions
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
29. INVOLVING AS MANY AS
POSSIBLE
Distribute your questions to as
many students. Widen participation.
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
30. HOW TO IMPROVE QUESTIONING
TECHNIQUE
The following are some points to consider to improve one’s questioning
technique.
1. Know your own style of questioning
2. Request a colleague to critique your own style as to:
a.) kind of questions often asked
b.) amount of wait- time provided and
c.) the type of responses required
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
31. 3. Increase your own repertoire of type of questions
4. Consider the individual abilities and interests of the
students.
5. Spend time reflecting on the type of questions you
ask.
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
32. HOW TO ENCOURAGE QUESTION
FROM STUDENTS
Neil Postman said, “they come to school as
question mark” but unfortunately, “leaves
school as periods”.
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
33. HOW CAN WE ENCOURAGE CHILDREN
TO ASK QUESTION
Here are some tips:
1. The teachers questioning technique is the key in encouraging
students to ask correct, relevant and high level questions.
2. Attend to their questions. Avoid dismissing irrelevant questions.
Assist in clarifying or refocusing in order to solicit correct
responses.
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
34. 3. Praise the correctly formulated question. It develops
confidence and makes knowledge search easy and
satisfying.
4. Allot an appropriate time slot for open questioning. This
will encourage the slow thinkers to participate freely.
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
35. HANDLING PUPILS RESPONSE
1. Providing feedback on the correctness or incorrectness of a response. In providing corrective
feedback:
1.1 Remember that the reaction “That’s wrong” can put off or embarrass a learner. Be more tactful.
1.2 Give a hint or break down the question if necessary, to guide the learner to the correct response.
1.3 Explain the correct answer when the learners cannot arrive at it.
1.4 Initially ask easy questions to enhance the students (particularly as low ones) self-confidence and
to encourage active participation from everyone.
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
36. 2. Giving appropriate raise to high quality responses.
In giving appropriate praise:
2.1 Match praise to the level of difficulty of the question answered or to
the quality of the response given.
2.2 Vary acceptance reactions. As someone said, there are 99 was of
saying “ok”.
2.3 Remember that a slow/insecure learner needs more praise than a
fast/confident one. Be discrete, lest the faster ones think that praise is only for
the slow learners.
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
37. 3. Making follow-up questions
In making follow-up questions:
3.1 Remember that follow-up question showed logically relate to the
preceding questions and/or the learners response.
3.2 Follow-up questions should be characteristically developmental and
directed towards a better/deeper understanding of the topic being discussed.
3.3 Clearly stated, short follow up questions elicit better responses from
the students.
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
38. 4. Redirecting Questions
4.1 Certain questions deserve to be answered by more than
one learner. Take advantage of this opportunity to promote creative
or divergent thinking.
4.2 Some students need a re-formulation of the question for
better understanding.
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
39. 5. Following up the students response with related questions
In explaining question/answer:
5.1 Slowly repeating or replacing certain words in a question
may be the way to enable the student to give the correct answer.
5.2 On the other hand, other students may need to
understand better an accepted (learner’s) response to a question.
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
40. 6. Re-phrasing the seemingly unclear question
6.1 Rephrase unclear questions by using terms or
idioms familiar to the students.
6.2 Avoid long and complicated sentence
structures in asking question.
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
41. 7. Showing non-verbal encouragement
In showing non-verbal encouragement:
7.1 Cultivate the habit of conveying positive meaning
through your body language.
7.2 Eye to eye contact, smiling face and an
encouraging hand gesture remove fear of embarrassment
from the students.
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
42. 8. Encouraging learners to ask question
8.1 Watch out for students who seem to have
problems (via non-verbal indicators) about certain
responses.
8.2 Create a communication climate which
encourages pupils to provide additional information or give
comments that can add to understanding.
Effective Questioning and Reacting Techniques
