1

UNIT 6 THE ART OF QUESTIONING

Introduction

The importance of questioning has been recognized by the

great teacher method for many generations. In the classroom, the
question assumes a still more important role. It is key to all
educational activities.

The class interaction depends on the teacher questioning

skills. What skills should you acquire to generate interaction among
students? The question is how and what questions should be used to
generate great responses.

The kind of question we ask determines the level of thinking

we develop. Low-level questions demand low-level responses, high-
level questions call for higher thinking ability, “why” and ‘how”
question requires analysis of observations. A daily lesson is seldom
without even a single question. It is the question, stated in any form
that unlocks thinking. Hence, it is integral in the teaching practice.

PRETEST
Encircle the letter of the correct answer.
1. Which practice in questioning brings about more
classroom interaction?
A. Asking the question before calling on a student
B. Focusing on divergent questions
C. Focusing on convergent questions
D. Asking rhetorical questions

2. If students are not responding to your questions, what

technique should you use?
A. Ask a specific student to respond, state the question, and
wait for a response
B. Tell the class that it will have detention unless an
answer is forthcoming
C. Ask another question, an easier one
D. Wait for a response

2
3. What should you do if she wants to teach her
students how to synthesize?
A. Ask her students to formulate a generalization from the
data shown in graphs
B. Ask her students to answer questions beginning with “What if…”
C. Tell her students to state data presented in graphs
D. Directs his students to ask questions on the part of the
lesson not understood

4. The following are acceptable purposes of a question EXCEPT:

A. To call the attention of an inattentive student
B. To teach via student answers
C. To stimulate learners to ask questions
D. To arouse interest and curiosity

5. Teachers must avoid questions to promote maximum interaction

A. Informational C. Leading
B. Rhetorical D. Divergent

6. In asking higher-order questions, a teacher must ask

more
questions
A. Closed C. Concept
B. Fact D. Convergent

7. What is NOT a logical and sound purpose of questioning?

A. To probe deeper after an answer is given
B. To discipline a bully in class
C. To remind students of a procedure
D. To encourage self-reflection

8. After commenting on a paragraph, the teacher asked her

students to rate a given paragraph based on the elements of
the paragraph. What is the level of the student’s task?
A. Application C. Evaluation
B. Analysis D. Synthesis

9. Analyze this test item. “Group these in terms of shape”. This

question is an example of what type of question?
A. Creating C. classifying
B. Generalizing D. Predicting

10. What is a convergent question?

A. Did La Solidaridad accomplish its purpose? Why or why not?
B. Who was the first editor of the La Solidaridad?
C. Why did the La Solidaridad come about?
3
D. If you were editor of the La Solidaridad what would you do?

4
11. Which teacher's behavior does enhance the
development of higher- level thinking skills?
A. Encouraging credibility as a criterion
B. Asking convergent questions
C. Making students aware of their mental process
D. Teaching for meaning

12. Read this test item then answer the question below.
What is the end punctuation for an interrogative sentence?
A. Quotation mark C. Period
B. Comma D. Question mark

13. What statement would most likely promote student

participation?
A. Feeling or emotions are not permitted in the discussion.
B. The group leader allows quiet members to remain quiet
C. The teacher models good listening habit
D. Repeat direction over and over until everyone listens

14. To brainstorm effectively, which must be removed?

A. Non-threatening atmosphere
B. Teacher’s judgmental attitude
C. Openness to idea
D. Making use of other’s ideas shared

15. Which is appropriate in the following question behaviors?

A. Repeating the student’s response
B. Allowing choral responses
C. Cutting a student who gives a ling response
D. Asking the question then calling students to answer

5
LESSON 6.1 CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD QUESTIONS

The importance of questioning has been recognized by the

great teacher of the method for many generations. It would be
impossible to consider adequately methods of teaching without
recognizing the question is the key to all education activity above
the habit-skill level. The teacher must have the ability to frame
questions skillfully. Self-confidence on the part of the teacher is
essential in questioning.

Objectives:

1. Enumerate the type of question according to purpose/answer

2. Discuss the characteristics of a good question
3. Identify some question skill that teacher should develop to
generate interaction
4. Identify and discuss what functions do questions perform in teaching

Incite

Activity 6.1

Prepare your question: Analyze the question you made. Will

it be easy to get the kind of response you like?

Types of questions according to purpose

1. For assessing cognition

This type of question is used to determine one’s knowledge of
understanding. They promote high-level thinking. Different
questions and open-ended questions call for analysis and
evaluation.

6
 2. For verification

It determines the success or accuracy of the results of an

activity or performance.

3. For creative thinking

It probes into one’s originality. The question may ask for

student’s ideas or a new way of doing things

4. For evaluating
It elicits responses that include judgments, value, and choice.
It also asks personal opinion about an event, a policy, or a
person.
5. For productive thinking
It includes cognitive reasoning. It analyzes facts,
recognizes pattern or trends, and invoke memory and
recall.
6. For motivating

Before discussing the lesson, some questions about the

topic can serve to arouse their interest and focus attention.

7. For instructing
The question asks for useful information. It direct, guides,
and advice on what and how to do an activity.

Types of the question according to the level of an answer:

1. Low level of question

They include memory question or those require simple recall
2. High level of question
These questions call for a respondent’s ability to analyze,
evaluate, and solve problems.
3. Convergent questions

They are questions that require a single predictable answer.

4. Divergent questions
They require the respondent to think “different directions”
7
to think of alternative action or to arrive at their own
decision.

8
Characteristics of Good Question

 They must be carefully planned

 They must be brief and direct
 They must be adapted to the ability and experience of the students
 They must be free from the wording of the textbook
 They must be definite in requirements
 They should stimulate thinking and reasoning
 They must follow certain aims
 They must be related to one another
 They should be of varying difficulty
 They must allow logical order
Functions of Question:
1. To measure the pupil's achievements in knowledge, habits,
abilities skills, and attitude. A question can be used to
measure a student's understanding of the facts learned.
2. To stimulate interest in the work at hand.
The question that stimulates interest, must be adapted to the
experience and ability of the students and should create a
situation likely to involve a desire to know. Curiosity or
interest is the best stimulus to learning that can be utilized by
the teacher.
3. To help the student to correlate experience to the new lesson
4. To challenge individual attention. Stimulating questions will
arouse interest which is the basis for attention.
5. To develop the power of evaluation
The teacher can, by the use of discriminating questions lead
the students to evaluate carefully the value of data in
textbooks, both for the correctness and relative significance.
6. To develop power or organization. The use of related
questions will lead the students to use the relation of one fact
to another.
7. To stimulate thought
It is generally accepted that the heart of every question there
is a problem. The most simple memory questions will evoke
thought. The primary function of the question is the
stimulation of thought.
8. To develop appreciation
A well-directed series of questions may create likes and
dislikes. The teachers need to realize that the proper question
technique may be a help in fostering such attitudes.

9
 Wrap-up

Exercise 6.1.1

1. Enumerate and explain the characteristics of a good question

2. What type of questions are suitable for the development
of the thinking and reasoning powers of the students.

10
 Apply

Exercise 6.1.2

1. Are all “what” questions to be avoided? Defend your

answer.
2. What functions do questions perform in teaching?

11
 Reflect

Exercise 6.1.3

Purpose your kind of question. Analyze the question you made.

Will it be easy to get the kind of response you like?

12
LESSON 6.2 TECHNIQUES IN ASKING QUESTION

Webster defines technique as the method of performance in

any art; technique skill, artistic execution. The technique is the
teacher's way of combining and emphasizing the element of the
classroom situation. The technique employed by the teacher in the
classroom is of prime importance to the education of the students.
Effective question techniques generate class interaction.

The technique in asking a question in any situation concerns

the skillful way and manner of questioning.

Objective:

1. Enumerate and explain the principles/technique in asking questions

Incite

Activity 6.2

It is said that “children come to school as question

marks but leave school as period.” What thus this
mean.

The techniques in asking questions:

 Varying type of question. Ask convergent, divergent, and

evaluation questions. Convergent questions have only one
acceptable correct answer. Divergent questions are open and
many have more than one acceptable answer. The evaluation
question requires judgment concerning the subject of focus.
 Asking non-directed questions. Pose a question first, then call
on a student to answer.
 Calling on non-volunteers
 Preparing

13
 Sequencing logically

14
  Requiring abstract thinking. This means going beyond
simple recall questions.
 Asking open-ended question
 Allowing for sufficient time to wait
 Questions should not be asked hurriedly
 The question should not be asked in a natural modulated
voice rather than in imperatively formal classroom manner
 Questions that are quite difficult should be addressed to the
bright students unless the slow or average pupils show a sign
of readiness to answer.
 Inattentive or mischievous students should be made the target
questions
 Never make the pupil conscious that he or she is through with
one question

How to improve the questioning techniques

The following are some points to consider too improve one’s

questioning technique

 Know your style of questioning

 Request a colleague to criticize your style
 Increase your repertoire of type of questions
 Consider the individual abilities and interest of the students
 Spend time reflecting on the type of questions you ask.
Improve on them

15
 Wrap-up

Exercise 6.2.1

Effective questioning techniques generate class

interaction. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

16
 Apply

Exercise 6.2.2

1. What are some questioning skills that teachers

should develop to generate interaction?
2. How can a teacher improve his/her questioning skills

17
 Reflect

Exercise 6.2.3

Reflect on the kind of question you ask. Do you get the

correct response? Why?

18
LESSON 6.3 TECHNIQUES IN HANDLING STUDENT RESPONSES

Sometimes, we teachers take our reaction to our students’

responses for granted. We forget how crucial this part of teaching is.
By the way, we handle our students’ responses, we either
encourage or discourage them from actively participating in class
interaction. As regards the manner of dealing with the answer given
by the students there is no hard and fast rule to follow.

Objective:

1. Enumerate and discuss technique in dealing student response

Incite

Activity 6.3

A teacher can be a motivation or a de-motivation in

dealing with student response? Do you agree? Explain your
answer.

The following technique can help in handling students’ responses.

1. Providing feedback on the correctness or incorrectness of a

response. In providing feedback:

1.1Remember that the reaction “that’s wrong” can put off or

embarrass a learner. Be more tactful.
1.2Give a hint or break down the question if necessary, to guide
the learner to the correct response.
1.3Explain the correct answer when the learner cannot arrive it
19
1.4Initially ask easy questions to enhance the students’ self-
confidence and to encourage active participation from
everyone

20
2. Giving appropriate praise to a high-
quality response. In giving appropriate praises:

2.1Match praise to the level of difficulty of the question answered

or to the quality of the response given.
2.2Vary acceptance reactions
2.3Remember that a slow/insecure learner needs more praise
than a fast/confident one.

3. Making follow-up questions

3.1Remember that follow up questions should logically relate to

the preceding questions and or the students' response.
3.2Follow up questions should be characteristically
developmental and directed towards a better/deeper
understanding of the topic being discussed.
3.3Clearly-stated, short follow-up questions elicit better repose
from the students.

4. Redirecting questions

4.1Certain questions deserve to be answered by more than one

learner. Take advantage of the opportunity to promote
creative or divergent thinking
4.2Some students need a reformulation of the question for better
understanding. Be sensitive and accommodating to such
needs.

5. Following up a student’s repose with related questions. In

explaining the question/answer:

5.1Slowly repeating or replacing certain words in question may

be way the way to enable a student to give the correct
answer.
5.2On the other hand, other students may need to understand
better and accepted response to a question

6. Re-phrasing the seemingly unclear question

6.1Rephrase unclear questions by using terms or idioms familiar

to the student
6.2Avoid long and complicated sentence structure in asking questions
21
 7. Showing non-verbal encouragement

7.1Cultivate the habit of conveying positive meanings through

body language. Body language, particularly a teacher’s facial
expression, during recitation communicates a message of
encouragement or otherwise to students.
7.2Eye to eye contact, a smiling face, and an encouraging hand
gesture remove the fear of embarrassment from the students

8. Encouraging learners to ask questions

8.1Watch out for a student who seems to have problems with

certain responses. Encourage to bring them to bring out their
questions
8.2Create a communication climate that encourages pupils to
provide additional information or give comments that can add
to understanding.

Types of how to encourage a student to ask questions.

1. The teacher’s questioning technique is the key to encouraging

students to ask correct, relevant, and high-level questions.
His/her questions can serve as a good example

2. Attend to their questions. Avoid discussing irrelevant

questions. Assist in clarifying or refocusing to solicit correct
responses.

3. Praise the correctly formulated questions

4. Allot an appropriate time slot for open questioning. This will

encourage the slow thinker to participate freely.

22
 Wrap-up

Exercise 6.3.1

Handling student’s response is crucial. By the way a

teacher handle student’s response, he/she either encourages
or discourages them from actively participating in class
interaction. Share an experience wherein you have been
encouraged or discouraged to participate in class discussion.

23
 Apply

Exercise 6.3.2

1. How should you react if the answer given is a pure guess?

2. What are some effective reacting techniques?

24
 Reflect

Exercise 6.3.3

Create a scenario on how you will encourage students to ask

intelligent questions?

25
POSTTEST
Encircle the letter of the correct answer.
1. Which practice in questioning brings about more
classroom interaction?
A. Asking the question before calling on a student
B. Focusing on divergent questions
C. Focusing on convergent questions
D. Asking rhetorical questions

2. If students are not responding to your questions, what

technique should you use?
A. Ask a specific student to respond, state the question, and
wait for a response
B. Tell the class that it will have detention unless an
answer is forthcoming
C. Ask another question, an easier one
D. Wait for a response

3. What should you do if she wants to teach her

students how to synthesize?
A. Ask her students to formulate a generalization from the
data shown in graphs
B. Ask her students to answer questions beginning with “What if…”
C. Tell her students to state data presented in graphs
D. Directs his students to ask questions on the part of the
lesson not understood

4. The following are acceptable purposes of a question EXCEPT:

A. To call the attention of an inattentive student
B. To teach via student answers
C. To stimulate learners to ask questions
D. To arouse interest and curiosity

5. Teachers must avoid questions to promote maximum

interaction A.Informational C. Leading
B.Rhetorical D. Divergent

26
6. In asking higher-order questions, a teacher must ask
more
questions
A. Closed C. Concept
B. Fact D. Convergent

7. What is NOT a logical and sound purpose of questioning?

A. To probe deeper after an answer is given
B. To discipline a bully in class
C. To remind students of a procedure
D. To encourage self-reflection

8. After commenting on a paragraph, the teacher asked her

students to rate a given paragraph based on the elements of
the paragraph. What is the level of the student’s task?
A. Application C. Evaluation
B. Analysis D. Synthesis

9. Analyze this test item. “Group these in terms of shape”. This

question is an example of what type of question?
A. Creating C. classifying
B. Generalizing D. Predicting

10. What is a convergent question?

A. Did La Solidaridad accomplish its purpose? Why or why not?
B. Who was the first editor of the La Solidaridad?
C. Why did the La Solidaridad come about?
D. If you were editor of the La Solidaridad what would you do?

11. Which teacher's behavior does enhance the

development of higher- level thinking skills?
A. Encouraging credibility as a criterion
B. Asking convergent questions
C. Making students aware of their mental process
27
 D. Teaching for meaning

12. Read this test item then answer the question below.
What is the end punctuation for an interrogative sentence?
A. Quotation mark C. Period
B. Comma D. Question mark

13. What statement would most likely promote student

participation?
A. Feeling or emotions are not permitted in the discussion.
B. The group leader allows quiet members to remain quiet
C. The teacher models good listening habit
D. Repeat direction over and over until everyone listens

14. To brainstorm effectively, which must be removed?

A. Non-threatening
atmosphere B.Teacher’s
judgmental attitude
C. Openness to idea

D.Making use of other’s ideas shared

15. Which is appropriate in the following question behaviors?

A. Repeating the student’s response
B. Allowing choral responses
C. Cutting a student who gives a ling response
D. Asking the question then calling students to answer

28
29