Persistent questioning and healthy inquisitiveness are the first requisite for acquiring learning of any kind – Mahatma Gandhi

It is widely known that questions are an excellent way to understand any problem, gain an insight into it and write elegant and creative solutions. Questions help to make an active learning environment. Questions that are high level, divergent and structured can generate student engagement. They can stimulate students to think thoroughly about what they are learning and keep them alert.

If questioning is such an effective way of learning then why do we, sometimes avoid asking questions? The reason may be the fear of looking ignorant. We must quash the myth that questioning implies weakness or ignorance. In our role as educators, we must work to dispel these ideas and float the idea that questioning is in fact, a sign of strength and confidence.

Who should question? Everyone. Teachers need to question themselves and they must question their students. Students too must also question themselves and their teachers.

Why should teachers question students? 

Questioning in the classroom is a very effective tool for the teachers to gauge the level of understanding of students. It gives them a window to see what the student already knows and provides information for future planning. It stimulates students to think about their own understanding and to think creatively and critically converting classrooms into ‘think rooms’. Questioning helps to keep students engaged and on task, also allowing a teacher to adjust the pace of the class.

Questioning in the classroom is a very effective tool for the teachers to gauge the level of understanding of students. It gives them a window to see what the student already knows and provides information for future planning. It stimulates students to think about their own understanding and to think creatively and critically converting classrooms into ‘think rooms’. Questioning helps to keep students engaged and on task, also allowing a teacher to adjust the pace of the class.

One wonders what kind of questions have the biggest impact on the learners. It is important for the teacher to think about the purpose of a question, it’s language and timing. Effective questioning helps to challenge student thinking and stimulates students to pursue knowledge on their own and ask their own questions. Questions are an important part of an educational learning dialogue. They drive learning, review learning, encourage engagement and develop critical thinking skills.

Why should teachers question themselves? 

There are many reasons for teachers to question themselves but I would imagine that there are two most important ones. One, it helps teachers to reflect on their own practice and two, it furthers their own understanding of the subject. Both these, in turn, affect the students’ experience in a positive way.

Why should students question? 

As important as it is for teachers to question themselves, it is equally important that students should question the teacher. We must ensure, therefore, that the atmosphere in class is conducive to questioning and students know that it is acceptable to make mistakes and that it would lead to a positive experience and thorough learning.

Clearly then, learning to ask questions is an important skill and is often the best evidence of understanding and higher-level thinking. Students may ask questions for clarification of what has been taught, consolidation of knowledge or to make further connections and links. This leads to students moving on to the next level – questioning themselves, which is the foundation of deeper and thorough learning.

What do we do at The British School? 

Our classes at the school are free of stress and are conducive to discussion and debate. Students are not scared of making mistakes and have the confidence to ask questions in order to support their learning. The facilitators pose relevant questions at appropriate times so that the students have the best possible learning experience. Questions may be factual, convergent, divergent, evaluative, leading, rhetorical and combinations of these – each type having its special place and value.

We use several strategies at The British School to redirect the questioning to students and to get them involved. Instead of the teacher being the arbiter, the students are in charge and this gets them involved and talking to each other. We consciously give students enough think time so that they are able to unpack the question and formulate and consider a response before answering. Think-pair-share is often used in the classroom. This encourages the students to think and question and share their response with a small group of students before sharing it with the larger audience, giving them the confidence that they may need. Even if the students answer incorrectly, we follow up on the answer, picking up accurate parts and generate more questions so that the inaccuracies can be removed in a positive way.

We live by the words of Albert Einstein – The important thing is to never stop questioning.

• https://www.kuleuven.be/english/education/teaching-tips/activating-students/asking-questions
• https://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/why-questions-are-more-important-than-answers/
• https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/alternatives-lecturing/questions/question-strategies
• https://classteaching.wordpress.com/2017/01/19/the-importance-of-questioning/
• https://thesecondprinciple.com/teaching-essentials/five-basic-types-questions/
• Bringing Life to Class Discussions by Rick Wormeli in Middle Ground, October 2009 (Vol. 13, #2, p. 39-40)