Post #4

"If we look at the dynamics of any classroom, it doesn't take more than a week for students to figure out who is smart, who is not, and who doesn't care. What is worse, studies show that after fourth grade, students know how they are perceived and play their roles accordingly" (Ben Johnson, The Right Way to Ask Questions in a Classroom, http://www.edutopia.org). This is the most noticeable and problematic dynamic that takes place in the classroom. Being a college student myself, I more than notice this occurrence in my day to day classes. The teachers will either try in vain to ask questions to an responding and silent class room, or they will end up being forced to take the answers of the one or two whom actually want to be involved. Here in my post I have evaluated some techniques for how to ask questions and what questions should be asked, and I have included some ideas of my own that encourage better learning experiences for students.

"Do not interrupt students’ answers. You may find yourself wanting to interrupt because you think you know what the student is going to say, or simply because you are passionate about the material. Resist this temptation. Hearing the students’ full responses will allow you to give them credit for their ideas and to determine when they have not yet understood the material" (Wilbert McKeachie, Asking Questions to Improve Learning, http://teachingcenter.wustl.edu). This piece of advice put forth by Wilbert Mckeachie is not one that I can truly agree with. From what I have both seen and experienced, some students tend to answer a question with an idea of what the answer may be and expect the teacher to be able to help complete this thought or just to help find a more specific answer. Often when the student is left trying to explain further with nothing but a silent classroom in the background and the full attention of the teacher on them, the student will simply panic and lose faith in their idea which could have led to a correct answer. However, I do not believe that the teacher should approach this kind of answer by posing more questions because this may make the student feel pressured and their mind may wander even further away from their initial train of thought. I believe that instead, when a student is not quite able to get out their answer, the teacher should interject if they feel they know where the student is heading, or to use what the student has presented to lead them to what they are trying to say. For example, when a teacher asks the question, "What kind of symbolism do we see in this story?," and the student replies with, "Well, this one guy always has this five pointed star on all his stuff." In this situation, the student may just vaguely have an idea of this significance or they may just not be confident in their answer. So, I would propose that instead of asking the student directly what that means, the teacher should respond by trying to discuss with the student about who "that guy" is and his significance in the story. Then, the teacher can ask what elements about this character would lead him to where such a symbol and what it means to him. Hopefully this would leave the student more confident to respond and possibly work to spark thoughts in other members of the class so that they might have something to add as well.

"Students might be encouraged to write the question in their notes. They might be given a bit of time to write some ideas or discuss potential responses with another student (Maryellen Weimer, Three Ways to Ask Better Questions in the Classroom, http://www.facultyfocus.com). I very much agree with this suggestion put forth by Dr. Weimer. Assigning students to write down questions that they have while doing their actual homework to be discussed in class the next class would make it much easier for them to remember what they had problems with given that time has passed since they worked on that assignment. Also, although at times it may seem uncomfortable for both students and teachers to put students in groups, I have found that for small in class assignments they are quite productive. I would encourage a random system for grouping because this allows the possibility of more engaged students helping lesser engaged students. Then when you reconvene as a whole class, all members of the groups should be able to answer questions about their individual activities because the consensus of the group is backing them.

In respect to what questions I would want to ask and how I would go about asking them, I look to what kind of teacher I am training to be. I aim to teach high school English which largely involves reading material that will be needed to be analyzed and interpreted. For this type of class, I believe that first reviewing the text and pointing out some concepts about what we are currently reading to refresh the students minds and get them back in the frame of mind they were in while reading it themselves. After the review, I would begin asking questions on the concepts mentioned earlier.If the students refuse to respond, I would then begin calling on one or more students to answer specific questions to create some dialog. I may briefly suggest some further ideas about the information and ask specific questions while doing so and having the students reflect on what has just presented. So, this could lead to a broader discussion on the topic that can be expanded by introducing more of the students' ideas along the way and then asking them to reflect on the new idea to keep the conversation continuing. Ideally, if enough of the students contribute to the discussion, the entire class will benefit.