In the classroom you can find yourself in the frustrating position of asking a question and getting no response (and the question is not meant to be rhetorical!).
The situation is caused by the nature of questioning.
Specifically, the idea that questions command a response and make a demand for reciprocity.
When we ask a question to a student, we expect a response.
If we did not, then there would be no point in asking a question.
There are a number of reasons why students might not respond to our questions.
These include:
- They do not know the answer
- They do not feel confident
- They do not understand the question
- They have not listened to the question
- They feel social pressure that prevents them from answering
- They are bored
- They are seeking to undermine the teacher
- They are seeking to be disruptive
- They do not feel sufficiently safe or comfortable to share their thoughts
- They fear getting the answer wrong
Many reasons exist as to why students might not answer a question.
To try and deal with each of these would take an age.
Better instead to pre-empt them.
The way to do this is by structuring your questioning so you minimise the potential for any of the reasons to come into play.
Here are five approaches you can use.
Avoid asking too many questions that require a single, direct answer, such as: ‘What is the capital of Mongolia?’
Of course, these questions are useful and necessary. But too many questions like these may discourage students from responding.
This is because they will be thinking something along the lines of: ‘There is one right answer to this and I don’t want to be seen to get it wrong.’
Use questions that invite students to talk about what they think, such as: ‘What do you know about Mongolia?’
When it comes to questions of this type, the stakes are much lower.
It is not a question of there being one right answer and a whole host of others which are wrong.
Rather, it is about students sharing their thoughts with the teacher and with the class.
Ask learners to talk to their partner first.
By giving time for students to discuss in pairs, you alleviate two key problems: the social awkwardness of being the first person to speak and the numerical imbalance between teacher and students.
If you stand in front of a class and ask a question – who is to answer?
You are conceiving of the class as a unit because you are speaking to them all at the same time.
They cannot answer as a unit though.
Nor is it likely that one person will take it upon themselves to respond. And if they do – is that really what you want? One voice sharing their thoughts on behalf of all others?
Asking students to discuss in pairs first means that everybody in the class has a safe, easy environment in which to get to grips with the question and to share an answer.
Give learners thinking time.
Ask a question and then … wait.
By waiting you will be giving them time to think. This means that they will be able to analyse the question and consider what response to give.
It can be easy to fall into the trap of asking a question and then demanding an immediate response.
Another common ambush comes in the form of asking one question after another, in quick succession.
Both scenarios frequently creep up on teachers without their realising.
A good way to avoid them, and to ensure you give thinking time, is to ask a question and then say out loud to students: ‘Thirty seconds thinking time.’
Another option is to say the question and then to count silently to ten. Slowly. Once you have done this, a little bit of thinking time will have been made available.
Encourage learners to write something down.
If you write something down, you free up space in your working memory.
You are also in a better position to reflect on and analyse that which you thought than if you continue to hold the information in your mind.
In addition, students can refer to their notes when they come to share their thoughts.
You might use phrases such as these to direct your students:
‘Note down some thoughts about the question.’
‘Make some notes about your response to the question.’
‘What might X be? Make a note of your thoughts.’
