Sunday, February 9, 2014

Blog Assignment #4

What do we need to know about asking questions to be an effective teacher?

Teachers are responsible for stimulating each and every student so they can develop their own thinking process. Questions are a major part of the thinking process. The following articles and videos display what we need to know about questions and how to use them wisely in a classroom setting.

The first article is called "The Right Way to Ask Questions in the Classroom" by Ben Johnson. From my understanding, teachers need to focus on what the goal of the question is. Start off by defining the purpose of the question. The questions being delivered to the class should be subject specific. When asking questions teachers should stray away from generic and ineffective questions. The students need to benefit from the questions being asked. A way this can start happening in the classroom is to focus on the entire class and get everyone brainstorming for an answer. The whole class will be involved if the teachers are creative and try out new innovative strategies along the way. Teachers may not get it right the first time. Practice makes perfect.

The second article called " Asking Questions to Improve Learning" includes strategies for asking questions. In our future lesson plans we need to implement questions. Preparation is needed for the questions being delivered. In order to make sure that the students grasp the content the questions must be clear. An important strategy is to avoid asking yes or no questions. If using a yes or no question, make sure to elaborate on the next question. Make sure the students have time to think of an answer. Another significant strategy is to ask a variety of questions. There are three types of questions that can be used in the classroom. The three types are closed, open, and managerial. Closed questions are to test students knowledge of the subject. Open questions get students to think out side the box. Last but not least managerial questions are asked to make sure that students have the background knowledge and the appropriate materials. The students need to understand whats being asked of them. An educator is someone who is encouraging and supportive. While listening to students responses we should provide meaningful feedback and the correct answer. Teachers may not know everything! Listen to the students answers and actually care about what they have to say. While asking questions use Blooms Taxonomy. After all that is how a lesson plan should be created. Why not connect the two?

The third article called "Three Ways to Ask Better Questions in the Classrooms" by Maryellen Weimer provides even more insight on how to ask questions effectively. Be prepared when asking questions. Have some fun with the questions and change it up. The teacher does not always have to answer the question right away. Take notes! After all the students are the biggest part of the classroom. Their input is important and could help teachers with future lessons.

The first YouTube video is called "Asking Better Questions in the Classroom Pt.1" by Joanee Chesley. It explains the difference between an open ended question and closed ended question. Closed ended questions can be answered with one response. Open ended questions give the class a chance to answer in many ways. Teachers can include both types of questions in their classroom to keep students actively engaged.

The next YouTube video is called "Question, Styles, and Strategies". This video takes place in a fifth grade classroom. The students in this classroom are reading a novel for class. The teacher asks questions in each learning style. The styles include mastery, understanding, interpersonal, and self-expressive questions. The content of the questions had the students describing the characters for mastery. For self-expressive the students drew a picture. For interpersonal they stated what they liked about the character. For the understanding style the students described how the relationships effected the story. This strategy seems to get the entire class involved and listening.

When asking questions make sure they meet the standards. The following standards are important to remember. While introducing a topic to the class provide primitive examples and explanations.Be clear and informative.The questions being given should be factual and appropriate information.These standards stick out the most to me. Remember to follow ALL the ACCRS standards when delivering questions.



Questions

Asking Questions to Improve Learning

Asking Questions to Improve Learning

Three Ways to Ask Better Questions in the Classroom

Asking Better Questions in the Classroom PT.1

Question Styles and Strategies

Writing a Quality Blog Post

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