Get them ANSWERING Questions

[Cameron Wallace McKenzie]

Seeing the last thread was about asking questions, I thought I'd pitch in about getting students to answer questions.

When I ask a question, I just stand at the front of the class and WAIT. I wait until someone answers it. I won't even repeat it unless someone asks me to. I just wait, with my mouth shut. Eventually, the silence is so awkward, someone pitches in and says something.

I did two weeks in Dublin a little while ago. By the end of the second week, the students caught on to me, and decided to play a game. The next time I waited, they waited, seeing who could hold out the longest. I think I stood in front of the class like a mime for an eternity until everyone broke out laughing.

Any other techniques to get those pesky students to participate?

[Ilja Preuss]

I think those questions are best where the answer is *interesting*, instead of just "right". Preferably one where there isn't "one right answer".

Questions that not just make the course continue or assure that people have understood the material so far, but that lead to new insights and possibly even elightening discussions.

[Aiglee Castillo]

I teach programming languagues at the university and I always get some kind of answer if I tell them that any answer is good since any answer can get to the right answer one way or another.

Sometimes I can make the same question but in another way, more innovative so it can get their attention.

[Bert Bates]

Here are a couple of ideas:

- get your students into small groups (4-6), and have the groups work on the questions - this can relieve the stress of speaking to a large class.
- set up debates or smackdowns - have students take both sides of a common issue.
- give them mini-projects and those big 2 ft. by 2 ft. wall stickies and have them make little micro-presentations using those stickies to display their results (it can be as simple as the details of a method, or a few method signatures)
- learn their names and go around the class one by one with biography kinds of questions like "how much programming experience do you have?"