Questions should be relevant to the
topic under discussion. The implication is that they should be part and parcel
of the lesson and should stress the main points of the topic. Good questions
have definite purpose and should be prepared by teachers in advance.
ii. Good
questions should challenge thinking. That is, they should stimulate pupils’
thinking and enable them solve some problems. Some good questions present
controversial issues and motivate pupils to think deeply about them and marshal
out salient points to convince the audience in which ever perspective they view
the issues.
iii. Good
questions should be clear, simple and easily understood. It is therefore the
teacher’s duty to make questions he asks in the class free from being
ambiguous.
iv. Good
questions should elicit the kind of responses that will contribute to the
progress of the lesson.
v. Good
questions should help to make pupils actually involved in the lesson. Infact
pupils take much delight in seeing that they are required to contribute their
own quota towards the progress and success of the lesson in an atmosphere of
cordiality and belongingness.
vi. Good
questions must be positive and creative and should always be aimed at
developing pupils’ ability to think out facts, understand somethings and solve
problems.
vii. Good
questions should be answerable. Good questions have great educational value
when they are within the range of pupils knowledge and understanding (experience).
It has been observed that questions that are beyond pupils’ knowledge and
understanding discourage the pupils and render them in effective.
viii. Good
questions should be patiently gradually and orderly asked so that pupils should
not only easily understand them but also have enough time to think and give out
appropriate answers. Usually good questions are asked to serve the following
two main purposes
(a) to
find out whether the class has done the work and has acquired the required
skills expected
(b) to
expose the difficulties encountered while the class work or lesson is going
on.
Information
obtained from the above should undoubtedly guide the teacher in deciding how
best to help pupils gain knowledge and understanding.
ix. On
no account should questions serve as punishment
x. Good
questions must be civil. Harsh and militant tone in questioning pupils must be
strictly avoided because they make pupils stupid and hostile and unwilling to
co-operate with the teachers.
xi. Good
questions must be directed to the whole class and not to a few presumably
clever, anger or over zealous pupils. Teachers are expected to finish asking
their questions orderly and patiently before pointing at pupils to answer them,
the distribution of questions must be equitable and totally devoid of cheating.
It is a nice policy or method to call children by their names to answer the
questions asked.
xii. Good
questions must be audible and therefore must be heard by all the pupils in the
class without exception. The questions are meant for all the pupils. Questions
should not be asked when the class is very noisy.
xiii. Questions
need not be repeated so that continued attention of the whole class should be
guaranteed. Continued attention of the whole class is one of the greatest
values of good class control. To repeat questions is to destroy that value.
Questions can only be repeated if pupils are hard of hearing or if there is an
intervening unusual or sudden disturbance in the class.
xiv. Good
questions make lessons lively and ensure active participation in the lesson by
the pupils. Good questions are therefore, since qua non in teaching/ learning
situations.
Closure
Closure
is the last skill in micro-teaching exercise or training. Closure is the skill
that is concerned with bringing the lesson to an end. To bring the lesson to an
end the teacher summarizes the major points of the lesson. Closure skill can
take various forms or shapes such as:
a. Closure
by questioning pupils on the major points of the lesson.
b. Closure
by giving the pupils exercises or problems on the work done for the necessary
solution.
c. Closure
by discussion of the most salient points found in he lesson or closure by
dramatization.
d. Closure
by recapitulating, revising or reviewing the lesson.
e. Closure
by giving pupils assignments.