Questioning Techniques USSF Referee Instructor CourseITIP United States Soccer Federation

Questioning Techniques

USSF Referee Instructor Course

ITIP

United States Soccer Federation

Lesson Set

Think about previous classes that you’ve attended. Were questions asked by the students? And were responses given?Did the instructor ask questions and seek responses? A coincidence?


Lesson SetWhy question? It’s an tool to help students learn.

When questions are posed by the student, it’s important that you respond to these questions …. your response should have a positive effect on the group’s learning.


Lesson Objective

At the end of this lesson the you will list:

• The purpose of a question

• Three techniques for posing specific questions to trainees.


Purpose of a Question• Test (Check for understanding)

• Teach (Help student to learn/retention)

• Achieve Activity (Promotes active participation)

• Apply Mental Pressure (Promotes higher level thinking skills)


Advantages• Participation• Clarification• Progress• Adjust

During the LessonAsking questions during a lesson is most effective and most needed for retention


Disadvantages

• Time Wasted• Interest Lost• Deviation

Advantages Prompts Active Participation which helps retention.

Clarification …. Check for understanding . A student who does not understand a point will silently dwell on it while you’re going ahead. In effect you have lost him for the balance of the lesson.

You can gage how effective your teaching is. If you ask carefully, you can determine if you are “getting across”, i.e. making Progress.

You can Adjust to emphasize key points. Allows you to make sure you get across the information you want.


Disadvantages Time may be lost waiting for the slow

answer/reaction. A tight time schedule does not allow for too much questioning.

Focus is on one individual …. unless question is of general interest, other students may be distracted or loose concentration on the subject.

Question can sometimes take you off track of the topic … you must be careful in how and what you say. This may also upset the way you plan to develop the presentation.


Techniques• You ask

• Plan carefully

• Use sparingly

• Control


TechniquesQuestions can enhance or hinder learning

• You Ask …. Avoid spontaneous questions …. Be prepared with pre-determined questions that anticipate problems in the lesson plan. You decide what to emphasize, reinforce, point out … based on past experiences, perceived difficulties with subject matter, knowledge level of students, etc.

• Plan Carefully to emphasize. Make sure question is formulated at thinking level that you want …. Don’t just come up with haphazard questions. Decide at what point a question needs to be asked to liven up, emphasize. Ask question in easily an stated

manner to the whole group.


Techniques• Use Sparingly ….. Overuse can detract from the learning …. Too

many questions can cause learners to become defensive and create a high level of tension, which then becomes a negative learning atmosphere. It is only one technique. You limit your chances of succeeding with all students, since they each learn in a different combination of ways.

• Control the questioning … questions can be used to create a certain tension level intended to keep students attentive. Make sure you keep any discussion under control so that the students are not thrown off the track.


Qualities of a Good Question

• Must be on the subject matter• There must be one point only• Must be clear• Only one correct answer• Familiar language to student• Use good grammar• Never suggest the answer in the question


Qualities of a Good Question

• Avoid questions with yes/no answers• Ask questions that are open-ended• Limit questions that rely completely on

memory• Use correct terminology and vocabulary

that student’s understand, taking into account any cultural differences.

• Avoid questions that contain the answer, i.e. avoid answering your own questions


APPLE Principle ASK

PAUSEPICKLISTENEVALUATE


APPLEAsk The Group … first pose the questionPause …. This allows students time to think of the answer. Wait 5-15 seconds, then …Pick …. Call on a specific student, do not accept “hands up” … avoid calling on same one or two students who are always anxious to answer.Listen … for completeness of answer … don’t jump in too early. Evaluate … Never say just “yes” or “no” …… don’t humiliate or embarrass a student, let them down easy … “are you sure?”Reinforce correct answers. Always tell the student when they are incorrect, then explain the correct answer.


How to Pose a Question• Ask The Group• Ask “W” Questions• Ask “Suppose” Questions• Ask for Depth• Be Precise• Get Agreements• Avoid Grilling


Ask The Group

Many students feel apprehensive if they know an instructor is going to ask them a question. They feel relieved when they know a question is going to be posed to someone else.

The typical reaction when posed to someone else is to stop thinking about the answer, relying on that other student to supply the correct information.

Don’t use round-robin questioning


Ask The Group

One of your objectives should be to get every student thinking about the answer to the question.

Don’t call on student to respond to question prior to the question being asked.

Avoid directing question to a student for disciplinary reasons.

Avoid answering your own questions


Ask “W” Questions

Posing questions with words:

WHO WHAT WHERE WHY WHEN

These are the key words that will improve your questions and help you to secure facts, information and a specific response.


Ask “Suppose” Questions

• These questions help to amplify and reinforce a point.

• They can be used to bring up a new or added point.

• They’re also useful when you need to break a deadlock.


Ask For Depth

Asking the student for examples, explanations, references, reasoning behind thinking will reinforce the student’s learning.

Follow up a student response with “Tell me more” … “ What makes you say that?”


Be Precise

• Make sure question is understood.

• You need to frame the question carefully

• If there are several key factors in the question, it helps to write it out for the students to “see” as well as “hear”.


Get Agreements

One way is to offer several solutions in the form of a question to the group.

Another way is to confirm an answer by asking others, in turn, whether or not they agree.

Always acknowledge the right answer and reinforce correct responses.


Avoid Grilling

• Ask questions in a positive manner, it helps the student to think, to reinforce, to improve attention and retention.

• Be helpful …. be positive even with a wrong answer or no answer … suggest answer yourself, hint or prompt student.

• Avoid embarrassing student by continued questioning. Switch to another student.

• Berating one student also negatively affects other students.


GRILLING

Is like teaching a pig to sing:

It frustrates you

and

it annoys the pig!


A Good Question Is

• Fully Understood by the Class• Contains No Ambiguity

• Stimulates Thought• Discourages Guessing

It is important to use correct terms and language.Poorly formed questions and incorrect terminology can often do more harm than good.


Good Questioning Technique Encourages

• Class Participation

• Keeps Class Alert

• Promotes Retention

Questioning can create a certain level of tension …. but the right question can relieve tension as well.


Lesson Assignment

Write out the following and bring to the in-class clinic sessions:

An explanation of the purpose of a question.

The (3) techniques for posing specific questions to students and an example for each.

The (4) qualities of a good question with an example of each.



USSF Referee Instructor Course

ITIP

United States Soccer Federation

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Questioning Techniques USSF Referee Instructor CourseITIP United States Soccer Federation