WORKPLACE TRAINING

CONTENTS
Training Session
Questioning Technique.

PAGE NUMBER

Questioning

94

Purpose of questioning

95
95 96

How to question
Question attributes

97

Questioning Technique

97

Revision

100

Notes

101

Learning Outcome 9:
Use appropriate questioning techniques to develop student learning.
Assessment Criteria:
10.1 State the purpose of questioning.
10.2 Define testing and teaching questions.
10.3 Describe question delivery techniques.
10.4 Describe methods of designing question sequences.
10.5 Design question sequences.
10.6 Use appropriate questioning techniques to develop student learning.
REFERENCES
a.

Instructional Technique, Ivor K. Davies.

b.

Creative Training Techniques, June 1997, M.Hakim.

FCS M3 LO9 - 94

QUESTIONING TECHNIQUE
INTRODUCTION
QUESTIONING
1.
Questions serve several main purpose. Before asking one, ask yourself what you
hope to achieve with the answer. A well put question might help you:

Adjust the level of instruction to match the level of participants;

Reveal misunderstandings, which you can then correct on the spot;

Permit participants to contribute experiences or ideas; or

Emphasize main points to improve learner retention.

PURPOSE OF QUESTIONING

2.
In the lesson structure model used at SITU, questions can be asked in the
Introduction and Development of a lesson, but not in the Conclusion.
3.

.
4.

In the Introduction questions can be asked to:

Stimulate interest,

Revise or link to previous knowledge, and

Establish why students need to know the information contained in the lesson.

In the Development questions are asked to:

Maintain interest,

Establish key points,

Check the application of key points,

Check progress of students, and

Ensure students are on the same wave length.

5.
In the Conclusion questions are avoided in order to maintain a tight structure when
reviewing the lesson and to ensure new information is not introduced or allow loose ends to
form from students whose questions may be red herrings.
HOW TO QUESTION
6.

In the Introduction:

Stimulate interest by telling a story or showing a cartoon and question for the
relevance/link;

Recall from previous lesson; and

Ask what they would do if they didnt have the knowledge.

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7.

In the Development:

Give a scenario and then ask question to finally establish the key points;
and/or

Question for recall from previous experiences and then ask how they would
use the lessons learnt from these experiences to establish the keypoints.

NOTE
See Question Design notes for details on how to go about doing this
TYPE
8.

There are two types of questions:

Testing questions, which just recall information; and

Teaching questions, which establish new facts or concepts.

FRAMING AND DELIVERY

9.

When framing and delivery questions, the following should be observed:

Questions must be clear and concise.

Timing: Pose Pause Pounce Praise.

Reinforce correct handling of responses to ensure continued effort (any

answer, if given in good faith, is deserving of appropriate praise).

Amplify expand on students response.

Rephrase or redirect when you get an incorrect response.

Distribute questions evenly.

FAULTS TO AVOID WHEN QUESTIONING

10.

The following should be avoided when questioning:

Questions that are too easy or too difficult- decreases motivation.

Ambiguous questions I hope you know what we mean by this one

Word searching question for concepts and ideas not specific words.

Trick or guess questions there is little value in asking a trick question or

questions that the student can only guess at.

Open ended questions e.g. what could cause your engine to seize? There
are too many correct responses.

Lengthy questions with delayed or missing interrogatives.

Prenomination.
FCS M3 LO9 - 96

NOTE
All the above question types should be avoided when trying to narrow the students down to
the key points. However, there are appropriate times that the instructor may choose to use
them. (e.g. open-ended questions can be useful in Brainstorming sessions).

QUESTION ATTRIBUTES
11.
The following are a few attributed that not question should be without. Each question
should:

Express a specific purpose. Poorly assembled questions actually discourage

active participation and serve to derail the class. Design your questions for
definite purpose. One question may emphasize a major point, another may
stimulate thought. Instead of asking, Any Questions? an instructor should
relate the inquiry directly to an understanding of the subject matter a t hand.

Be easy to understand. Avoid lengthy questions that require clarification.

Simply worded, direct question serve best.

Emphasise one idea or point. Avoid asking two questions in one. If the
question requires several responses, distribute the requirement among
several participants.

Require a definite answer. State the question so that a specific answer is

required. Do not allow participants to bluff. A vague and indefinite question
invites an ambiguous answer.

Provoke thought. If its a no-brainer, it probably didnt need asking.

Cover learning points. Ask questions pertaining to course objectives.

Indicate purpose and type of desired response. If you want short answers,
ask for them. If you want the response to address the full scope of the
students knowledge say so.

Avoid dependence on memorized facts. Except for early in the session or

during reviews of materials to remember long-term, avoid questions haying to
do with simple memorization of facts.

Discourage guessing. Avoid questions that can be answered yes or no

unless you require the participant to explain their answers. Do not use
questions that strongly suggest the correct answer.

QUESTIONING TECHNIQUE
12.
One of the aims of effective training is to get the learner involved. One way in which
this can be achieved is to ask questions. Questioning is a quick, easy and under-utilised
method of improving student understanding and retention by giving the students ownership
of the answers, thus their own learning.
13.
Questions can be used as routine devices for maintaining communication and even
as a control device for that troublesome student. One of the most important components in
questioning is the delivery.
FCS M3 LO9 - 97

POSE - PAUS - POUNCE - PRAISE

14.

An effective question delivery technique utilizes the following method.

POSE Firstly pose the question to the whole group. By doing this the
instructor will have all the students attentive and searching for the answer.
NOTE
Always start your question with an interrogative.

PAUSE How long the instructor pauses will depend on the type of question
asked. For most testing type questions (recall) a short pause is used as the
answer is usually a short or single word response. However, for teaching
type questions (which establish new facts or concepts), longer pauses may
be necessary to allow students more time to organize their thoughts. No
specific time limit can be put to this; it is up to the instructor when to ask for a
response.

POUNCE Nominating a student to answer the question is done when the

instructor feels the class has had enough time to organize one. Seeking and
maintaining eye contact will assist the instructor to choose the particular
student to answer

PRAISE Once the answer has been given, positive feedback is given to the
respondent. By responding positively to students answers instructors ensure
continued participation by the student.
NOTE

Praise need not be given for every correct answer. It has been said that effective praise:
lies in the quality rather than its frequency (Good & Brophy, 1984)

WRONG ANSWERS
15.
Not every answer received will be correct. A wrong response should not be handled
negatively. The following are the strategies to employ for incorrect responses:

Rephrase the question and then ask the same student to respond.

If the student still has a problem giving the correct answer then redirect the
question to another student.
STUDENT QUESTIONS

16.
There are different ways to respond to students questions depending on the
situation. Essentially it is important to remember that the instructor is not the Answer man.
In other words every question need not be answered. Take each question on its merits.

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17.

The instructor should do the following when asked a question:

Where possible turn the question back onto the student who asked the
question. The original question may need rephrasing; however, by allowing
the student to discover the answer for themselves it may help confidence as
well as increase the power of the students understanding.

Redirect the student question to the whole class. This continues to keep the
learning student centered, not instructor centered. If also gives the instructor
time to think if needed.

Answer the question if it specifically asks for an opinion.

Answer the question if it deals with something specific that only instructor
would know the answer to.

If the answer is not forthcoming, indicate to the student research will be

carried out and an answer will follow. Additionally it is imperative that the
student is returned with an answer. Performing this function will maintain
instructor integrity.

In summary
18.
Remember that questions form a very important component of the 2-way
communication process. If questions are delivered correctly then the instructor will find that
the quality of the responses will find that the quality of the responses will be more meaningful
to the whole class.
19.
The effective use of questions may result in more participants learning than any other
single technique we use as instructors. Questions play a key role in most teaching methods.
Use them as tools never as fillers.

FCS M3 LO9 - 99

REVIEW QUESTIONS

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NOTE
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