Questions

1
Questions Answers

• or how to keep an open forum

2
Topics

• How to ask questions
• How to elicit questions
• How to answer questions
• How to recover if you cant answer a question

3
Asking Questions

• Example
• George Bush referred to Reagans economic plan
  as what economics?

4
Asking Questions

• Principles
• Questions should be formed to give students a
  better framework for what answer is expected in
  an answer.

5
Asking Questions

• In Practice
• George Bush felt Reagans economic plan was more
  witchcraft than a realistic plan. What name did
  Bush give to Reagans plan?

6
Asking Questions

• Example
• What is the voltage across this component?
  (slight pause) We can easily see its five
  volts.

7
Asking Questions

• Principles
• Give students a chance to answer questions you
  pose. Especially if you deem them easy.
• Dont be afraid of pauses in your lecture.
• Call on students, if necessary.

8
Asking Questions

• In Practice
• What is the voltage across this component?
  (wait for response)

9
Eliciting Questions

• Example
• Are there any questions??
• or
• Does anyone have any questions?

10
Eliciting Questions

• Principles
• If you ask Are there any questions, you
  intimate that you arent expecting questions and
  they will be less likely speak up.
• Try to rephrase as if questions are expected.

11
Eliciting Questions

• In Practice
• What questions do you have?

12
Answering Questions

• Example
• Q How many volts is this battery?
• A 1.5

13
Answering Questions

• Principles
• Just giving an answer doesnt give them a deeper
  understanding of why its the answer.
• Have the student figure it out through reason
  (and promptings from you) in order to better
  learn and remember the answer.
• Use of humor doesnt hurt, either, if its an
  obvious answer.

14
Answering Questions

• In Practice
• A Use a voltmeter an measure it. Alternately,
  you can read what voltage it says on the side of
  the battery.

15
Lack of Answer Recovery

• Example
• QWhy are there no letters on the 1 digit on
  the phone?
• AUhhh I dont know. Uhh. Uhh.

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Lack of Answer Recovery

• Principles
• You obviously cant know the answer to every
  question that pops into your students heads.
• Dont stand there saying uhhh over and over.
• The key is to respond quickly in order to keep
  the pace of the class going.

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Lack of Answer Recovery

• Principles
• Try using one of the following techniques
• Briefly say Im not sure and move on.
• I dont know, but Ill find out.
• Let me think about that a moment.
• Offer the question to the other students.
• Make up something ludicrous then just admit you
  dont know the answer.

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Lack of Answer Recovery

• In Practice
• Q Why are there no letters on the 1 digit on
  the phone?
• A 2 was Alexander Graham Bells favorite
  number, so he started the letters there Im
  just kidding. I dont know.

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In Conclusion

• Frame your questions to better prompt your
  students.
• Wait for the answer. Dont be afraid of silence.
• Ask for questions in a manner that makes them
  expected.
• Help the student reason an answer rather than
  just handing it to them.
• Dont freeze up when you dont know an answer
  give a definitive answer even if its that you
  dont know.