Teacher questions

I consult to several schools and the other day. whilst rambling on about one of my favorite topics, I thought I should share my pearls here. To wit, the importance of teacher questions. I know that this hugely significant tool in the toolbox has been widely covered elsewhere, but my spin on it is slightly less widely-covered. You see, I think teachers should be asking fewer questions.

No matter the function (checking, reviewing, developing, exploring, re-directing, control etc),  typical, or even traditional, teacher questioning firmly establishes roles and places the teacher front and center in the Teaching & Learning process. This is wherein I think the problem lies for, to have student-centered and responsive education, we need less of the sage on the stage and more of the guide from the side.

Which means less questioning.

So the nub of my oft-repeated mantra is that instead of being in the middle at the front, the teacher should be in a corner at the back (with a paper and a coffee). This is of course metaphorical. What I in reality advocate is that the teacher should plan and prepare activities which do not require him/her to lead them. Instead, s/he should let the students do whatever it is (ideally structured or laddered, individualized, interdisciplinary, mixed or multi-modal etc) while monitoring and providing feedback.

Monitoring involves considering students individually, in groups (however defined) and as a whole, and then providing feedback individually, in groups and as a whole immediately, later or subsequently according to his/her professional judgments in terms of that is best for that student and those students in terms of the Teaching & Learning process.

With this approach, the teacher is asking fewer questions, is not center is applying his her time, training and experience to developing Teaching & Learning opportunities through planning and preparation rather than during the less. Ipso facto, fewer questions.  

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