Asking better questions in order to increase classroom participation.

All of us, as teachers, have faced the situation, many times, of asking our students questions and receiving either complete silence, or short, muted responses. For a teacher, who in most cases has spent valuable time in the preparation of the activity, this can cause a variety of feelings and responses.

The question is, How do we rethink, reform, restyle the questions that we ask in class in order to receive the enthusiastic answers that we seek? How do we get the enthusiastic replies from our students that we need so that we successfully achieve our objectives?

What do you do when your question is met with complete silence and looks of confusion? 

Pre-planning and framing questions in a correct manner, and scaffolding the right kinds of responses can help teachers avoid those awkward moments of silence when their students just dont know how, or are unwilling to answer their questions.

Let’s look at a few ways to prevent those long, difficult moments of silence that occur after you ask a question. Use the following tips to ask your students more effective questions and to create an environment in the classroom where they feel comfortable discussing their results, opinions or lives with you.

Plan ahead.

Consider what you want to discover in this activity and come prepared with some baseline questions that you can use to begin, or continue the interaction. As your students' presentations progress, you can modify the questions as needed.

Ask open-ended questions.

Asking questions that require more than a simple yes or no answer allow students the opportunity to elaborate. Using only yes or no questions can quickly shut down a conversation and make the activity feel more like an interrogation than a discussion or presentation.

Ensure your questions are focused and easy to understand.

Ask one thing at a time using level-appropriate, relatable language. Questions that are vague, or ones that use too much jargon or technical terminology, can leave students feeling confused or frustrated. Keep your questions simple, relevant and to the point, as you can always follow up with other questions.

Listen attentively to find follow-up opportunities.

Pay attention to what your students are saying, making sure that you actively respond along with the conversation as needed. Focus on what they’re saying, not on how you’ll respond. When you do, repeat key points back to them as you ask them follow-up questions. This shows students that they’ve been heard and understood. If you need more information, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification when necessary.

Don’t interrupt, and be comfortable with periods of silence.

Let students do the talking. Allow them to finish their thoughts before jumping in. Periods of silence can also work to your advantage as this makes students feel open and unhurried to more fully express their thoughts.

English Grammar and 11 Guidelines for Making it More Understandable.
https://englishforyoutheteachersvoice.blogspot.com/2020/07/understanding-grammar-11-key-rules-for.html

Making the Rules of Grammar Easy to Understand
https://englishforyoutheteachersvoice.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-essential-rules-of-english-grammar.html

Where possible, encourage deeper thought through the use of leading language.

Never keep questions neutral. To encourage enthusiasm or deeper contemplation, use language that’s overtly positive or negative, language that encourages them to think and react (e.g., “Wouldn’t it be great if this happened within five years?” or “Where do you think world leaders went wrong in relation to the environment?”). Reframe the question in a way that allows for discussion and exploration (e.g., “What do you think you will achieve in the next, five years?” or “How do you feel the process chosen by the government will work?”).

Set, and respect time limits for activities.

Ask questions you want to know the answers to and avoid the ones that you don’t. When their presentations are finished, be sure to thank your students for their creative, interesting, and productive presentation.

If you still find that students are having problems answering your questions, try to determine why you are not getting the response that you were expecting.

Generally speaking, in most cases, students don’t want to look stupid in front of their peers, they maybe intimidated by the person asking the question or they may not know the answer and do not want to look silly in front of those students in the class who intimidate, or bully other students. 

To overcome these situations, establish a non-threatening environment of respect that is conducive to success. Set and enforce rules and back them up with positive feedback for each student. A good “Well done” or “That's great, I’m proud of you” will always work wonders for students' confidence.

We must remember that peer pressure doesn’t just make kids do negative, risky things; it also makes them reluctant to take the kind of risks we actually want them to attempt. If you want to make it easier for students to be brave, consider your question framing and try to make your questions direct and able to be answered in the time that students have been allotted. “For example, if you ask, ‘What is your favorite vacation destination?’ some students will rack their brains trying to think of that ONE particular place that they like to visit more than any other and this will often require great thought and take up a lot of time. But if you just ask them to think of a nice place that they would really like to visit, that’s much quicker and easier for them to answer.

Another way to reduce the stress associated with answering questions is to ask each student to prepare a written response in advance before calling on them to give their answer to the class. By doing this, you’re more than likely to get a deeper, more thoughtful response and students will be more confident and prepared to face their peers. You can also try the well-proven method of “Think-pair-share” where students collaborate on responses in pairs or small groups before sharing their responses with the entire class.  

I hope that these suggestions provide you with some alternate ideas for how to prepare and ask the style of questions that students will be more willing and capable of answering.

Good luck, and good teaching.