PDC3 Handout - Effective Questioning

Using Questions Effectively
Effective questioning is a fundamental skill for teachers and facilitators. It plays a crucial role in every
classroom and every training room. Effective questioning is responsive, and dynamic and has a
significant impact on learning.
The content in this handout is relevant for both teachers and facilitators. The strategies can be used
effectively with both students and PDC participants.
1. Why do we ask questions?

Being clear about WHY we are asking a question can help us to frame our questions more carefully.
Effective questioning enables us to assess learning
As teachers and facilitators, we are constantly assessing learning. Asking the right questions can help us
understand how much a learner already knows about a new topic, and how much they have grasped of the
input in a lesson or PDC meeting. We can then follow up with scaffolding questions to address any gaps.
Effective questioning develops metacognition
When teachers, facilitators, and learners ask questions aloud, it makes thinking ‘visible’ and helps
learners to take control of the learning process. Self-questioning, in particular, is an important part of
planning and evaluating our learning. Here are some examples:
Planning: What do I already know that will help me with this task?
Monitoring: Is the strategy I am using working?
Evaluation: What would I do differently next time?
Effective questioning promotes active learning

Effective questioning shifts the focus from the learner as a passive recipient of knowledge to an active
participant in the classroom or training room. It allows learners to engage directly with the
teachers/facilitator, or with their peers through small group discussions.
It is also important to remember that the teacher or facilitator should not be the only person asking
questions. When we allow learners the opportunity to ask questions, we can take learning in a new
direction.
Effective questioning stretches and challenges learners
Asking follow-up questions can guide learners to a new level of understanding by encouraging them to
think more deeply about a topic.
2. Strategies for assessing understanding

No hands up
To direct specific questions to learners, a ‘no hands up’ approach can be helpful as it means you can
differentiate questions. It can also involve more learners as there is a possibility anyone could be asked a
question. To add another challenge, aim to ask a learner two questions in succession. The second question
should probe and encourage extended responses.
Relay technique
After you have explained a concept or asked a series of questions on a topic, ask a learner to relay back or
explain what they have understood. This gives the learner the opportunity to demonstrate what they have
understood and allows you to fill gaps and identify misconceptions.
Say it again, say it better
You ask a learner to give an initial response to a question. The learner might make a false start, or hesitate
as they work out their response. You allow this but then ask them ‘say it again, say it better’.
3. Strategies for extending thinking and deepening understanding

Think-Pair-Share is one strategy that you are all familiar with. Here are some more ideas for you to
experiment with in your PDCs and in your classrooms.
Wait time
It is estimated that learners on average have less than a second of thinking time between the
teacher/facilitator asking a question and having to respond. Try increasing the wait to 3 seconds to allow
learners to process the question and begin to order their thinking. Increasing thinking time can improve
the quality and depth of responses.
See, think, wonder
This is a technique used at Harvard University that asks students to look at a topic, an image, an artifact, a
piece of art and ask three questions:
What do you see?
What do you think?
What do you wonder?
Pose, pause, pounce, bounce

This technique works best with open questions.
Pose: pose a challenging question.
Pause: wait and give learners thinking time (at least 5 seconds).
Pounce: insist on a no hands up and pounce on a learner to provide an answer.
Bounce: bounce responses around the class, giving learners the opportunity to develop
their responses. This could include adding ideas, challenging them, illustrating them, or
taking them in a new direction.
Here is an example:
Pose: Think about the word ‘conflict’. What different types of conflict are there?
Pause: Wait 5 – 10 seconds
Pounce: Funda, tell me a type of conflict you identified.
Bounce: Fuat, can you build on this? ……… Tulay, what else? etc
Adapted from Getting Started with Effective Questioning (cambridge-community.org.uk)

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Using Questions Effectively

1. Why do we ask questions?

Effective questioning promotes active learning

2. Strategies for assessing understanding

3. Strategies for extending thinking and deepening understanding

Pose, pause, pounce, bounce

Adapted from Getting Started with Effective Questioning (cambridge-community.org.uk)

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