Classroom

Question

Objectives:

define Classroom Questions;

determine the purpose of Classroom Questions;

enumerate the Seven Deadly Sins in Asking

Questions and the ways on how to correct them;

identify the Kinds of Question; and

classify Classroom questions for Objectives in the

Bloom‟s Taxonomy (Cognitive Domain).

Classroom Questions

A scientific process, the technique of which all

teachers can develop or improve (Fairbairn,1987).

A question is any sentence which has an interrogative

form or function. In classroom settings, teacher

questions are defined as instructional cues or stimuli

that convey to students the content elements to be

learned and directions for what they are to do and

how they are to do it (Cotton, 2009).

As Tsui (1995:23) notes, “questions are... a very

important aspect of classroom talk”.

Wood (1998:175) adds that “classroom talk is

dominated by teacher‟s questions.”

Purpose/Functions of Classroom Questions

Brown & Wragg (1993: 4) list several functions of questions, such as

“to arouse interest and curiosity concerning a topic, to focus

attention on a particular issue or concept, to develop an active

approach to learning, to stimulate pupils to ask questions of

themselves and others.”

However, with reference to language teaching, Nunan & Lamb (1996)

state that teachers ask questions mainly to check learners‟

understanding, to elicit information and to control their classrooms.

Peacock (1990: 128) says that “more often than not teachers appear

to ask questions either to find out what pupils do or do not know and

understand, or to remind them about work completed in a previous

lesson, or perhaps to challenge, stimulate and develop their

thinking”.

Purpose/Functions of Classroom

Questions Teachers ask questions to keep their learners involved during

lessons, to express their ideas and thoughts, to enable learners

to hear different explanations of the material, and to help

teachers to evaluate their learners‟ learning and revise their

lessons when necessary (Morgan and Saxton (1991, cited in

Brualdi 1998).

The primary purpose for questioning is to promote thinking

(Fairbairn,1987).

Questions serve a variety of functions to check pupils‟

knowledge or obtain or check reception (Cazden, 1987)

Seven Deadly Sins in Classroom Questions

(Posamentier and Stepelman, 1981)

Factual or Yes-No Questions

Overlaid or Multiple Questions

Elliptic or Ambiguous Questions

Chorus Response Questions

Whiplash Questions

Leading Questions

Teacher-centered Questions

Kinds of Question

(Nawal ,Mohammed Al-Farsi)

Display Questions vs. Referential Questions

Ellis (1994: 700) defines the display question as “one designed to test whether the addressee has knowledge of a particular fact or can use a particular linguistic item correctly”. Lightbown & Spada (1999) note that teachers ask display questions not because they are interested in the answer, but because they want to get their learners to display their knowledge of the language.

Kinds of Question

Referential Questions

Nunan & Lamb (1996: 88) define referential questions as “those to which the asked does not know the answer”. Ellis (1994: 721) also explains that these are questions which are “genuinely information-seeking”.

Lynch (1996) argues that teachers should ask referential questions because

(a) learners tend to give longer answers than they do to display questions

b) learners will be less willing to answer questions if their purpose is always to test knowledge.

Kinds of Question

Open vs. Closed Questions

Nunan & Lamb (1996: 84) describe open questions as “those that encourage extended student responses”. Ellis (1994: 695) suggests that in open questions the teacher does not have a particular answer in mind and different responses are possible. He also mentions that some questions seem to be open, but in fact they are closed (these can be called „pseudo-questions‟).

In contrast, a closed question is “one that is framed with only one acceptable answer in mind” (Ellis 1994: 695).

Other kinds of Questions: Convergent Questions vs. Divergent

Questions

Convergent Questions

restricts the responses to predetermined answers.

Examples:

According to the author, whatare the possible reasons that…?

What are the steps in writing?

Other kinds of Questions:

The Divergent questionallows a multitude of correct responses. This style is an excellent choice for situations where learners are being required to be creative or look

for alternatives beyond their experience.

Examples:

Whatother factors should the analysis have considered?

Whatare thepossible responses to her complaint?

Other kinds of Questions:Simple vs. Difficult

The simple question requires simple

recall or restatement of given

information.

Examples:

What are the kinds of Sentences according to

purpose?

State the rule in pronoun-antecedent

agreement.

Other kinds of Questions:

The difficult question is used at the application level

of learning, which is usually where college level courses

are aimed.

Examples:

What are the ideologies that function in the narrative? How

do these ideologies affect the character in nature?

How does the short story “Storm” by Merlinda Bobis appeal

to you?

Other kinds of Questions:

Hypothetical

Hypothetical questions are useful for forcing learners to move beyond what has been dealt with into the anticipated, and even unanticipated, area of “what ifs.”

Examples:

Given what we know about what happened, what do you predict would have happened if the characters became static and passive?

Reflective Reflective questions require learners to look back with a future

perspective. They can be used to focus on both the application of the content and the process used to learn or solve problems.

Examples:Based on what you learned in the short story, what caution

would you keep in mind the next time you approach asimilar situation?

If you had the problem to encounter over again, whatwould you do differently?

What would you have liked to have known before starting on the project?

Other kinds of Questions:

Predicative Predicative questions ask learners to declare what they

feel will happen. The technique can be made stronger by asking learners to commit to their answers by writing them down or by saying them aloud, to a partner, a group, or the whole class.

Example:

Based on what youknow now, what do you think is likely to happen when…?

Other kinds of Questions:

Organization and valuing

1. Contrast (How are dependent and independent clause

different?)

2. Compare (What are the similarities and differences

between Classification and Division?)

3. Order (What is the appropriate sequence of

operations thatshould be used in situation?)

4. Prioritize (Which of these two steps is important to

do first?)

Other kinds of Questions:

5. Cluster (Which of these belong together?)

6. Label (What would be an appropriate name for

this group of activities?)

7. Hypothesize (Based on what happened, what

would you infer about…?)

8.Predict (If the process runs for another X months,

what do you anticipate will occur?)

9.Value (Whatis important about…?

…are important aspects of …?)

Other kinds of Questions:

Bloom‟s Taxonomy (Cognitive Domain)

Knowledge (Remembering)

Comprehension (Understanding)

Application (Applying)

Analysis (Analyzing)

Evaluation (Judging)

Synthesis (Creating)

Classroom Questions for objectives in the

Cognitive DomainCategory Type of thinking expected

Knowledge (Remembering) Recalling or organizing information as

learned

Comprehension (Understanding) Demonstrating understanding of the

materials; transforming, reorganizing

or interpreting

Application (Applying) Using information to solve a problem

with a single correct answer

Analysis (Analyzing) Critical thinking; identifying reasons

and motives; making inferences based

on specific data; analyze conclusions to

see if supported by evidence

Evaluation (Judging) Judging the merits of ideas; opinions,

applying standards

Synthesis (Creating) Divergent, original thinking; original

plan, proposal, design or story

Sources: Brown, G. and Wragg, E.C. (1993) Questioning. London: Routledge.

Cotton, Kathleen (2009). Classroom Questioning. Retrieved November 27, 2013 from http://www.learner.org/workshops/socialstudies/pdf/session6/6.ClassroomQuestioning.pdf

Ellis, R. (1994) The Study of Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Nunan, D. and Lamb, C. (1996) The Self-Directed Teacher. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Tsui, A.B.M. (1995) Introducing Classroom Interaction. London: Penguin.

Nawal Mohammed Al-Farsi , Teachers‟ Questions in the Basic Education Classroom. Retrieved November 27, 2013 from http://www.moe.gov.om/portal/sitebuilder/sites/eps/English/MOE/baproject/Ch%205%20Questioning%20in%20the%20basic%20education%20classroom.pdf