By Meltem TURAN EROGLU May 13, 2011 DFL, ATILIM UNIVERSITY

1. byMeltem TURAN EROGLUMay 13, 2011DFL, ATILIM UNIVERSITY TEACHER QUESTIONS

2. Outline Introduction Analysis of Sample Lesson Transcriptions Theoretical Framework Conclusion

3. 1. INTRODUCTION How many questions do you ask in a day? For which purposes do you ask questions?

4. �Teaching is the art of asking questions.� Socrates Some statistics -On average, a teacher asks 400 questions in a day. -70,000 questions are asked a year. -1/3 of all teaching time is spent asking questions. -Most questions are answered in less than a second.

5. Classroom Talk CT is highly structured and routinized Most of the talk belongs to the teacher (75%), and the structure is in the form of predictable and observable sequences: Initiation-Response- Feedback. e.g. Teacher: So, why did Peter run to the village? Student: For a joke. Teacher: Right! CT is institutionalized and cannot be considered as conversational talk. Institutionalized talk is necessary in order to help learners with their linguistic, cognitive and social development. (Hinkel, 2010)

6. Purposes of Teacher Questions To develop interest and motivate students to become actively involved in lessons To check understanding, knowledge, and skills To evaluate students� preparation and check on homework To develop critical thinking skills and inquiring attitudes To review and summarize previous lessons To manage the class and settle down To assess achievement of instructional goals and objectives To stimulate students to pursue knowledge on their own (Cotton, 2011; Kyriacou, 1997)

7. Types of Questions Function ? managerial or instructional Mode of Delivery ? threatening, natural, encouraging Target ? individual or the whole class Clarity ? clear or ambiguous Cognitive level ? lower-order or higher order (Bloom�s Taxonomy) (Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, Evaluation) Interaction created ? display or referential (closed or open) Display questions refer to those questions for which the questioner knows the answer beforehand; such questions are usually asked for comprehension checks, confirmation check, or clarification requests. e.g. ��What do we call this thing?�� Referential questions refer to the questions asked to elicit information that is not known to the speaker,. e.g., ��Why did you and Mary put this picture before that one?��

9. 2. ANALYSIS OF SAMPLE LESSON TRANSCRIPTIONS Please refer to the sample lesson transcriptions and in pairs try to identify the display / referential and lower-order / higher-order questions. To what extent do these questions achieve their aims? To what extent do they create interaction?

10. 3. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Research Findings Instruction which includes posing questions during lessons is more effective in producing achievement gains than instruction carried out without questioning students. Students perform better on test items previously asked as recitation questions than on items they have not been exposed to before. Oral questions posed during classroom recitations are more effective in fostering learning than are written questions. Questions which focus student attention on salient elements in the lesson result in better comprehension than questions which do not. (Cotton, 2011)

11. Placement and Timing of Questions Asking questions frequently during class discussions is positively related to learning facts. Increasing the frequency of classroom questions does not enhance the learning of more complex material. (Some researchers have found no relationship; others have found a negative relationship.)?? Posing questions before reading and studying material is effective for students who are older, high ability, and/or known to be interested in the subject matter. Very young children and poor readers tend to focus only on material that will help them answer questions if these are posed before the lesson is presented. (Cotton, 2011)

12. The Pitfalls of Questioning?? Asking too many closed questions, yes or no questions or recall-based questions Not giving learners wait-time Using challenging language in questions Not valuing the responses of some students

13. Guidelines for Effective Questioning Plan for questioning Match the question with your objective. Think of the goal of the question. Incorporate questioning into classroom teaching/learning practices. Ask questions which focus on the salient elements in the lesson; avoid questioning students about extraneous matters. Wait for an answer When asking higher cognitive questions, more wait-time is necessary. Don�t answer your own question Choose appropriate type of questions for different levels More lower cognitive questions for younger and lower ability students, more higher cognitive questions for older and higher ability Ss Modify overchallenging questions and scaffold Use easier questions to build up to a harder question.

14. 4. CONCLUSION It would be dangerous to generalize that referential questions are more useful for language learning because they increase interaction or display ones are useless. Each context requires an appropriate strategy for itself. Allwright and Bailey (1990) maintain that it is a dangerous oversimplification to suggest that verbal interaction in the classroom is just a case of "the more, the merrier". They add that "there may be times when teacher's desire to get students to interact verbally can be counterproductive. Rather, it is important for teachers to adjust their teaching style to learners' strategies". (Shomoossi, 2004). �In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. The important thing is not to stop questioning.� Albert Einstein �In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. The important thing is not to stop questioning� Albert Einstein

15. REFERENCES Cotton, K. (2011). Classroom questioning. Retrieved May 11, 2011 from http://www.learner.org/workshops/socialstudies/pdf/session6/ 6.ClassroomQuestioning.pdf Hinkel, E. (2010). Classroom talk. In M. Berns, Concise encyclopedia of applied linguistics, pp. 251-253. Oxford: Elsevier Ltd. Kyriacou, C. (1997). Effective teaching in schools: Theory and practice. Cheltenham, UK: Stanley Thornes, Ltd. Nunan, D. (1989). Understanding language classrooms: A guide for teacher-initiated action. New York: Prentice-Hall. Shomoossi, N. (2004). The effect of teachers� questioning behavior on EFL classroom interaction: A classroom research study. The Reading Matrix, 4 (2), 96-104

16. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!