The Art of Questioning

One of the teaching tools conveniently placed in the

hands of the teacher is the question. And yet, too many
teachers either use it carelessly or fail to see its
possibilities for promoting effective learning. Even with
the teaching formula of “Assign, Study, Recite, Test” of
the traditional school. The ability to ask questions was a
necessary art.
The fact, the traditional classroom at all levels was
dominated by activities of the question- and-answer
type.
 Categories of Questions
 Knowledge (who, what, whom, where, why, how)
 Comprehension (retell)
 Analysis (What are the parts of.... ? features of....? Classify
according to....)
 Application (How is.... an example of....? How is.... related to.....?
Why is.... significant....?)
 Synthesis (What would infer from? What ideas can you add to?
How would you design a new....? What would happen if you
combine...?)
 Evaluation (Do you agree that...? What do you think about...?
What is the most important.....? Place the ff. in order of priority.
How would you decide about...? What criteria do you need to
use to assess....?)
 Uses of Questions
 To stimulate pupils to think
 To motivate pupils
 To diagnose pupil’s difficulties
 To discover pupil’s interest
 To help pupils organize and evaluate
 To aid pupils to relate pertinent experiences to the lesson
 To focus pupil’s attention
 To develop new appreciation and attitudes
 To provide drill or practice
 To show relationships such as cause and effect
 To encourage the application of concept
 Types of Questions
According to Purpose

For assessing cognition

For verification
For creative thinking
For evaluating
For productive thinking
For motivating
For instructing