Questioning
is the starting point of learning. People learn because they ask questions. In
the teaching-learning process the kind of questions that a teacher asks and the
way he asks them to some extent determines his affectivity as well as the
outcome of his teaching methods and techniques.
PURPOSE
• To
discover the impact of the lesson to the students
• To
evaluate the student’s performance
• To
direct the minds of the students to the important aspects of the lesson
• To
give the students a chance to express themselves
• To develop the thinking and reasoning ability of the students and help them analyze ideas
• To
acquire information
• To
draw out interpretation
• To
manifest retention of knowledge
• To
develop the skills to answer effectively and eliciting comprehension
• To energize the mind or the imagination resulting to internalization of concepts
• To
check whether these concepts are internalized for use in the Students’ academic
and functional life.
• To
develop the students problem solving skills and decision-making faculties
LEVELS OF QUESTIONING
1. Literal
• “right there” questions
• note or recall clearly stated facts and
details
• follow directions
• associate quotation with speaker
2. Interpretative
• think and search question
• identify character traits, emotional
reactions
• interpret figurative language
• anticipate events
• recognize sensory images
• sense implied meaning of words, phrases
and sentences
3. Critical
• give
opinions, reactions to the selection
• discriminate
between fancy and reality, fact or opinion
• identify
assumptions, points of view, author’s purpose and style
• determine
relevance
• weigh
values presented
4. Integrative/Application
• “typing up” questions
• comparing and contrasting old and new
ideas gained from reading
• synthesizing ideas learned
• making a different ending
HIERARCHY OF QUESTIONS
Discussed herein is the
hierarchy of questions that the teachers usually ask regardless of the subjects
being taught. This hierarchy is based on Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational
Objectives
1. Knowledge (Memory) Questions
Trains the
ability to recall, bring to mind appropriate materials learned previously such
as specific names, facts, places, figures, events, concepts, principles and
others. The correct answer is usually a verbatim repetition of knowledge
acquired from a specific source.
Typical Knowledge questions:
• When
was the Katipunan founded?
• Who
founded the Katipunan?
• Identify
the people involved in the Philippine Revolution.
• Enumerate
the demands of the La Liga Filipina.
·
Key words: name, tell, list, describe, recall,
state, define, identify
2. Comprehension Questions
Train a student to understand
oral and written communications and make use of
them.
Comprehension questions may be
manifested by the students in the following ways:
·
The
student can express ideas in his own words.
·
The student
can separate the essential from the non-essential.
·
The
student can establish relationships among things
·
The
student can extrapolate or predict an event from a trend or pattern
·
The
student can make inferences or give the probable consequences of events.
Typical comprehension questions:
1.
Explain in your own words the El Niño ang La
Niña Phenomena.
2.
Compare and contrast the atmosphere of the Earth
and Saturn.
3.
Predict what will happen to the Philippines
under the Estrada presidency.
Key words: extrapolate,
explain, compare, predict, illustrate, infer, b
estimate.
3. Application Questions
Require the students to transfer what they have learned to new situations with little or no supervision. The student is expected to put some skills into practice, solve problems and construct something.
Typical application questions:
1. Which of the following best exemplifies asexual reproduction?
2.
How do you express in algebraic equation – the
age of the Earth is twice the age of the Moon?
Key words: demonstrate, plan, solve, apply, build, develop,
construct
4. Analysis Questions
Require a
student to breakdown an idea into its parts, to distinguish these parts and
know their relationships to one another. The student is able to distinguish
relevant from irrelevant data, a fact from a generalization, an assumption from
a conclusion and select facts which are essential to support hypothesis.
Typical analysis questions:
·
What
part of the essay is the conclusion?
·
What
part or parts support the stated conclusion?
·
What
part of the essay is factual and what part is hypothetical?
·
What
are the fallacies in the arguments presented?
Keywords: classify, distinguish, discriminate, categorize, analyze,
detect
5. Synthesis Questions
The student
puts together or integrates a number of ideas or facts into new arrangement.
Some common focus of synthesis is the summary of the lesson either written or
oral, a proposal, a plan of action, a short story play, a bulletin board
display, a literary-musical program and the like.
Typical synthesis questions:
• How
can you help improve our economy?
• What
are the alternative crops in order to cushion the effects of the El Niño
phenomenon in our agriculture?
• What
plans can you propose to make the centennial celebration more meaningful?
Key words: propose a plan, formulate a solution, develop, create,
make up, summarize
6. Evaluation Questions
The students
appraise, criticize or judge the worth of an idea, a statement or a plan on the
basis of a set of criteria provided to them or which they themselves have
developed.
Typical evaluation questions:
1.
Is it good for the Filipinos to ratify the VFA?
2.
Are you in favor of amending the present
constitution?
3.
Evaluate the achievements of the Ramos
administration.
Key words: select, judge, evaluate, decide, which you prefer