River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-01-19
Art of Questioning.

The art of questioning is one of the
essential points in conduetinga recitation,
and in order to do that successfu lly the
teacher should thoroughly understand
what he attempts to teach; it is destruc-
tive of all life in the exercise, if the teach
er is constantly chained down to the text
book. He may take his textbook with
him to the class in order to refer to it to
refresh his memory, or to settle doubt.
But who does not know that a teacher
who is perfectly familiar with what is to
be taught, has ten times the vivacity of
one who is obliged to follow the very let
ter of the book? His own enthusiasm
CLOVIS in his countenanee, sparkles in his
eye, and leaps from his tongue. How
different it is with teacher who knows
nothing of the subject but what is con-
tanned in the text before him, and who
knows that only as he reads it during the
intervals occasioned by the hesitations of
the class. Every question he asks is
printed at the bottom of the page; and as
soon as he reads the question, his eye
sets out ON chase after the answer in
the text. If the pupil hes not already
been stupefied by such teaching, and
happens to give an intelligent answer, yet
not in the precise language of the book,
he is set right by the teachers reading the
very words, just so much of the sentence,
as he thinks was intended to answer the
question! In this way he discourages
thought in his pupils. and sets bounty
on mechanical study. In this way, too,
he congeals whatever of interest they
bring with them TO the recitation, and
they sink into indifference. Do not con-
fine yourself to the printed questions of
the textbook, and do not require your
pupils to give their answers in the exact
words of the textbook, and do not re-
quire your pupils to give their answers in
the exact words of the textbook. Ac-
cept the pupils own statement if the an
swer is in good English and is substan-
TALLY right. Look your pupils in the eye
when you question them, and make them
look you in the eye when they answer.
keep your voice down to the conversa-
tional key, loud talk tends to confuse
your pupils and tire yourself In general,
put your questions to the whole class, i'll
order to make every pupil think out the
answer; then, after a pause, call upon
some one pupil to give it. Your chief
business is, to make pupils think, not to
think for them, to draw Out theif powers,
not to display your own. Seldom repeat
question. Train your pupils to habit
of close attention, so that they can under
stand what you say the first time you say
it. Give your slow pupils time to think
and speak. The readiest children are
not always the soundest thinkers. Occa-
sionally let your pupils question one an
other. 1t will do them as much good to
ask question as to answer it. / have
found it to be good plan to call for an
swers by making use of cards having the
names of the class members written on
them. If you call pupils in regular alpha
betical order, or in the order of seats, they
are apt to be somewhat inattcntivc ex-
cept when their turn comes; if you Iues-
ton at random you will always have
strong tendency to call on the best and
readiest pupils, to the neglect of the poor
est and slowest Ones In written exam
nations prepare your questions with care
and judgment. Take your own knowl-
edge of the subject without referring to a
textbook; consider a simple fraction of
that, and you may succeed in making out
a set of questions suited to the capacity of
your pupils. When you are preparing
questions think of how little you knew
when pupil, not of what you know now,
after years of teaching, or with a book
open before you. "How few examiners"
says Homer B. Sprague 'know enough
to separate the transient from the perma-
nent, discriminate between knowledge
that must be kept in readiness to do SER
vice at any moment and knowledge that,
having service as dicipline, may without
loss be forgotten" Frame your questions
so as to require pupils to answer in SEN
fences and not in monosyllables.
Yours in the work,
S. T. IRVINE.