Classroom Questions

Amy C. Brualdi,
ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation

In 1912, Stevens stated that approximately eighty percent of a teacher's school day was spent asking questions to students. More contemporary research on teacher questioning behaviors and patterns indicate that this has not changed. Teachers today ask between 300-400 questions each day (Leven and Long, 1981).

Teachers ask questions for several reasons (from Morgan and Saxton, 1991):

• the act of asking questions helps teachers keep students actively involved in lessons;
• while answering questions, students have the opportunity to openly express their ideas and thoughts;
• questioning students enables other students to hear different explanations of the material by their peers;
• asking questions helps teachers to pace their lessons and moderate student behavior; and
• questioning students helps teachers to evaluate student learning and revise their lessons as necessary.

As one may deduce, questioning is one of the most popular modes of teaching. For thousands of years, teachers have known that it is possible to transfer factual knowledge and conceptual understanding through the process of asking questions. Unfortunately, although the act of asking questions has the potential to greatly facilitate the learning process, it also has the capacity to turn a child off to learning if done incorrectly. The purpose of this digest is to provide teachers with information on what types of question and questioning behaviors can facilitate the learning process as well as what types of questions are ineffective.

What is a Good Question?

In order to teach well, it is widely believed that one must be able to question well. Asking good questions fosters interaction between the teacher and his/her students. Rosenshine (1971) found that large amounts of student-teacher interaction promotes student achievement. Thus, one can surmise that good questions fosters student understanding. However, it is important to know that not all questions achieve this.

Teachers spend most of their time asking low-level cognitive questions (Wilen, 1991). These questions concentrate on factual information that can be memorized (ex. What year did the Civil War begin? or Who wrote Great Expectations?). It is widely believed that this type of question can limit students by not helping them to acquire a deep, elaborate understanding of the subject matter.

High-level-cognitive questions can be defined as questions that requires students to use higher order thinking or reasoning skills. By using these skills, students do not remember only factual knowledge. Instead, they use their knowledge to problem solve, to analyze, and to evaluate. It is popularly believed that this type of question reveals the most about whether or not a student has truly grasped a concept. This is because a student needs to have a deep understanding of the topic in order to answer this type of question. Teachers do not use high-level-cognitive questions with the same amount of frequency as they do with low-level-cognitive questions. Ellis (1993) claims that many teachers do rely on low-level cognitive questions in order to avoid a slow-paced lesson, keep the attention of the students, and maintain control of the classroom.

Arends (1994) argues that many of the findings concerning the effects of using lower-level-cognitive versus higher-level-cognitive questions has been inconclusive. While some studies and popular belief favor asking high-level-cognitive, other studies reveal the positive effects of asking low-level cognitive questions. Gall (1984), for example, cited that "emphasis on fact questions is more effective for promoting young disadvantaged children's achievement, which primarily involves mastery of basic skills; and emphasis on higher cognitive questions is more effective for students of average and high ability. . ." (p. 41). Nevertheless, other studies do not reveal any difference in achievement between students whose teachers use mostly high level questions and those whose teachers ask mainly low level questions (Arends, 1994; Wilen, 1991). Therefore, although teachers should ask a combination of low-level-cognitive and high-level-cognitive questions, they must determine the needs of their students in order to know which sort of balance between the two types of questions needs to be made in order to foster student understanding and achievement.

How to ask questions that foster student achievement

In a research review on questioning techniques, Wilen and Clegg (1986) suggest teachers employ the following research supported practices to foster higher student achievement:

• phrase questions clearly;
• ask questions of primarily an academic nature
• allow three to five seconds of wait time after asking a question before requesting a student's response, particularly when high-cognitive level questions are asked;
• encourage students to respond in some way to each question asked;
• balance responses from volunteering and nonvolunteering students;
• elicit a high percentage of correct responses from students and assist with incorrect responses;
• probe students' responses to have them clarify ideas, support a point of view, or extend their thinking;
• acknowledge correct responses from students and use praise specifically and discriminately. (p. 23)
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What is a Bad Question?

When children are hesitant to admit that they do not understand a concept, teachers often try to encourage them to ask questions by assuring them that their questions will neither be stupid or bad. Teachers frequently say that all questions have some merit and can contribute to the collective understanding of the class. However, the same theory does not apply to teachers. The content of the questions and the manner in which teachers ask them determines whether or not they are effective. Some mistakes that teachers make during the question and answer process include the following: asking vague questions (ex. What did you think of the story that we just read?), asking trick questions, and asking questions that may be too abstract for children of their age (ex. asking a kindergarten class the following question: How can it be 1:00 P.M. in Connecticut but 6:00 P.M. in the United Kingdom at the same moment?)

When questions such as those mentioned are asked, students will usually not know how to respond and may answer the questions incorrectly. Thus, their feelings of failure may cause them to be more hesitant to participate in class (Chuska, 1995), evoke some negative attitudes towards learning, and hinder the creation of a supportive classroom environment.

Conclusion

Sanders (1966) stated, "Good questions recognize the wide possibilities of thought and are built around varying forms of thinking. Good questions are directed toward learning and evaluative thinking rather than determining what has been learned in a narrow sense" (p. ix). With this in mind, teachers must be sure that they have a clear purpose for their questions rather than just determining what knowledge is known. This type of question planning results in designing questions that can expand student's knowledge and encourage them to think creatively.

HomeWork Policy

Philosophy:

The foundation of the High Schools That Work (HSTW) philosophy is based upon the belief that improving the rigor and relevance of the curriculum and improving relationships will increase student achievement and promote citizenship. In order to achieve these goals, Lancaster High School is requiring homework across the curriculum.

Homework is defined as any assignment that is completed during non-classroom time. These assignments should introduce, reinforce, extend and/or enrich class work.

Homework is a necessary extension of the school day and an important part of a student’s educational experience. Homework encourages self-discipline, positive self-esteem and an interest in learning. Homework also promotes the Lancaster High School-Home- Community relationship, as parents, teachers and community supporters are involved with students in completing assignments.

Purpose:

1. Strengthen skills already taught.
2. Extend learning time.
3. Provide enrichment opportunities.
4. Promote creativity, responsibility, and independence.
5. Develop good work and study habits.
Listen to this video please :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQgBfrI_w00

Types of Homework:

1. Preparation homework – given to prepare students for upcoming lessons.
2. Practice – given to reinforce lessons already taught.
3. Enrichment – given to provide challenging learning opportunities for extension and enrichment of the lesson.

Parent(s)’/Guardian(s)’ Responsibilities:

1. Provide a suitable study atmosphere that is quiet, well lighted and periodically supervised.
2. Emphasize the value and importance of homework.
3. Support the school in its efforts to emphasize the importance of homework.
4. Encourage and praise students as they complete homework assignments.
5. Expect daily assignments and check to make sure that students are completing them.
6. Insist on adherence to deadlines. (Review progress on long-term assignments).
7. Show interest in the homework but do not do the work for the students.
8. Maintain the home/school connection via calls, emails and conferences.
9. Encourage reading for pleasure as well as above and beyond regular homework assignments.

Students’ Responsibilities:

1. Complete homework assignments to the best of their ability. Assignments should be neat and on time.
2. Request help with homework if needed.

Watch this, please :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifEbfSWbaNU&feature=related

Teachers’ Responsibilities:

1. Assign a minimum of one homework assessment per week (minimum of four homework grades per grading period) with feedback given to students. (Assignments can be graded for accuracy and/or effort)
2. Return homework to students in a timely manner.
3. Do not assign homework as “punishment”.

Expected Time Ranges:

1. Expect one-half hour (30 minutes) of homework per class each night. This is not meant to be a minimum or maximum. Individual students will need varying amounts of time to complete assignments.
2. Assign a minimum of two assignments/projects per semester in which students are required to do research, presentations and/or writing. These assignments should be graded and included in the overall average that the student receives for that class grade.


*Assignments are dictated by IEP requirements

. http://lhs.lancasterscschools.org/www/lcsdschools_lhs/site/hosting/Parents/HW%20Policy.pdf

Five Steps to Using Your Textbook to Build a More Dynamic Conversation Class

Five Steps to Using Your Textbook to Build a More Dynamic Conversation Class
Stephen B. Ryan When students hear the words, "turn to page 15 in your textbook", they probably feel like it's going to be just another boring English lesson. This doesn't have to be true; however, if we use our textbooks as a tool for providing a way of making the students assume more responsibility, thus making the class more interactive.
With the recent emphasis on learner centered communicative methodology, a textbook can provide what is missing - specific language goals and reassurance for learners. A communicative methodology is more effective if there are specific mini-language goals set for students to accomplish. A textbook will usually provide these goals but is often not a motivational source for students. A communicative methodology, on the other hand, offers students motivational tasks but is also a "set of principles loosely bundled together" for no specific purpose other than speaking English (Van Lier 1988:72). I believe that students learn better if they understand what is expected of them and what or how much they can experiment with everyday tasks. Thus, a well textbook offers students classroom stability by letting them know what is going to be expected of them as well as integrating motivating communicative pair-work.
Here is a 5-step methodology which has been successfully used. In the proposed methodology, there is an attempt to simply describe an interactive way of teaching via a textbook where the teacher slowly relinquishes control by giving students more responsibility so when it comes time for the communicative task pair-work, learners are able to speak more accurately and confidently.
Step 1 - One Quick Question
As you take attendance, tell students that they must acknowledge their presence by asking one quick question based on the previous lesson as a review. So for example, if we were studying the conversation strategy of, "Have you ever....../ When did you last......." Students would begin the class practicing this one particular conversation tactic.
Example:
o S: Have you ever spoken English?
o T: Yes, I have.
Repetition is vital for these students particularly since they have the class 4 times a week for 40 to 45 minutes. Repetition does not have to be boring for students but can be made learner-centered.
Step 2 - Assigning New Partners Every Lesson
Next, after having completed the roll call and answering these student review questions, class is officially started by putting students randomly in pairs. You can do this by having each student choose from a stack of cards labeled 1A, 2A, 3A etc. and...1B, 2B, 3B etc. Thus, if a student's card reads 1A her partner is the 1B cardholder. If there are 20 students there will be 10 pairs. Students then pair off and sit facing each other.By randomly assigning students to a new partner every lesson, the class is more dynamic and perhaps more significantly, after a few weeks the class, as whole, becomes familiar with each other which builds a supportive, relaxed speaking atmosphere. Students also seem to really enjoy having the control to "choose" their partner by taking a card number.
Step 3 - Dialogue Practice
When students are seated facing each other in pairs, they listen to the example conversation in the textbook as a class and then practice saying or repeating problematic words for pronunciation. Now is the time to practice any problematic phrases or cultural concepts or for any pre-teaching of difficult structures.
Step 4 - Creating a Variation of the Dialogue.
Next, students are told they must change the conversation by substituting words in the dialogue.
Once students have decided which words to substitute, they are given about 10 minutes to memorize the dialogue depending on difficulty. After 10 minutes, student pairs are asked to "volunteer" to perform their conversation. I say "volunteer" because students are told that they do not have to do the conversation if they don't want to, but if they do "volunteer", each student will receive a "+" for the day. This way students receive a daily mark which gives an accurate record of their willingness to participate in addition to motivating them to try harder without direct teacher induced pressure. When students have finished "performing" their memorized mini-conversations, they are ready to move on to a related listening exercise.
Step 5 - Communicative Pair Work
Up to this point, students have been studying one kind of communicative strategy via a controlled conversation memorization and listening drills. Now they are adequately prepared to assume all responsibility by trying it by themselves via a pair-work communicative task. They now have the opportunity to speak freely in English but are also sufficiently empowered to do so. The teacher, by walking around evaluating each pair, can easily decide where problems reside and correct them or decide to follow up the pair-work with additional question-answer practice between student and teacher.
Conclusion
Students need more than just one kind of classroom methodology. They also benefit from a variety of classroom activities such as short classroom videos, oral presentations or computer lab days. These types of extra activities can be integrated within the week-to-week class curriculum and provide an additional motivational source from the usual routine.
Repeatedly using this 5 step methodology, the classroom becomes a place where students know what is expected of them while keeping the class interactive and interesting. The method can maintain student motivation and give students more confidence by slowly relinquishing teacher control while giving them more classroom responsibility. Finally, students are empowered to succeed and feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of each lesson.