Blog Assignment #4

In Asking Better Questions in the Classroom, Joanne Chesley pointed out a great point right in the beginning. That point is that we need to ask better questions in order to get better answers. We as teachers can not just ask a question that requires and yes or no answer and expect the students to elaborate. There are two different types of questions to ask: closed ended questions and open ended questions. Closed ended questions are those that a student can answer with a one word answer such as yes or no. An open ended question is one that leaves the answer to be said in whichever way the student would like to answer. With open ended questions, the student can elaborate more on an answer. If you as a teacher wants to ask more effective questions, try asking open ended questions.

The article Open Ended Questions is a short video that shows how you can change a closed ended question into an open ended question. Some open ended question starters you could use are: "For what reasons," "In what ways," "Describe or Explain in detail," etc. An example is "Why is water good for your body?" With that question, you will get a number of certain answers. To ask it for a open ended question you could say "For what reasons is water good for your body?"

Once I become a teacher, I will try to change each question I ask into an open ended question. I will do this so my students can elaborate more and have to think a little more about an answer instead of just shouting out yes or no.