[MUSIC] You are welcome again to the course. Today we want to look at questioning in the classroom.

Why do you think questions should be asked in the classroom? Well, questions need to be asked because it helps in recalling of what has been taught. They help to stimulate thinking among children. They help to engage students in discussion. And they help to rehearse for tests or exams. Questions need to be asked also because they help the teacher in finding out things he or she didn't know. Let's go on to find out about questioning in the classroom situation. Who are those who ask questions in your classroom? Are children allowed in any way to ask questions? Who are questions addressed to? What are the questions about? Who answers your questions, as a teacher? And what would you consider, to be a "good" question? What kinds of questions are frowned on? And what kinds of questions tend to get no answer? In asking effective questions you need to think about the following, these are just suggestions. Whenever possible, ask, rather than tell, in a classroom during teaching. When you ask, rather than tell learners, it offers learners the opportunity to reason and also develop critical minds. Ask one question at a time and the question must be as concise as possible. Adjust the difficulty of your questions to the student's abilities, working towards increasingly higher levels of thinking as the learning progresses. You need to include questions that help students to explore their attitudes and feelings as well. Ask questions about processes, as well as outcomes, and model the kinds of questions that you want the student to ask themselves in a classroom. Children learn best when teachers, and for that

matter, you, maintain a high student interest and engagement in a classroom. And so, you need to ask more higher and lower order questions. You need to create an opportunity that will engage all students, not just volunteers, in discussions. In some classrooms, making reference to Ghana again, you will find that teachers are fond of calling only those who raise their hands up, others are ignored. This must be avoided - involve all students. You need to have higher regard for students and treat them with respect in terms of questions, and actively monitor student progress in the learning process. So, allow children time to think about questions and respond to the questions. You must also provide clear, formative feedback to learners. You need to vary student activities and procedures. And then hold high expectations for students. Above all, you need to build classroom learning communitites. You need to create opportunities that will encourage learners to talk among themselves. Also, remember that children learn best when teachers know their subject matter. When teachers are organised. When they are enthusiastic about teaching and their subject areas. When teachers develop deep rather than shallow knowledge about the subject matter. When teachers connect new learning to prior knowledge, as previous knowledge is very important here. When teachers teach at a level that ensures a higher rate of success, when teachers structure learning experiences thoughtfully. Children learn best when teachers ensure that they have sufficient time to practice skills,

and clearly present both directions and content information. Now, going back to connecting new knowledge to prior knowledge. Let me share an observation I made, in one school in the northern part of Ghana, with you. It was a primary four class where this teacher was teaching industries in Ghana. So, pupils were asked to mention the towns where the industries were located. So, the teacher put down tobacco. One child raised their hand up, and he was called by the teacher and the child mentioned Kintampo. Then the teacher said it was wrong. Another mentioned Accra, the teacher said it was wrong. Another mentioned Takoradi, the teacher said it was right. And so children were asked to clap for the one who mentioned Takoradi. Then this boy who mentioned Kintampo stood up again and said, "Madam, it is not Takoradi it is Kintampo." Then the teacher shouted him down, and said sit down, but the child stood up again and said "Madam, if it is cigarettes, then it is Takoradi. If it is tobacco, then it is Kintampo." The teacher shouted him down again. Later, we got to know that the child was, after all, right. In such a situation we see the teacher not exhibiting humility, not recognising the knowledge of this child, the previous knowledge of the child. If the teacher were humble enough to recognise her own ignorance, it would have encouraged this child and would have motivated others too. So, there is a need for you as a teacher to connect new knowledge to prior knowledge because you build upon the previous knowledge of children. You also need to recognise ideas expressed by every pupil in your classroom. In other words, everyone's ideas should be considered. Children learn best when their ideas are considered. Children also learn best when they are

allowed to take risks. In other words, it is normal for children to take risks. When such conditions are created for them to take risks, they ask questions freely without fear. Then how do you handle the children's wrong answers? In some classrooms in Africa, for instance, children's wrong answers are handled in such a way that children become embarrassed in the classroom. But you need to handle wrong answers positively at least appreciate the effort of the wrong answer, and find a way of helping a child to get the right answer. You need to recognize that students build on one another's ideas. And so, encourage all children to contribute in a classroom. In this sense, your questions must be evenly distributed. Do not just cater to those who raised their hands up. Then when dealing with children's questions, please allow time for children to think, to reason, to reflect on the issues. Now, questions about questions. What is a good question? Is this a good question? In some contexts, we know that people answer questions with questions. What purposes do questions serve in your classroom? How many questions do you ask in a day? These are things you need to think about. How many of those do you already know the answer to the questions you ask? Who are the students most likely to answer questions in a classroom? Are they the boys, the girls? Those whom you think know, or everybody? How often do students ask questions in your classroom? How often do you encourage students to ask questions of each other? These are all things that are worth considering if you can create a questioning environment in the classroom. Reflect on all that we have talked about in this lecture within the context of your

classroom and find out which are the good ones you think you can practice in your classroom. Are there any thoughts you think can help improve questioning in the classroom? Think about this, and share with your colleagues. I wish you all the best. Until we meet in the next lecture. Thank you. [MUSIC]