Asking questions of your students gets them to participate in the pursuit of knowledge, but the wrong approach can hamper this involvement.

Avoid asking complex questions

“What was the cause of the war of 1812 and how did the British government react to it?” Instead, ask one question at a time, as simply as you can.

Avoid asking railroading questions to get the answer that you want

“What was the cause for the War of 1812, that was an economic one, that had to do with personal pride?” Try to get the student to consider the factors themselves.

Avoid asking “yes” or “no” questions

“Did the British win the war of 1812?” This limits the participation of the student to a 50/50 role of being correct.

Avoid repeating every comment, answer or question a student has

Students will get in the habit of waiting for you to give the answer. You should not become the official answer giver.

Avoid asking the same type of question all the time

Mix up the demands of your questioning from factual to opinion to summarizing.

Avoid immediately saying if an answer is correct

Make sure that the student is confident of their answer and not just guessing.