Question Strategies
Effective question strategies capture students' attention, foster student involvement, and
facilitate a positive, active learning environment. The following strategies for asking
questions, responding to questions, and listening can help instructors get students
answering the questions asked in class in ways that promote learning.
Asking questions
Establish expectations early
Start asking questions early in the course term to set the tone for an active learning
environment.
Make it clear on the first day that you will be posing lots of questions and that you want
the students to interact with you during a lecture. Let them know that you are interested
in their ideas and that you encourage questions and comments throughout class.
Let students know who will be called on and why
Will you wait for volunteers to answer questions? Or will you call on students — a practice
sometimes referred to as "cold calling"? A study by Dallimore, Hertenstein, and Platt
(2012) suggests that more students respond to questions voluntarily in classes with high
cold-calling. If you plan to call on individuals, give students reasonable opt-out
opportunities. Whatever your approach, let students know early in the term how
questions and answers will be handled in class, and why. Be transparent about the
learning outcomes you hope to foster through your question style.
Prepare meaningful questions in advance
Think about different questions that you can ask your students as well as different ways
to ask them. The types of questions you ask should capture students' attention, arouse
their curiosity, reinforce important material, and foster an active learning environment.
Consider drawing from Andrews' (1980) [PDF] model for effective questions. Questions
that are high level, divergent, structured, and single can generate student engagement:
High-level questions require analysis, synthesis, or evaluation and often begin
with "why" or "how." Low-level questions, or questions that require rote memory
or restating course content, can help you assess whether or not students
understand the material, but high-level questions are more engaging.
Divergent questions have multiple plausible responses, which make them
"safer" to answer. They also encourage high-level thinking (e.g., "What are
some...?). Convergent questions only have one correct answer and are "riskier"
(e.g., "What is the...?).
Structured questions point students toward a context or frame within which
they can formulate an answer (e.g., "What are some of the chemical structures at
work in this solution according to our model?)" Unstructured questions (e.g.,
"What's at work in this solution?") are wide open and as a result can feel riskier to
answer or can elicit responses outside of the relevant area.
Single questions clearly let students know what you are asking them (e.g., "How
can this principle clarify the problem for practitioners?"). Ask just one question at
a time and refrain from adding others to qualify or clarify what you're trying to
express. Asking multiple questions in a row (e.g., How can the application of this
principle clarify the problem? What about the principle is useful to practitioners?
Why would practitioners in the field turn to this principle?) can leave students
uncertain of which direction to move in.
Asking "how" and "why" questions, avoiding questions with one correct
answer (including yes/no questions), making sure your question is sufficiently specific,
and asking only one question at a time will help foster high-level thinking and engagement
in your classes.
Be cautious of asking "Are there any questions?"
This question, and others like it (e.g., "Do you understand?") are often viewed by students
as a "ritualistic" exercise on the instructor's part and are often met with silence. When
asking the above, be sure that your question is genuine and has a clear purpose. If the
question is met with no response, be prepared to use follow-up probing questions: "That
means that if I were to ask you on an exam whether…, you would know how to answer?"
This can elicit questions and concerns from students.
Responding to questions
Wait for the answer
Instructors often don't give students enough "wait time," or the amount of time an
instructor waits after asking a question before giving the answer or moving on (Rowe,
1986). Waiting at least five seconds after asking a question can result in deeper student
learning and a more dynamic classroom environment. Summarizing the research on wait
times, Rumohr (2013) explains that "as the use of wait-time increases, so do:
The number of student responses.
The number of unsolicited but appropriate responses.
The use of higher levels of logical thinking.
The incidence of speculative thinking.
The number of questions students ask.
Students supporting their answers with evidence, logic, and details.
Student-to-student communication and exchanges.
The number of positive responses.
The students’ confidence in their ability to construct explanations."
Although the silence of wait times might seem awkward and uncomfortable, smile, wait
patiently, scan the room, and endure at least a five to ten second wait between your
question and student responses.
Reach non-responsive students with wait times
Do the same students tend to respond to your questions? When the first person to raise
their hand is always chosen to give an answer, it can communicate to students that the
fastest answer is the best answer. In fact, we might prefer to encourage answers that take
time to formulate — thoughtful, logical, or analytical answers. To avoid this, consider
explaining to your students that you want everyone in the class to reflect on your question
for a set period of time (between 20-60 seconds) and that you will then open the floor to
answers. This strategy has the added benefit of giving less extroverted students and
students with learning disabilities more time to prepare to participate. If this isn't a
feasible strategy to use with all questions, considering using it once a class instead.
Encourage student-to-student interaction
Try to structure your comments to encourage students to interact with one another,
"Mark, that's a good point. Could you relate that to what Sally said earlier?" Be prepared
to facilitate recall of Sally's comment. When students are required to respond to one
another, they become more attentive.
Admit when you don't know the answer
You'll lose more credibility by trying to fake an answer than by stating that you don't
know. If you don't know the answer to a student's question, say so, "That's a good
question. I'm not sure about that." Then follow up in one of the following ways:
ask the class if anyone knows the answer (be sure to verify any responses)
suggest resources that would enable the student to find the answer
volunteer to find the answer yourself and report back at the next class
Listening actively
Repeat questions/comments to the whole class
Repeating student questions or comments to the whole class ensures that everyone can
hear the information. You may need to paraphrase a long or complex question/comment.
When responding to student questions or comments, be sure to look around the room to
include all students in your comments. A general rule of thumb is to respond by focusing
25 percent of your eye contact on the questioner and 75 percent on the rest of the class -
this is the 25/75 rule.
Give clear signals to students that you are listening
Avoid interrupting a student's answer, even if you think the student is heading toward an
incorrect answer. Also, be sure to maintain eye contact and use non-verbal gestures such
as smiling and head nodding to indicate your attention and interest in the student's
response.
Acknowledge all student contributions
Thank or praise the student for having asked a question or expressed a view with
comments such as "Good question" and "Thank you for sharing that with us." Such
comments reinforce the behaviour of asking questions and volunteering information
during class. Be sure, however, that you vary your reactions to students to avoid overusing
the same comments. You can vary your responses in the following ways:
Restate what the speaker has said to reinforce the point.
Invite the student to elaborate: "Tell us more about that."
Ask for clarification: "What do you mean by that?"
Expand the student's contribution: "That's right, and to follow up on that point…"
Acknowledge the originality of the response: "That's a good point. I hadn't thought
of that."
Connect the students' response with other students' comments.
References
Andrews, J. D. W. (1980). The verbal structure of teacher questions: Its impact on class
discussion. POD Quarterly: The Journal of the Professional and Organizational
Development Network in Higher Education. Paper 32.
Dallimore, E. J., Hertenstein, J. H., Platt, M. B. (2012). Impact of cold-calling on student
voluntary participation. Journal of Management Education, 37(3).
Rowe, M. B. (1986). Wait times: Slowing down may be a way of speeding up. Journal of
Teacher Education. 31(1), 43-50.
Rumohr, F. (2013). Reflection and inquiry in stages of learning practice. Teaching Artist
Journal, 11(4), 224-233.
