FOREWORD

Some instructors believe that interjecting questions during instruction is a natural process which should be spontaneous. However, questions can become an effective teaching strategy when employed thoughtfully and less than effective when poorly employed. A timely, well-phrased question can capture students' attention, arouse their curiosity, focus upon important points, or even occupy a student's thoughts after class has ended. Students' responses to questions reveal their perceptions and comprehension of the material, level of experience with the topic being presented, and attitudes about the material or course in general. Because the ability to develop adequate or even excellent questioning skills can be learned if some attention and practice is given to it, this booklet will try to explain and provide examples of two important components of successful questioning. These include devising the appropriate questions which will elicit responses consistent with your instructional goals and using the interpersonal skills which enable instructors to maximize student responses. This booklet can be used as a reference for instructors who wish to improve their questioning skills or review and assess their current questioning techniques.

CONTENTS

Foreword

Levels and Types of Questions

Bloom's Taxonomy

Lower and Higher Level Questions

Open and Closed Questions

Planning Questions

Interaction Skills

Physical Setting

Instructor Attitude

Calling on Students to Maximize Participation

Wait-Time

Handling Student Responses

Responding to Student Questions

Methods for Assessing Questioning Skills

Videotape Self-Review

Peer-Review

Colleague-Videotape Review

Survey on Questioning

Student Evaluation of Questioning Skills

Suggestions for Interpreting Collected Assessments

Assistance Offered by Instructional Development

References