How can you use questioning techniques to encourage participation?

1 The purpose of questioning

Questioning is not just a tool to test your learners' knowledge or recall facts; it can also be used to achieve various learning objectives. For instance, questioning can activate prior knowledge and connect it to new information, encourage curiosity and exploration, foster collaboration and interaction, develop higher-order thinking skills such as analysis, evaluation, and synthesis, provide feedback and guidance, and motivate and reinforce learning. Therefore, when asking questions it's important to have a clear purpose in mind and align your question with the learning goal and the level of cognitive demand.

3 The characteristics of good questions

Good questions must be aligned with the purpose and type of question, and should also possess certain characteristics to make them more engaging and productive. Good questions should be clear and concise, using simple and precise language while avoiding ambiguity or confusion. Additionally, they should be relevant and meaningful, relating to the learning objectives, the learners' interests and needs, and the real-world context. Furthermore, good questions should be challenging and thought-provoking, requiring higher-order thinking skills while encouraging creativity and inquiry. Lastly, they should be respectful and supportive, acknowledging prior knowledge and experience while providing positive feedback and encouragement.

4 The pitfalls of bad questions

Bad questions can be ineffective and detrimental to the learning process, as they may be vague and confusing, irrelevant and trivial, too easy or too hard, or disrespectful or discouraging. Vague questions use complex or unclear language, contain multiple or unrelated ideas, or have no clear direction or focus. Irrelevant questions have no connection to the learning objectives, the learners' interests and needs, or the real-world context. Too easy questions are too factual, recall-based, or yes/no questions that do not challenge the learners; whereas too hard questions are too abstract, complex, or hypothetical questions that overwhelm or frustrate the learners. Lastly, disrespectful questions ignore or dismiss the learners' prior knowledge and experience, criticize or ridicule their responses, or provide negative or no feedback.

5 The strategies for effective questioning

To use questioning techniques to encourage participation, you need to consider several strategies. Plan your questions in advance, matching the learning objectives and using a question framework such as Bloom's taxonomy. Adapt your questions depending on the learners' level, pace, and engagement. Ask one question at a time to avoid confusion and use wait time to give the learners time to process and respond. Use prompts and probes to elicit more information, clarification, or elaboration from the learners. Additionally, provide constructive feedback to their responses and acknowledge their efforts. By following these guidelines and strategies, you can create more engaging and effective learning experiences for your learners.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?