Dydaktyka, UR, rozdział, 4

16 Classroom interaction

some morę detailed suggested methods of analysis, see references given undr: Further reading (‘Questioning’) below.

However, in the present context, I propose concentrating on a few basie principles that would seem to characterize effective ąuestions within the conventional IRF structure, defining ‘effective ąuestions’ in terms of the desirr response. As language teachers, our motive in ąuestioning is usually to get our students to engage with the language materiał actively through speech;-so an effective ąuestioning techniąue is one that elicits fairły prompt, motivated, releyant and fuli responsesi lf, ón the other hand, our ąuestions result in long silences, or are answered by only the strongest students, or obviously borę the class, or consistently elicit only very brief or unsuccessful answers, then there :• probably something wrong.

Some useful criteria for effective ąuestioning for language teachers are suggested in Box 16.3.

BOX 16.3: CRITERIA FOR EFFECTIVE OUESTIONING

1. Clarity: do the learners immediately grasp not only what the question means, but also what kind of an answer is required?

2. Learning value: does the question stimulate thinking and responses that will contribute to further learning of the target materiał? Or is it irrelevant, unhelpful or merely time-filling?

3. Interest: do learners find the question interesting, challenging, stimulating?

4. Availability: can most of the members of the class try to answer it? Or only the morę advanced, confident, knowledgeable? (Notę that the mere addition of a few seconds' wait-time before accepting a response can make the question available to a significantly larger number of learners.)

5. Extension: does the question invite and encourage extended and/or varied answers?’

6. Teacher reaction: are the learners surę that their responses will be related to with respect, that they will not be put down or ridiculed if they say something inappropriate?

1 Occasionally - for example, where the emphasis is on listening comprehension rather than speaking - brief single answers may be morę appropriate; in such cases this criterion would not apply.

Task Critical analysis of teacher ąuestions

Look at the exchanges in Box 16.4, which are loosely based on events actually observed in classrooms. Can you identify what the purpose of the teacher is in ąuestioning, and comment on the way he or she went about it, perhaps applying the criteria suggested above? See the Comments section below for my own criticisms.