Train-the-Trainer by DataHomeLab

3.7 Types of Question

Questions can be classified in accordance with the thought process that the student must perform in order to obtain the answer. The two major classifications for questions are Testing and Teaching.

Testing Questions

Testing questions can be defined as those questions which recall from memory, past and present knowledge. For example "What engine type does the A330 fleet have?" requires no reasoning, working out or calculation. The only thought process performed by the student is to recall from memory a given name that was memorised from either past or present learning. Testing questions are used primarily for revision of previously learnt key points, for progressive summaries and for recall of key points in the consolidation.

Teaching Questions

Teaching questions can be defined as a number of questions designed to establish new facts, concepts and principles. The teaching question is, in essence, a problem-solving question which should appeal to the students' inquisitive nature and common sense. It is the instructor's most powerful technique in guiding student thought towards discovery learning. This enables students to work key points out for themselves rather than being told key points by the instructor.

Reasoning is the process by which we apply present knowledge to determine new facts and relationships. For example, if you are asked what pressure you put into your car's tyres, you recall from memory the pressure specified in the maker's manual. However, if your car fails to start in the morning you apply a process of reasoning to determine the problem so that it can be corrected. Teaching questions, by their very nature, generate greatest interest and mental activity, providing a challenge to the student. However, teaching questions require careful design prior to the lesson for incorporation into the lesson plan. This teaching question design is covered in detail in 3.11 Additional Questioning Techniques.

Connections

  • 3.5 Questioning. The opening section that introduces questioning as the most powerful instructional technique; this section makes the technique's two faces explicit.
  • 3.6 Putting the Question. The general → pause → individualise sequence applies to both Testing and Teaching questions, but the cognitive load differs.
  • 3.8 How to Use Questions. Faults to avoid in the use of either type.
  • 3.11 Additional Questioning Techniques. Teaching Question Design is the operational procedure for constructing the Teaching questions this section names.
  • 3.14 Which Method of Questioning to Use. The closing section that maps Testing and Teaching questions to the lesson phases (Introduction / Body / Conclusion) where each is most useful.