Questions and Questioning Techniques

Knowing how to ask the right questions and provide good answers is the foundation of all
learning. Given the limited amount of time students will spend in your section, you
cannot possibly teach them everything about your field. However, as a teacher, you can
and should give students the tools they will need to pursue their own interests in their
chosen fields.

One of the ways to do this is to teach them questioning skills. Teachers model these skills
in class with the questions they ask. Moreover, asking good questions will help generate
interesting discussions.

Below you will find a partial list of some useful questions for generating discussions, as
well as some that should be avoided. You will also find links to other sites which provide
a broader overview of questioning techniques.

Type

Descriptive







Analysis












Evaluation








Compare/Contrast








Causal relationships




Example

Questions beginning with
such words or expression
sas tell, discuss,
describe, illustrate,
show. For example,
Describe Henri IVs role in
the Wars of Religion.

Questions beginning with
such words or expressions
as why, how would you
explain the fact that,
prove, what is the
importance of, how do
you account for, what is
the meaning of. For
example, What is the
importance of the telegraph
in the Revolution of 1848?


Questions beginning with
such words or expressions
as evaluate the statement
that, what is meant by,
explain how. For example,
Explain the statement: Our
cities need the middle class
in order to survive.

Questions beginning with
such words or expressions
as compare, contrast,
What is the difference,
What is the similarity.
For example, Compare
Taruskins reading of this
score to Abbates.

Questions beginning with
such words or expressions
as, what are the causes of,
what connection is there,
what are the results of.
Result

These questions encourage
students to establish their
own narrative and prioritize
information.




These questions provide
basic facts and call for
sustained answers involving
critical thinking.









These questions are
structured like analysis
questions but are based on
quotations or statements.





These questions call
attention to common
elements or major
differences between ideas
or arguments.




These questions may be
used to show causal
relationships or to
determine whether such
relationships exist.





For example, What
connection is there between
migration from the South
and the shortage of low-rent
apartments?







Although there is, strictly speaking, no such thing as a bad question, and the kinds of
questions you ask will depend on several variables, you should try in general to avoid the
following lines of questioning since they usually fail to generate good discussions.

Type

Yes/No



Factual



Multiple



Elliptical



Indefinite



Whiplash




Leading




Tugging




Guessing
Example

Did Romeo kill J uliet?



Who killed Caesar?



Who are the protagonists in
Hamlet and how do they
die?

Ulysses, what a novel, huh?



How are the Odyssey and
Ulysses different?


Difference is the term
Derrida uses to describe
what?


Dont you think Delacroix
was an orientalist?



Can you give me one more
adjective to describe Emma
Bovary?


Why do you think Schubert
failed to complete his
Unfinished Symphony?
Result

Does not produce
discussion, and encourages
guessing.

Encourages short responses
and involves no critical
thinking.

Confusing, since students
will not know which
question wants answered.

Confusing and unclear.
Students will have no idea
what the teacher is getting
at.

Vague, overstated and
impossible to answer
concisely.

Students are prepared to
receive information when
they are suddenly asked to
answer a question.

Conveys the expected
answer and prevents
students from reaching their
own conclusions.

Students are asked to
furnish additional but not
really meaningful
information.

Answer is only a matter of
guesswork?


For more on questioning techniques see:

http://ctl.stanford.edu/Handouts/web/asking_questions.html
More on good and bad questions to ask to generate a good discussion.

http://faculty.washington.edu/krumme/guides/bloom.html
A guide adapted from Benjamin Blooms taxonomy of questions commonly asked
in educational settings and their valences.

http://teach.northwestern.edu/serv_online.html
Additional kinds of questions provided by the Searle Center for Teaching
Excellence along with tips on timing.