Using Open Questions, to Open Up your Students

Teach even more through empowering dialogue

Tune up your teaching questions to include coaching questions.
Steer the energy in the room , through your choice of questions.
Speed up your journey into the learning by asking better questions.


Preparation for asking open questions
Open questions are powerful, really powerful. They encourage students to give voice to what’s really going on for them, in the moment. You will be accessing their thought processes, making their thoughts more visible, revealing their values, dreams and fears. It’s good to be ready for what comes out when you open this potential Pandora’s Box.

FIRST - I encourage you to clean up your own inner dialogue, and use positive language. 
Learn about your students inner dialogue. Use humour to establish a deeper connection with your students.

Three Benefits of Using Open Questions

1. They ask the student to think and reflect on what's important to them.
2. They reveal the student's opinions and feelings.
3. The student takes on more responsibility for the quality and depth of the conversation.

Open questions have the following characteristics

• They cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no".
• There is seldom a correct answer, all answers are to some degree correct.
• They begin with the word "What..."

Twelve Classroom Uses of "Open” Questions"
1. Assess learning.
2. Help a student to clarify a vague comment.
3. Prompt students to explore attitudes, values, or feelings (when appropriate).
4. Prompt students to see a concept from another perspective.
5. Ask a student to refine a statement or idea.
6. Prompt students to support their assertions and interpretations.
7. Direct students to respond to one another.
8. Prompt students to investigate a thought process.
9. Ask students to predict possible outcomes.
10. Prompt students to connect and organize information.
11. Ask students to apply a principle or formula.
12. Ask students to illustrate a concept with an example.