Blog Post #4

As a teacher, having questions to ask your students is just as important as being able to answer their questions. Questions are important because not only does it gauge how much your students have learned, but opens to floor for your students to share their own opinions. However, simply asking any question is not going to be effective.

The steps laid out by Maryellen Weimer, writer of the article Three Ways to Ask Better Questions in the Classroom suggest that teachers prepare questions beforehand. This a great way to cut down on the confusion of trying to come up with a question on the spot. Students are more likely to questions they can easily comprehend rather than those that are unclear. In that same article she mentions playing with the question. The way she described it, I interpreted it as it being like a "Question of the Day." As a teacher you could utilize this. Have you students write down the question and tell them to keep the question in mind as the lesson goes on. At the end of the class, have an open discussion about the question. This is a great way to engage the students and create an open environment. This can make us an effective teacher because we should also be aware of the "Question of the Day" so we can have a discussion with the students as well.

In the article Asking Questions to Improve Learning, it is suggested for teachers to learn how to respond effectively. If a student responds incorrectly, it is our job as teachers to point out their mistakes, but also turn that into a learning process. Instead of just telling their they're wrong, help them get to the right answer by asking a couple of questions and taking suggestions from other students.

Questions are great teaching tools because they require students to think for themselves and this requires them to understand the information given. To be effective in teaching, we need to know which questions will most beneficial where and when in the classroom.