This time of year can be a good time to fine-tune teaching strategies. These ideas deal with asking questions in the classroom to foster learning.
- Allow sufficient wait time after you ask a question. This may be 5, 10, or 15 seconds or more depending upon grade level, student ability and the complexity of the question.
- It’s a good idea to allow students to jot down notes so they can remember what they want to say when called upon.
- Use factual questions to lead into higher-order questions. After the student tells you that Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941, a follow-up question could be, “Why do you think the Japanese chose that day to attack?”
- Use sustained higher-order questions to facilitate a deeper understanding of the objective or concept. “What is significant about the time of day of the attack?”
- Use note cards, sticks, name tags, a seating chart or other means to make sure everyone gets a fair chance at answering questions.
- Comment on each response to add depth to the discussion.