“Children go to school as question marks and leave school as periods.” (Neil Postman) and “Good Learning starts with questions not answers.” (Guy Claxton) these are two quotations which deal with effective questioning to children inside the classroom.
Many teachers have been observed by education supervisors, district supervisors, principals, and department heads to have asked mostly “what” questions in the entire session or class. Perhaps they were all answered by the pupils; since, the questions were all simple recall. But the big question is, has the teacher helped develop the children’s’ thinking skills.
According to Webster Dictionary, a question is any sentence which has an interrogative form. It can be answerable by yes or no or by other information. In the classroom settings, teacher questions are defined as instructional cues or stimuli that convey to students the content elements to be learned and directions for what they are to do and how they are to do it. The teacher must always put in mind that the knowledge and skills used in asking different types of questions in a classroom is one important but critical aspect of the teaching and learning process.
Why are questions important? Questions play an important role not only for teachers but also for students, meaning both in the teaching and learning process, questions are significant factors because childrens’ achievement and their level of engagement, depend on the types of questions teachers’ formulate and use in a classroom(Keiry, 2002).
Therefore, teachers must be careful in designing/ formulating questions to stimulate curiosity, provoke ideas, clarify concepts and challenge beliefs. Students develop their listening and thinking skills when exposed to the right set of questions. It is vital therefore for teachers to assess their current questioning techniques.
By: Ma. Lourdes A. Dizon | Master Teacher I | Samal North Elemenary School |
