Effective Questioning Techniques

In addition to keeping students on their toes, regularly asking questions is also a good way of getting feedback on student learning. However, not all questions are effective or useful for the learning process. For example, a common mistake made is to ask a question and then immediately move on when the correct answer is given. How will we ascertain that all students (including the one that gave the answer) know the rationale behind the answer?

Tips on how to ask questions effectively:

1. Keep in mind our course goals when planning questions. This helps keep the focus on the main reason for the course.
2. Avoid asking leading questions, as it may discourage students from formulating their own ideas about the topic being discussed.
3. Avoid interrupting students' answers, as this can be distracting and demoralising.
4. Avoid asking a question, then answering it yourself. Doing so will condition students to passively wait for the answer, resulting in less thinking.
5. As much as possible, avoid questions that result in yes/no responses. In the event that such questions are unavoidable, follow up with additional questions to probe for understanding.
6. Instead of asking a single complex question, use a sequence of questions to build depth and complexity. A suggested technique to use is Socratic Questioning.
7. Where possible, encourage students to discuss their responses with a partner before calling on them to answer. Doing so will not only increase the likelihood of getting a response (whether correct or incorrect), it can also contribute to a more conducive learning environment.
8. When asking questions, we need to be mindful that students need time to think and formulate their answers. Race (2009) suggests the Question-Pause-Pounce technique:

• Ask the question
• Give the students enough time to be ready to answer.
• Pounce – Pick a student at random.

Responding effectively to questions

As students get more comfortable with you, they will begin to engage more (Auster & MacRone, 1994) which might result in them asking you questions. How do you handle such questions? Do you answer them or should you redirect them? What if you receive questions for which you have no answer?

Some ways to effectively respond to questions from students:

1. Give yourself time to think by repeating the question, or use holding lines such as, "This is a really good question".
2. If you don't know the answer, don't try to make one up. Admit that while you don't have an answer at this moment, you have one by the next lesson. Alternatively, you might wish to use one of the following techniques:​

• ​​Redirect the question to the class and see if there is anyone who can provide a response.
  
• Turn the question into a class activity where students (and yourself) seek the answer.
  

3. ​​Avo​id answering every question yourself. Instead:

• Redirect the question to another student.
  
• Use the Socratic Questioning technique to help the student answer his/her own question.
• If the question is too complex or tangential to the lesson, defer answering the question until after the class (or to a more appropriate time).