Blog Post 4

“What do we need to know about asking questions to be an effective teacher?”

According to Webster’s Dictionary a question is a sentence, phrase or word that asks for information. A matter or problem that is being discussed: a subject or topic.

Questions, Don’t Teachers Ask Them?-I must be honest, this has never crossed my mind. In Dr. Maryellen Weimer’s blog post some very important questions are covered. I have not always wanted to be an educator but when I did think about teaching students asking me questions never really seemed to stick out. Also in Dr. Weimer’s blog posts she suggests preparing questions, playing with questions and also preserving good questions.

Prepare Questions-Dr. Weimer states that she asks questions to her students without giving them an adequate time to prepare. She now admits that this was often frustrating for her and her students. After reflecting on this she wanted to find a way to make this a lot less stressful not only her but also her students. She now realizes that more prepared question are much better for her and her students think through and answer.

Play With Questions-I’m sure I wasn’t the only one in school that was given a question and wanted to find the easiest and shortest answer that could answer the given question just to get by. In fact, I believe that many students think this way at some point in their school career. This yes, is the easy way out, butt ultimately could end up hurting you in the long run. Dr. Weimer suggests making the students think more logically. He also suggests using a board with a question already on it when the students enter the classroom.

Preserve Good Questions-Educators are encouraged to ask questions for any reasons. One of those reasons could include making students think in depth and also think for themselves. Maybe, in some instances, even make critical thinking decisions. This will help students in the future with many life changing decisions.

There are no Wrong Questions-In the video Dr. Strange assigned us to watch Dr. Chesley takes on the question “Are there wrong questions?” In the video she states there are two types of questions, those being, an open ended question and a closed ended question. What she means by this is a closed ended question she expects a yes or no answer and sometimes a reply. By open ended question Dr. Chesley states this is more of giving information but not necessarily getting an answer to a specific question.

Questions, Yes, Of Course Teachers Should ask Questions- As an educator asking the right questions at the right time can be very critical. It is very important to know what questions to ask. In high school I thought my teachers just thought of questions to ask students, little did I know the thought process behind the questions being asked.