Edu Talk: The Art of Questioning

Edu Talk: The Art of Questioning

Questioning is an integral part of an inquiry centred classroom. It is a learner’s thinking tool to carry out investigation about a subject matter. It is however sad to witness that in most Indian classrooms this tool is used to monitor children. The power to question is vested with the teacher who uses this tool to either approve or disapprove of children’s knowledge thus empowering or disempowering them. Thus the child finds it safe to remain silent, killing the essence of an inquiry-centered classroom.
Glimpses of an Inquiry-centered classroom
· A teacher needs to assume the role of a facilitator where s/he can probe into children’s cultural knowledge and integrate it with the text. This helps in engaging emotions.
· S/he can pose a variety of questions ranging from simple recall to questions that require analysis and interpretation of visual data, graph etc. She can encourage children to collect evidences, verify the authenticity of collected data and help them re-search the given topic and generate new knowledge.
· S/he can also frame questions that help children express and advocate their perspectives . Role reversal can help children to think back and forth. For example: while talking about a new government children can argue as PM themselves and then as general public.
· A teacher can pose questions to help children become critical thinkers. S/he can help them understand the bias implicit in a text or a documentary, the subjectivity of the author etc. For Example: Baghbaan, a popular film propagates a viewpoint and we ally with the central protagonist Amitabh Bachhan . However if this story was retold from the vantage point of his elder daughter in law who is a professional, homemaker and a mother our allegiance shall change. Thus a text always presents a perspective and a teacher should pose questions like: Who is the central character? Why we never hear or see character X? What if this story was set in primitive era? Such questions shall lay the foundations of a thinking classroom.
· A teacher can extend a child’s response by giving relevant feedback and adequate wait time. S/he needs to focus on thinking process of the child. She needs to engage children with a variety of tasks that need both objectivity and subjectivity.
· Engagement with real life projects can spark curiosity in children. Genuine questions and mutual inquiry by both the educator and the pupil helps. Thus children can be engaged in collecting data, observing and studying patterns, interviewing people etc. This provides children an extended audience.