Astudyonmotivatinglearnersthroughteachers’questioning-精选文档

1、A study on motivating learners through teachers questioning :Teachers questioning is quite significant on motivating learners. Whena sking questions, teachers need to find a balance between convergent and divergent questions. Wait-time is also very important when questioning. This study was based on

2、 a survey of 34 students who were taking academic English language courses in a UK university (the University of Hertfordshire) and also suggested that three to five seconds is the most suitable wait-time for students. s: motivation;questioning;convergent;divergent;wait-time “Observation has shown t

3、hat the most common type of classroom interaction is that known as IDF-Initiation -Response- Feedback: the teach er initiates an exchange, usually in the form of a question. ” (Sinclair and Coulthard, 1975). Questioning is a universally used activation technique in teaching. No doubt, questioning is

4、 quite important and it is a kind of art. Effective questioning can help teachers get learners to be active in their learning, stimulate logical, reflective or imaginative thinking, find out the facts, ideas from the learners, check or test understanding, knowledge or skill ( Ur, 1996 ). However, wh

5、at kind of question is effective? Answering questions is supposed to be a challenge to the learners. Then, “too low a level of challenge can result in apathy, but too high a level can lead to anxiety or stress ”(Williams, 1999). Only when the teachers give adequate consideration to learners real nee

6、ds and level, may arousal be triggered. 一、 Try to find a balance between asking convergent and divergent questions According to Jack Richards (1996), there are two kinds of questions: convergent anddivergent questions. When 34 students were asked what kind of questions they prefer to answer(shows in

7、 pie chart 1), 68% of them chose convergent questions (questions require short answers, neednt higher-level thinking). 32% of them chose divergent questions (questions require higher- level thinking and students have to provide their own information rather than to recall previously presented informa

8、tion). It also has been observed that teachers tend to ask more convergent than divergent questions, especially insome open classes (classes which are well prepared by the teachers and any students and teachers can come to observe). Obviously, convergent ones offer the availability to the learners,

9、most of the members of the class try to answer questions, the class tends to be active. It s tru e, nobody wishes his questions result in silence, let alone long silence. But the problem is, too many convergent questions such as “Yes”or “No”questions or other short statements cannot stimulate studen

10、t ideas and classroom communication. It seems the students just practice listening. They have few opportunities to practice thinking and speaking in English. 68% of the students may be stimulated, what about the rest 32%? They cannot find much learning value and interest. Questions have not enough e

11、xtension and are not so helpful to students, lack of challenge and the students may consider the questions merely time-filling. They ll be demotivated. Therefore, teachers should pay more attention to their questions. To ask convergent or divergent questions, teachers might try to find a balance whe

12、n questioning during lessons. 二、To offer students three to five seconds“wait - time ” There is another research to the“wait - time ”on questioning. That is,“the length of time the teacher waits after asking the question before calling on a student to answer it, rephrasing the question, directing the

13、 question to another student, or giving the answers (Rowe, 1974, cited in Kindsvatter et al, 1988) It has been observed in some schools in China, some teachers seldom consider much about the “wait - time ”, they even offer no “wait - time ”to students, especially to some weak students. No “wait - ti

14、me ”means no opportunity for them. In some open classes, you may find some teachers always ask certain students to answer questions. Jackson and Lahaderne (1967) also found that some students are twenty-five times more likely to be called on to speak in a class than others. Whyc an not the rest stud

15、ents be called on? Richards (1999) indicates that they have more difficulty in answering questions. They are not relied on to answer the questions in order to maintain the momentum of the class. As pie chart 2 shows, 71% of the respondents feel it unfair if the teachers always ask certain students t

16、o answer questions. In fact, teachers choi ce has harmed the learners in a way. Offering“wait -time ”to students, especially weak ones, they can know that they are respected and there are expectations of them. Then, they are more willing to participate in the lesson. Then, how long a “wait -time ”is

17、 suitable for the learners? As pie chart 3 shows, 73% of the students thought 3 to 5 seconds was the most suitable for them. 9 percent thought one second was ok, 18% thought they needed more seconds. Ten students were face- to- face interviewed. They said that one second meant nothing, too short to

18、do anything. Just like there s no wait -time. Too long a “wait -time ”will also demotivate the learners. If a student cannot answer a question in 5 seconds, and the teacher keeps the whole class waiting for him or her all the time, the student may feel embarrassed. Next time, he or she will be hesit

19、ant to put up hand and the class may also keep the memoryo f having waited for his or her answer. That s really a bad experience. When wait-time is 3 to 5 seconds, the amount of student participation as well as the quality of that participation often increases (Long et al. 1984). In all, questioning