Teaching Methods, Encouraging Interaction, and Asking Questions

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Teaching Methods, Encouraging Interaction, and
Asking Questions
Regina Frey, Director Washington University
Teaching Center Eads Hall 105 Phone
314-935-6810 Fax [phone] http//artsci.wustl
.edu/teachcen
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Outline

• Teaching methods/strategies
• What makes an effective discussion class
• Techniques for encouraging participation
• Types of questions
• Learning hierarchy

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Teaching Strategies/Methods

• Many teaching methods can be grouped into 4
  general categories
• Lecture
• Discussion
• Group work - Active learning, Guided inquiry
• Individual learning
• Not one superior teaching method
• Teaching strategies are NOT exclusive of one
  another use a combination

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What makes an Effective Discussion Class

• Planning and preparation of the class are
  important.
• Define objectives for each session and a plan to
  obtain those objectives.
• Have a number of carefully crafted questions to
  ensure that the discussion class moves forward
  and that the main points are brought forth.
• Wrap-up at the end to summarize the important
  points that were discussed during the session.
• The instructor needs to create a comfortable and
  non-threatening environment.
• The instructor must show respect for all
  questions and comments.
• The instructor should do a summation at critical
  points in the session.

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Techniques for Encouraging Participation

• Ask appropriate questions see subsequent slides
• Wait for student responses
• Redirect questions to other students
• Place the emphasis on student ideas
• Avoid interrupting student answers
• Use positive reinforcement
• Use students names

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Techniques for Encouraging Participation

• Repeat student responses to summarize or clarify
  ideas
• Pick up on comments or suggestions that were not
  discussed
• Use nonverbal cues to encourage participation
• Could assign students to solve the problems at
  the board and lead the discussion
• Use small groups to solve problems
• Allow students to think nonlinearly about the
  problem - brainstorm

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Types of Questions

• Managerial (20 of all questions asked by
  instructors)
• Deal with classroom operations
• Does anyone have any questions about the
  assignment?
• Rhetorical
• Used to emphasize a point or reinforce a
  statement
• Can anyone look at our reduced standing in the
  world today and say, "Let's have four more years
  of this"? (Ronald Reagan, 1980 Republican
  National  Convention Acceptance Address)
• Closed (60 of all questions asked by
  instructors)
• Used to check retention or to focus thinking on a
  particular point
• What is the limit definition of the derivative?
• Open (20 of all questions asked by instructors)
• Used to promote discussion or student interaction
• Given the following data points, how might we
  best fit them?

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Types of Questions to Encourage Participation

• Probing questions
• Clarifying used when a students comment is
  unclear or vague
• Could you elaborate on that point?
• Increasing critical awareness used to explore
  the students thought process
• What are your assumptions?
• Refocusing encourages the student to see that
  concept from another perspective
• Lets analyze that answer.
• Prompting used to help refine a students
  statement or thoughts
• Redirecting (to another student) used to
  encourage student-student discussion
• Divergent questions no right or wrong answer
  encourages exploration of ideas
• What are some ways to modify the social security
  system to handle the baby-boomer generation?
• Higher-order questions based on Blooms taxonomy

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Asking Questions Based on Blooms Taxonomy
Category Definition Question words Example
Evaluation Judgment, making value decisions about issues Judge, appraise, evaluate, assess.... Evaluate using this approach in solving this problem..
Synthesis Combining of ideas, Creating an original product Compose, construct, design, predict Prove the following statement..
Analysis Subdividing into component parts, determining motives Compare, contrast, examine, analyze. Compare the difference between
Application Problem solving, applying information Interpret, apply, use, demonstrate. How would you apply the use of integrals to this thermodynamic problem?
Comprehension Interpreting, paraphrasing Restate, discuss, describe, explain Explain the steps used to solve this problem.
Knowledge Memorizing, recalling information Who, what, when Define, recall, list Define the following terms
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