Gulding How to Respond

 Rhetorical
These are Questions
that are often asked in
a fast pace and
sometimes do not
require an answer.
Examples:

Aren’t they smooth like

this?

Would you like to go

there someday?
  Informational

These are Questions

that require one to
supply information.

Example:

 What forces keep a

satellite in its orbit?
Leading
These Questions give a
clue to the right
answer.

Example:

 Based on the number of

legs, which of them is an
insect?
  Probing
These are Questions that
ask for application of
principles learned.

Example:

 Why is it classified as
a third class lever?
 Questioning Technique

Questioning is an integral part of teaching and

learning. The Teacher’s Questioning technique
would depend on a number of interactions, that
occur during and immediately after a question is
asked.
 The following are some reminders on how to improve
one’s questioning technique.
 Provide sufficient wait

Wait time refers to the pause needed by the

teacher after Asking a question. This is the
time when she waits for an answer.

A number of things to consider are:

a.) The level of difficulty of the question

b.)The type of response required

C.)The background knowledge the

respondent possess and

d.)The intellectual ability of the respondent

 An average of 2 to 5 seconds is sufficient
for “What” questions and 5 to 10 seconds
for “Why” and “How” questions.

 Usually there is a need to review or

improve the question if it proves difficult
at the moment. This is a second wait time.
A longer pause would encourage the
second wait time. A longer pause would
encourage the students to continue
thinking. In most cases they are able to
think of the best answer. The follow- up
question can lead to extended ideas
instead of the short memory question.
Providing sufficient wait time can
achieve the following:
 Motivates slow thinking students
to respond
 Improves the quality of the
responses made
 Decreases the amount of guessing
or wrong inferences
 Encourages the students to ask
their own questions
 Increases the number of correct
responses
 Provides time for the teachers to
evaluate the answers given.
  Know your own style of questioning
Request a colleague to critique your own
style as to:

A. Kind of question often asked

B. Amount of what time provided and
C. The type of responses required

Knowing your errors in questioning would make

it easy to effect the necessary changes: “Too
many” what” questions will be avoided.

 Increase own Repertoire of type of question

Training in employing divergent, high level and
open- ended questions improves one’s
questioning technique. Fully aware of the
instructional objectives set for a particular lesson,
a teacher would be able to frame more interesting
and thought-provoking questions rather than the
memory types.
 Provide Cues
Teachers are encouraged to provide immediate cues
in order to save an unanswered question or an
incomplete answer. It could be done by:

A) Acknowledging the correct portion of the

answer and calling attention to the wrong
portion.
B) Supplying hint or tips
C) Immediately asking another question to clarify
the former and
D) Redirecting or refocusing
 Consider the Individual abilities and interest
of the students
Experiencing success in giving correct answer
promote a feeling of confidence among them.
Select the brighter ones to respond to high
level questions. An approving nod, a smile or a
praise for an answer given will encourage them
to volunteer own ideas.