Teachers may ask their students plenty of questions. However, how frequently do they consider the way they ask them? Teachers have to be realistic and realize that they may not be asking the questions effectively. Besides, it’s far too simple to fall into a rut of repeating the same strategies in each lesson. Rather, teachers should consider implementing the top 5 successful questioning techniques below:

Everyone is Required to Participate

Many have experienced a student who declares, “I don’t know.” Teachers should comment by stating they will return to them. Then, the teacher should immediately ask another student who knows the answer. Then, have the first student restate the correct response. Teachers might also consider rephrasing their questions or assisting the student with their response scaffolding. The most important thing is to return to them. They’ll quickly realize that their teacher is not going to tolerate “I don’t know the answer” as a reply.

Pause a Minute

Enough time should be allowed for students to respond to a question, once the question has been asked. Students need some time to think about their answers. Few students will respond if enough time isn’t provided.

Don’t Use Hand Raising

In class, teachers should not require their students to raise their hands. They should, instead, be made aware that they will be required to contribute. This will prevent a few people from dominating the conversation. Students should be chosen based on their knowledge. Additionally, students who don’t participate too often should be called upon. Furthermore, teachers should not enable their more knowledgeable or assertive students to answer the majority of the questions.

Hands up is only useful in certain situations, such as measuring the number of students who know an answer, or determining whether students’ opinions are similar to those of their peers.

Ask Questions to Check for Understanding

Probing is a way for teachers to ask questions that motivates students to elaborate on their verbal responses. Probing can be used to clarify information, expound on ideas, and interpret ideas. This will help improve their knowledge and understanding of the material.

Think-Pair-Share

Frank Lyman created this approach in 1981. Teachers should provide a question, allow students time to reflect on it, and then pair them up to debate their replies. Then, choose students to share their responses with the rest of the class.