How To Stem The Tide Of Student Questions

Questions are the lifeblood of learning; they mustn’t be discouraged.

But yet, if left unchecked and unopposed, they can throw you far off topic, cause boredom and restlessness, and slow learning to a crawl.

Though more art than science, it’s possible to trim the unnecessary and encourage the kind of smart, relevant questions that will keep your lessons moving at a brisk and bright-eyed pace.

What follows is a list of guidelines to help you do just that.

You control when.

The most important key to managing questions is to tightly control when they may be asked. If you allow an all-day question free-for-all, which is surprisingly common, your progress through the curriculum will be a frustrating plod.

You control what.

Second in importance is controlling what questions can be asked. For your teaching to be both efficient and effective, you must define for your students what topic(s) are on the table and open for questions.

Allow questions in segments.

It’s best to allow for questions only during specified segments throughout the day. So at any given moment the floor will either be open to questions or it won’t. By segmenting these moments, the quality and focus of the questions asked by students will be noticeably better.

Allow many segments.

Whenever you begin a new lesson or a new topic of discussion, allow a time segment for questions. For students this means that although they may not be able to ask a question anytime, there will always be a moment just around the corner when they can.

Define the segment.

Open the floor for questions by defining the topic. Say simply, “Does anyone have questions about geometry?” If a student asks a question off topic, respond directly: “Sorry, we’re only asking questions about geometry.”

Don’t take questions during instruction.

Always wait until you’ve finished giving instructions before taking questions. I know this seems obvious, but it’s smart to make it a policy—just to be sure. This alone saves loads of time, improves the quality of the questions you get, and encourages students to listen more attentively.

Allow time for any question.

Allow time during the day for students to ask you anything. Two or three times a day is usually sufficient. Say, “Now is a good time to ask me anything about anything.” By getting these questions out of the way, you, and they, can focus on academics.

Provide post-its.

It’s a good idea to have post-its or small squares of scratch paper available for students to write down their questions if they wish. This way, they can get them down on paper and forget about them until you’re ready to take questions.

Don’t answer what has already been asked.

Never answer a repeated question. It encourages students to tune you out. Instead, ask the student to check with a neighbor as soon as independent work begins.

Don’t answer call-outs, hand waves, or students out of their seat.

Call on students who are sitting with their hand raised in the manner in which you modeled. Don’t respond to those who approach you, wave at you, or call out to you. Instead, enforce a consequence.

The Right Balance

It’s important your students feel encouraged and motivated to ask questions and participate in their learning. But at the same time you’ve got to keep the pace of your classroom crisp and moving forward.

Sacrificing one for the other will leave your students lost, unhappy, and prone to misbehavior.

Using question segments is the key to finding the right balance.

Over time, and using the guidelines above, you’ll get a feel for when and how often you should use them throughout the day.

And when you do, when you find the perfect mix for your classroom, you and your students will zip through the curriculum faster than you ever dreamed possible.

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