I often have parents question why I am asking their child(ren) questions they don’t understand, and they are frustrated I won’t just “teach them”. What they are missing is that questioning is a really important part of learning and teaching for proper understanding, not just memorisation. I will explain why below.
Simply put, questioning engages students and makes them think. How much information do you retain if you just get told something versus when you have learnt something through trial and error or making educated connections? You will remember the information you learnt through working it out more clearly because it uses more of your brain and forges deeper connections, and you won’t just remember the information you will remember the foundational principles you used to get there, meaning you would be able to work it out again if you forgot.
Not only does it therefore help you remember something, but questioning helps develop problem solving and fluency by applying existing skills and knowledge to new problems, further strengthening these skills to be applied in other situations – including beyond that specific subject or the classroom generally.
Being able to teach a concept demonstrates a deeper understanding, the how not just the what, and by questioning a student I am often asking them to explain each step to me, using the simple question, why? Thereby a student can demonstrate to me where they are in the learning process and if they truly understand a concept which allows me to tailor the teaching to them.
Consistently asking a student to justify their arguments develops their thinking style and creates good habits, they usually start to question their working and are more likely to pick up on their own mistakes. Not only does asking why show me how a student thinks, the most interesting learning can happen because of a technically incorrect answer, leading to discussions which can prevent common misconceptions from being learnt in the first place.
It is important, however, that questions are effective. This means that they are aimed at the correct level of challenge and accessibility for the student – not too hard and not too easy! I usually start by asking a student where they may start with a question or what they think they need to do, this is quite an open question and quickly establishes a baseline for a student’s understanding of the topic. From there, I may see a student understands the steps and I can delve further with probing questions to challenge them to reason their answer, or, if a student is struggling, I can start to scaffold a question with leading questions to help them make connections they are unable to alone – the key is adapting to the student and this can take time. It, also, helps to use a range of questions, open and closed, across a lesson to keep students engaged and actively thinking.
Equally, giving students time to think and process a question, or problem solve to find a solution or consider if they can apply existing knowledge to this new scenario, is an invaluable space for the student to learn and grow. Ideally 3 seconds for a straightforward question but up to 15 seconds for more open-ended questions – this may not seem much but try counting those Mississippis in your head and you’ll be surprised how we are likely overwhelmingly repeating questions before the student has had the space to answer! However, I may repeat questions, after giving the student ample time to think, or try opening the question up if I think that student would benefit from me clarifying what I meant (although this needs to be balanced and if a student is struggling repeating the question in different words can become an additional stress not a help). This thinking time is as valuable as the questioning itself, asking questions without it can become stressful and demotivating for students.
Finally, praise for good thinking, not just results, is really important, it builds trust in students to try different or new approaches they may not be confident in which is invaluable for creating a positive learning environment.
Overall, questioning creates deeper understanding, strengthens problem solving and fluency skills, creates good thinking and learning habits, and can prevent misconceptions. So, yes, I ask my students questions and I often give them lots of thinking time to answer – and that is an invaluable part of the learning experience.
Try asking why more often – you may be surprised at the conversation it sparks!