Engaging Questions

This is the time in the semester when the energy of teachers and students is low. Classroom activities that might otherwise work well creep along or stall altogether at this time of year. To help keep students engaged in the class, teachers can use questions that encourage and direct involvement.

Asking questions does not automatically lead to greater participation. Rather, asking the right kinds of question in the right order becomes the key to revitalizing students' intellectual connection to course material. This week's teaching tips outline some of the ways you might use questions to draw your students into the work of the classroom.

Question Tactics

The nature of questions and how they fit into the general classroom interaction have a lot to do with their success in engaging students. Try these tips.

Yes/No Questions. Reduce your reliance on simple-answer questions. Yes/no or one-word answers will lower involvement. If students are not responding, ask more complex, not easier, questions (see next section).

Focus Questions. Do not ask broad, general questions. Use questions to focus the students on the specific task. Instead of asking "what do you think about the reading?" ask a question about its main theme.

Probing Questions. Assume students will not give a complete answer to your question and prepare questions that ask for more details, further clarification, deeper explanations, or that extend relationships not included in the initial response. There is no need to concentrate probes on one student. Re-direct questions around the room.

Follow-up Questions. Have some generic follow-up questions ready, such as "Who would agree with that answer?" or "Why is that answer right/wrong?" "How could you be more specific/general?" Use these questions to get all class members involved in responding to your initial inquiry. Guide them in looking for more complex responses.

Responding. It is important to respond to students in a supportive way. When you listen actively, restate, elaborate, praise, or redirect with follow-up questions, students are more likely to participate.

For more about questioning tactics, ask the CIRT for a copy of Barbara Gross Davis' chapter on "Asking Questions."

Question Types

Studies show that most questions asked by college professors do not capture student interest because they ask for factual recall. More complex questions are needed to involve students. Below is a list of question types that you can use to vary the kinds of questions you are asking.

Knowledge Questions. The most common question type, these ask students to state some known information. "What is ...?" or "Define ..." or "How many ...?" or "What are the steps ...?"

Comprehension Questions. These ask if students can demonstrate understanding by summarizing, giving examples, or explaining processes or relationships. "In your own words, tell us about ..." or "Give an example of ..."

Application Questions. These ask students to connect known material to new settings. How does ... explain ...?" or "What would happen if ...?"

Analysis Questions. These ask students to see relationships. What causes ...?" or "What evidence is used to support ...?"

Synthesis Questions. These encourage creative use of ideas. "How would you ...?" or "What other way could you ...?"

Evaluation Questions. These ask students to make judgments using criteria. "Explain if the effect of ... is good?" or "Critique X's position, according to ..."

Another important set of question types helps teachers guide students toward affective goals. Use the following questions to engage students in understanding their feelings toward the subject.

Receiving Questions. These gauge students involvement with a subject. "Are you interested in ...?" or "Have you ever ...?"

Responding Questions. These ask students to reflect on their impressions. "Will you accept that ...?" or "Are you satisfied that ...?"

Valuing Questions. These ask student to take a stance. "What do you like/dislike about ...?" or " Should ...?"

Organizational Questions. These promote responses organized around a position. "How would you ...?" or "What justifiable position might you adopt?"

Value Complex Questions. These relate positions to the students' overall sense of self and values. "Choose a position and explain why." or "What is your philosophy about ...?"

These lists are drawn from Bloom's classic taxonomy on instructional goals. For readings with more details, contact the CIRT.

Question Strategies

Effective teachers enter a class with a plan regarding the questions they will be asking that may be as detailed as their lecture notes. For some, this means developing a varied list of questions from the above list. For others, the sequence of questions is designed into the lesson with the aim of teaching through questioning. The CIRT can provide you with some sample lesson guides for the question-based approaches. Ask about the SHOWeD routine or the Kolb routine if you are interested in seeing how to use questions to guide a class through a question-lesson.

This Teaching Tip was first published by Indiana State University’s, Center for Teaching and Learning on March 2, 1999.