Question-based Learning

Question-based learning is a style of teaching and learning that revolves around the instructor asking questions of the students with the goal to generate awareness, strengthen knowledge and develop skills within a particular concept or topic. This is a powerful teaching style and learning tool, as use of a question will engage and involve students in the learning process and act as a stimulus to encourage students to pursue knowledge on their own. It is important, however, that when the instructor asks a question, they must have an intended purpose or learning objective for their student.

This style of teaching can be used for all ages and levels but requires the instructor’s superior level of skill and knowledge of information being taught for it to be used effectively. The instructor will have to tailor questions appropriately to the age, communication abilities and tendencies of the students. This understanding of your students is an important aspect of question-based learning. You will need to consider if their grasp of the language you are communicating in is sufficient enough to understand your questions. You will need to consider forming simple questions that are easily followed when using this style with children. You will need to determine if your students are responsive to questions or if they prefer a more instructor-centred style of teaching. These are just a few examples to consider before applying question-based learning.

Before you begin to ask questions, ensure that you have fostered an environment where people feel comfortable enough to speak up and voice their opinions and feelings about their skiing. For a student who is anxious to attempt their first turns on a new section of the run, they might simply be copying the answers of others to avoid your attention. You will need to provide support to your students first to establish trust in your relationship before your questions will draw out honest answers. As the instructor, you will also have to decide what type of questions you will use. The most common types that we have at our disposal are open, closed, leading, clarifying, probing and scaling questions.

Open Questions

An open question is one that allows your students a difference of opinion within a matter that has not been decided. This type of question can create an open environment for dialogue to follow.

The advantages are that the answer will portray your student’s perception of a situation, their exact thoughts and even an insight into the complexity of their verbal communication.

The disadvantages are that the answers can vary greatly from person to person and include details that can be inefficient or undesirable toward the end goal.

Closed Questions

A closed question is one that requires a definitive answer from its direct form, or from a choice of offered options. Once a response is given there is no environment for dialogue, only an option to ask another question or end your line of questioning.

The advantage is that you receive a concise and definitive answer to the question you asked.

The disadvantage is that there is no opportunity for your student to expand upon or offer clarity around the answer given unless prompted by further questioning.

Leading Questions

A leading question is one that is typically closed in structure and encourages an answer that leads your students to your way of thinking. A leading question should have an intended answer in mind and be asked in a way that makes it easier for you student to answer “yes” than to offer a different answer.

The advantage here is that you can guide your student towards the intended outcome and remove the possibilities of undesirable answers, whilst leaving your students feeling like they had a choice.

The disadvantages are that you may not discover something your student is experiencing if it is outside the boundaries or parameters of your question and leading questions can often be seen as manipulative.

Clarifying Questions

A clarifying question is one that simply acts as a step to confirm factual information. It can be used effectively to check for understanding.

The advantage is that you can ensure that the information you think you received is actually what was offered in order to establish a plan for your next question.

The disadvantage is that you cannot gain insight into anything other than the facts already being given and if used too much will cause your students to think you are not listening to them.

Probing Questions

A probing question is used to encourage your students to think further about specific details from their given answer. A probing question has no intended answer, it simply offers insight into the subjective nature of a given answer.

The advantage is that with effective use, they can ensure that you understand your students’ perception of a situation as a whole.

The disadvantage is that if used too much or applied to irrelevant information they can be perceived as invasive and create a feeling of interrogation.

Scaling Questions

A scaling question is used to quantify subjective information in a given answer. This type of question allows an avenue for your students to set measures on their opinions, emotions and perceptions of a situation.

The advantage is that it transfers opinions and emotions into tangible measurements that can be used for comparison from one task to the next, in order to recognise achievements or to highlight a plateau or regression in your students’ development.

The disadvantage is that students may wonder what the relevance of your question and their answer is if the resulting measures given are not used for later comparison.

In the real world, our conversations use a combination of question types, often without active thought about which types are being used. It is natural to use a type of question that we feel will obtain us the answer or information we need as quickly as possible. This is where a patient approach to this style of teaching and learning is necessary. As we have explored, there are advantages and disadvantages with each type of question that you ask. It is crucial to be able to adapt and change your question type quickly and effectively when you think it ís necessary. It does take time to develop versatility within question-based learning and a great way to practise your skills is to reflect on your lessons and identify moments when you could have implemented this style.

Furthermore, challenge yourself to construct one or more types of questions that you could have asked your students to generate awareness, strengthen knowledge or develop skiing skills at that moment in the lesson. The only way for you to be able to do this is if you have been focusing and listening to your students throughout the lesson.

No matter which type of questions you choose to use, your role as a facilitator remains consistent throughout. By definition, a facilitator will remain neutral in the learning process, help students understand their goals and assist them along their journey to achieving them. With this in mind, it is important to recognise that the instructor’s opinion should not become an influencing factor in this process. This teaching style is all about the student. Based on your line of effective questioning, it is what the student wants to do, how they want to do it and why they want to do it.

In the event that you compromise your neutral position, you will simply adopt a different teaching style. More often than not, a command or task-practise style is the most appropriate failsafe, depending on how much time the student has to work independently. This is identifiable when the instructor uses the phrase “I want you to try…”