Teaching with questions
Well-chosen questions make people think instead of only listen. Guiding a learner to discover an answer builds deeper understanding than telling them directly.
Key ideas
- Open questions provoke thinking; closed questions check facts.
- Wait time after a question improves the answers.
- Build from what the learner already knows.
Step by step
- 1
Start with a question about what the learner already knows.
- 2
Ask an open question that moves them one step further.
- 3
Wait at least a few seconds before helping.
- 4
Confirm and summarise what they discovered.
Example
Instead of explaining why a patient is breathless, a senior asks the junior: 'What do you notice? What could cause that? What would you check first?' The junior reaches the diagnosis and remembers it.
Your drill
In your next teaching moment, replace one explanation with a sequence of three guiding questions.
Common mistakes
- Answering your own question too quickly.
- Asking 'guess what I am thinking' questions with only one acceptable word.
Check yourself
Why is wait time important after asking a question?
Show the answer
It gives the learner time to think, which produces fuller and more accurate answers.
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