Activity 1.4

Listen to the audio or read the text below which explains the different types of questions that you can ask. As you listen, make notes in your Teacher Notebook. Discuss your notes with colleagues at the TGM to ensure you understand the different types of questions and how they can help in your teaching. When you feel comfortable with the concept of lower order and higher order questions, do Activity 1.5.

Audio transcript

Teachers question their learners all the time. Good questioning helps you to find out what learners know; and is important in assessing their progress. Questions can be divided into two broad categories:

The first is lower-order questions. These involve the recall of facts and knowledge previously taught. They often involve closed questions (that is questions requiring a short yes or no answer, or a single word). For example:

• Did you play football yesterday evening?
• What is the capital of Zambia?
• Does water heated to 100 degrees become steam?

All these questions only require short answers and it’s easy as a teacher to find out if your students have understood the content.

Higher order questions: these are generally open ended and encourage learners to think beyond yes or no answers and elicit different responses from learners. These help the teachers to assess the learners’ understanding of content.

Some examples of higher order questions are:

• What are the advantages of living in a large city?
• How do animals protect themselves from predators?
• What did you do on the weekend?

As you can see these are all questions that require longer answers and they will vary from student to student.

Activity 1.5: Planning for effective questioning

Decide on the topic you are focusing on in the lesson you are planning. Write three lower-order or ‘closed’ questions (yes/no or single word responses) and three higher-order or ‘open’ questions in your Teacher Notebook. Share with your partner/s. 

Which questions tell you more about what your learners understand?