Getting more students to ask questions
Are there other methods out there to get more students to ask questions?
I try to associate the subject matter directly to something of their interest.
Hi Michael - Thanks for your post to the forum. Relating the concepts our students are learning to their own experience demonstrates the relevance of those concepts. Very effective strategy! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I go over the material in a short review session and then expand questions on the subject points.
I agree the more that a student can relate to the subject matter the less apprehensive they are to participate. The best classes are the relaxed but constantly moving classes which encorages more participation. Also for me this allows them to learn more freely and me to really teach. It becomes a well oiled machine.
Hi Latwone, Thanks for your post to the forum. Students participating in active learning perform better and as you mention, it is a positive experience for teachers as well.
Susan Polick
In my American Literature class, I'm thinking about that very question--how do I get the students to ask more questions? Generally, the same few students ask questions about the literary works and the same few contribute to the class discussion. I'm thinking about requiring students to participate in class discussion at least, say, 2 times or they will lose points on their participation grade. Does that seem too mean to students who are just shy? Perhaps I could allow this "participation" to be in the form of a question or comment they write out and hand in at the beginning of that class. Part of the class discussion would include the use of the written items. What do you think of these ideas?
Hi Sheryl, Thanks for your post to the forum. Interesting question! Of course we would love to pull all of our students out of their "shells", but realistically, it does not always happen. I like the idea of allowing students to submit questions in written form. I would make sure to praise the question in class and to praise the student in private as well, emphasizing that the student really has a good grasp of the material and that he/she should try to join the discussion because he/she has a lot to offer. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Sometimes I will distribute an index card to students. I will then ask them to write down one question related to the subject matter; I instruct students that they will receive points based upon the quality of their questions and/or based upon whether or not the question encourages higher level thinking skills (i.e. Bloom's taxonomy). I collect the index cards and randomly pick several questions to ask aloud. This technique works quite well as a closure activity. It allows students to submit questions, but the authors of the questions remain anonymous. Overall, this technique is well received and very effective.
