Thought Provoking Questions

It has been suggested that promoting active open discussions begins with thought provoking questions… questions that support more active participation. Many professors are looking to provide opportunities for their students to critically think about the content. But how do we get passive learners to participate with the intent to engage with you, others and the content? Professors can begin to focus on the kinds of questions that are asked. Are the questions open-ended to further critical thinking or just one-word responses?

The following provides suggestions to build engagement in the classroom through thoughtful questions. Based on the list compiled by Tom Drummond, North Seattle Community College.

·      
    Description: What did you see? What happened? What is the difference between…?

·      Reflection: What was interesting, Why? What was surprising, Why?

·      Analogy: What else does it remind you of? What else does it look like?

·      Purpose: What is the purpose of…? What is the function of…?

·      Procedures: How was this done…? What is usually

·      Possibility: What else could be done…? If we didn’t have, or couldn’t use, …, what could …?

·      Prediction: What will happen if…? What will you see? What will be the effect?

·      Justification: How can you tell? What evidence led you to…?

·      Rationale: Why do you think that? What is the reason…?

·      Generalization: What is the same about…?

·      Definition: What does _______ mean?  

Finally, after posing these questions, learners need time to process. Wait time is crucial in allowing students to articulate their responses. Allowing students at least 5 seconds of think time can encourage more thoughtful answers.

For more information about asking thoughtful questions, please visit the following link. http://tomdrummond.com/best-practices/

Reference:

Drummond, T. (2012). A Brief Summary of the Best Practices in Teaching. North Seattle Community College. Retrieved from http://tomdrummond.com/best-practices/.