Train-the-Trainer by DataHomeLab

3.8 How to Use Questions

Whilst the virtues of questioning have been emphasised, poor use of questions will fail to gain the desired answers, resulting in the waste of valuable lesson time. Instructors who seldom use questioning in their lessons justify this omission by saying that they do not have the time to ask questions to get through the syllabus. To overcome such argument and so justify the use of questioning, the instructor must ensure that the correct questioning techniques are used to avoid common faults and so enhance lesson effectiveness.

For more detailed information on facilitator-style questioning and associated good practices see A1.4 Facilitation Techniques.

3.8.1 Difficulty

Questions which are too difficult for students harm student confidence, encourage guessing and waste time. Similarly, questions which are too easy prove the obvious, insult student intelligence and, again, waste time. Therefore to develop student confidence, the instructor should try to match the question difficulty level to the student ability level. A difficult question to a bright student poses a challenge whereas an easier question to a less bright student may help build confidence.

3.8.2 Ambiguity

Question wording should be concise enough to direct student thought to a particular answer. An ambiguous question may produce confusion, causing a student to give a multitude of answers, all of them correct. For example, the question "What does a pilot need to land safely?" could produce such answers as "runway", "competency", "clearance from air traffic control" etc. All these answers are correct, but the answer the instructor wanted was "three greens on undercarriage indicators". The instructor must aim to word the question precisely to focus thought on a particular answer without suggesting the answer in the question wording.

3.8.3 Guess, Trick and Word Chase

Guess questions prove nothing except the luck of the student. Alternatively, trick questions such as, "What are the six factors for producing lift?" when there are only five, erode student confidence in the instructor and again waste time. Another form of guess question is the "word chase" where the instructor attempts to get the students to derive exact words. All three question types serve to frustrate the student and waste valuable lesson time.

3.8.4 Yes / No and 50 / 50

Questions which can be answered by the student choosing one of two alternatives are another form of guess question. For example, the question "If the resistance in the circuit is increased without changing EMF, will the current increase or decrease?" gives the student a choice of one out of two alternatives. If the student gives the correct answer, the instructor cannot be sure if the student knew the answer or if the answer was a lucky guess. If the question was worded, "If the resistance in the circuit is increased without changing the EMF, will the current likewise increase?" the student again has only to choose either "yes" or "no". If an instructor finds too late that either a yes / no or 50 / 50 question has been asked, the student answer should be immediately followed by "why" or "explain your answer". Sometimes, the instructor may preface a question by, "Can somebody tell me…" Or, "Will you tell me…" Again these questions can be readily answered by either "Yes" or "No". Be prefacing all questions with the interrogatives "What…", "Why…", "How…", "When…", "Who…" Yes / No and 50 / 50 questions can be easily avoided.

3.8.5 Open Questions

The classroom-context warning above contrasts with debrief-context guidance. In a LOFT debrief setting, an open question to the entire crew (followed by a deliberate silence) is a high-level facilitation tool: see A1.4 Facilitation Techniques. The reason the same question type behaves differently in the two contexts is class size: a multi-student classroom with unstructured open questions produces noise or silence, whereas a two-pilot crew that knows the question is theirs produces discussion. The principle holds in both: identify the respondent. In the classroom, the instructor identifies a name. In the debrief, the small crew size makes the identification implicit.

3.8.6 Leading Questions

Leading questions are those containing the answer within the question. The following is an example of a leading question:

"If the angle of bank is not controlled at the stall the aircraft will enter an incipient spin, won't it?"

3.8.7 Lengthy Questions

Questions that are too long require the student to store so much information that the student has difficulty remembering what the original question was. The length of the question should be concise enough to allow the student to remember the question whilst engaged in the mental activity required to produce the answer.

3.8.8 Delayed / Missing Interrogatives

By starting a sentence with an interrogative, the student is immediately alerted that a question is being asked and concentrates on the instructor's words. If the interrogative is delayed until either mid-sentence or until the end of the sentence, the student is not alerted until the interrogative is heard. Similarly, if the interrogative is omitted, the student is unaware that a question is being posed until the student's name is nominated. Examples of the type to be avoided are:

  • "…. and this will cause, what – Jones?"
  • "…. and – Jones, this will cause what?"
  • "…. and this will cause – Jones?"

3.8.9 Pre-nomination

Questions are asked to make all members of the class think. If class members are alerted in any way at the start of the question as to who will be nominated to answer the question, all of the class, except for the pre-nominated student, will tend to "switch off" and ignore the question. Pre-nomination can occur by naming the student to answer at the start of the question, by looking at the student to answer whilst asking the question and by posing a number of questions to students in a predictable sequential order. Similarly, it is easy for the instructor to focus his vision on only those students in a cone radiating out to the back of the class. This cone misses students to the left front and right front, leaving them out of class questioning. Pre-nomination by name should only occur when the instructor wishes to focus the attention of an inattentive student. Sequential, area and visual pre-nomination are easily avoided by the instructor selecting names of students off a class seating plan.

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