Resource 3: Common mistakes in questioning

It is often said that ‘questions are only as good as the answers they get’. If you are asking your students questions, you do not want to discourage them from offering answers or participating. Common errors in questioning are:

• asking too many questions at once
• asking a question and answering it yourself
• asking a difficult question too early
• always asking the same type of question
• asking a question in a threatening way
• not using probing questions
• not giving students enough time to think
• ignoring answers
• not correcting wrong answers
• failing to see the implications of answers
• failing to build on answers.

If you do any of these, think about how you might adapt your approach and find ways of doing the opposite. Watch and see the improvement in students’ performance.