Questioning Techniques:
* Open-ended questions: These avoid simple "yes" or "no" answers. They encourage elaboration, explanation, and critical thinking. Examples include: "What are your thoughts on...?" "How might we...?" "Why do you believe...?" "In what ways...?"
* Probing questions: These delve deeper into a student's initial response, encouraging them to justify, expand, or clarify their thinking. Examples: "Can you elaborate on that?" "What led you to that conclusion?" "What are the implications of...?" "What evidence supports your claim?"
* Wait time: Allowing sufficient pause after asking a question (at least 3-5 seconds) gives students time to formulate thoughtful responses and reduces pressure.
* Think-pair-share: Students first individually consider a question, then discuss their thoughts with a partner before sharing with the larger class. This encourages collaboration and peer learning.
* Questioning stems: Using specific phrases to guide the type of response desired (e.g., "What if...?" for hypothetical thinking, "How could we improve...?" for problem-solving).
* Higher-order thinking questions: Questions that go beyond recall and require analysis, synthesis, evaluation, or creation. These often use words like "analyze," "evaluate," "compare," "contrast," "create," and "justify."
Reacting Techniques:
* Active listening: Paying close attention to the student's response, both verbal and nonverbal, showing genuine interest and understanding.
* Summarizing and paraphrasing: Restating the student's ideas in your own words to ensure understanding and to show you were listening attentively.
* Encouraging responses: Using positive verbal and nonverbal cues (e.g., nodding, smiling, affirmative comments) to show approval and encourage further participation.
* Building on student responses: Connecting a student's answer to other ideas or concepts, extending the discussion and showing how their contribution fits into the bigger picture.
* Constructive feedback: Providing specific and helpful feedback, focusing on both strengths and areas for improvement, rather than simply offering praise or criticism.
* Respectful disagreement: Respectfully challenging a student's perspective, offering counterarguments or alternative viewpoints while still valuing their contribution.
By strategically employing these questioning and reacting techniques, teachers can create a classroom environment that fosters active learning, deep understanding, and meaningful teacher-student interaction. The key is to create a dialogue, not a monologue.