When you visit the students
while they work during lab, ask well-structured questions that will elicit
thought from the students. Why are good questions important?
Questioning is essential
for two-way communication between a teacher and student, or between
students themselves. It...
helps students build
their understanding.
promotes high level
thinking.
draws out what students
are thinking.
Good questions promote student-centered
teaching. Asking students thought-provoking questions makes them more
aware of their learning process. They are given an opportunity to provide
feedback about what they don't understand, what they do, and what they
need in order to enhance their understanding.
Broad versus Focused Questions
Broad questions require:
Open-ended answers: How
are these two concepts connected?
Evaluation: How would
you interpret these results?
Prediction: What will
happen if you increase the amount of this substance? What do you think
the outcome of the next part of the lab will be?
Forming opinions: Do
you think we tested this theory the best way? What is another way
we could have done it?
Ask broad questions when you
want to initiate discussion. Don't ask broad questions if you are looking
for specific answers
Focused
questions require:
Recalling facts: What
is the function of this structure?
Defining terms: What
is an [acid, mollusk, quasar, lever, vertex]?
Categorizing: What
characteristics do all these elements share?
Confirming: Do you
remember seeing this before?
Ask focused questions to verify
students' knowledge of specific facts or concepts. A common problem is
trying to start a general discussion by asking focused questions.If you
want to enhance discussion, be sure to follow up focused questions with
broad ones.
Managing Lab Partners and
Groups
Managing lab partners and groups
requires:
Knowing what to do when
the group gets stuck and asks, "What do we do next?"
Organizing effective groups
that accomplish their goals
Managing questions from
different groups to avoid your having to repeat yourself
Possible strategies for addressing
these issues include asking questions that encourage reasoning, such as:
What did you find when
you did …(earlier part)?
What does this mean …(a
term, a figure)?
How does this relate to
…(earlier information)?
How do we measure …?
What is your goal for
…(next part)?
To help students work better
in groups, you might determine which students are the strongest, then
promote teamwork by asking them to explain their ideas to their groups.
Follow up by asking, "Does this make sense to the rest of you?"
Similarly, you can identify a group which is doing well then ask them
to explain their ideas to other groups. These kinds of interactions help
students refine their ideas.
If groups are not working well,
you might assign groups randomly each week so that students get to interact
with all their classmates. If some students work quickly and finish before
others, ask them to help in other groups, or to begin their data analysis.
If students are not working on what they should be, or seem distracted,
ask specific questions about the process to get them back on track.
Equity Issues of Group Work
Students sometimes react negatively
towards group work. This is often due to some members feeling that they
do an uneven share of the work, and that grades will not reflect individual
effort. Of course, there are also personality conflicts that can arise.
As mentioned earlier, one approach
is to randomize groups to avoid repeated personality conflicts or other
difficulties. It also helps to assign specific tasks to each group member.
Asking teammates to evaluate each other's work can clarify who has been
responsible for the group's progress, and assigning grades individually
as well as for the group will help alleviate fears of unfairness.
Focused
questions require: 
[