Good Teaching and Tutoring: Asking Questions

We all learn to a certain extent by example, watching experts and copying what they do. This is certainly true of future teachers, as well, who often need to use good questioning techniques to discover what students know and still need to learn. In our society today, the most visible examples we have of expert questioners are lawyers. While some of them are excellent at the art of creating questions, the kinds of questions they ask are not typically the most appropriate kinds for teachers. As a result, many beginning teachers and tutors don't know how to phrase questions for the best effect.

Closed questions

Quite simply, closed questions can be answered with "yes" or "no." The artful attorney can often create questions that are difficult to respond with such black-or-white responses, but most of us find closed questions easy and natural to pose. "Did you finish your homework" is an example of a closed question.

Open-ended questions

Open-ended questions, on the other hand, require a longer, more involved answer. "What did you have to do for homework today" is an open-ended question that requires an explanation instead of a simple "yes" or "no."

Why it matters

In a courtroom, lawyers ask questions to bolster their case by eliciting a certain response. In education, good teachers and tutors ask questions to get true insight as to what students are thinking, feeling and doing. For instance, one of the most commonly asked questions by new educators is "do you understand" or "does that make sense" or some variation thereof. Students may say they understand even when they don't for a variety of reasons. They might not be truly listening to your question, they might be embarrassed to admit their confusion, or they may think they truly do understand the material. Asking open-ended questions will result in a clearer indication of the student's level of comprehension.

Asking "what chapter is this information from" instead of "is there an example in your book" can tell the instructor a lot. Did the student turn right to the chapter or have no clue where to begin? Maybe he is behind on reading assignments. If you are discussing a definition, did the student even consider using the glossary or appendix? Study skills might be more important to teach this student instead of focusing on content.

Examples

Instead of do you understand, try how would you do this next problem? Why would that be the best answer? How could you check the answer? What is a similar situation you know of? How is this different from the previous question, chapter, situation?

Instead of do you know what you did wrong, ask what should you have done differently? What was the first step?

Real learning

Using open-ended questions can set up situations that help students learn through modeling, as well. If a student were to ask how to properly cite a source in a research paper, instead of giving the answer or asking a maddeningly vague open-ended question like "how do you think you would cite it," try a series of questions to help the student find the answer: Where would the information be in your text? What kind of source is this? What information do you have that correlates to this sample entry?

As any lawyer knows, good questioning is important. It is vital for educators to consider carefully the phrasing of questions and practice using open-ended questions effectively.