Month: January 2020

The main aim of the chapter is to emphasize the variety of questioning and where and how they can be applied.

The writer explored the themes of the types and ranges of questions, the purpose of questioning and the outcomes of questioning.

I agree with the idea that children feel scared to answer questions wrongly. The chapter explains that “children assume that adults will ask reasonable questions, and so they feel under pressure to respond to the expectations inherent in these questions”. Some children fear that they will answer the questioned incorrectly and show that they do not know the answer.

Although I agree with most of what is written in the chapter, I do not agree with the statement “some open questions place more restriction upon respondents than others.” I disagree with this because open questions allow for more varied and detailed answers that you may not be able to get from a closed question. Open questions give people encouragement and choice to speak and respond. The answer could be time consuming depending on the volume of the response as it has to be detailed. This questioning type is used by doctors or interviewers.

One word in which I was unsure about was ubiquitous. The definition is: present, appearing, or found everywhere.

Overall, the chapter was an interesting piece and it has allowed me to have a deeper understanding of questioning.

Reference: ‘Finding out about others: the skill of questioning’, in Hargie, O. (2011) Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice. 5th ed. London: Routledge.

The main aim of this chapter was to highlight the necessity and complexity of questioning in everyday life, as well as to inform the reader of different types of questions and their various contexts. 

It was possible to identify three inherent themes throughout:

1. Questions as a catalyst for conversation;
2. Types of questions and their application;
3. Patterns of/structure of questioning.

Whilst the chapter was highly interesting and informative, Hargie makes a number of valid claims.  One of these is that questions are at the heart of the majority of daily human interactions, which he skilfully reinforces with reference to a number of scholars, including Mokros and Aahkus.  He also provides a lengthy list of situations in which the skill of questioning is prevalent: in TV quiz shows, courtrooms and radio interviews, to name but a few.

A point made by the author which I found particularly interesting (and which I also agree with) is that questions can act as a pretext to success or failure.  Whether part of a police interrogation or a doctor’s consultation, the presentation and subsequent interpretation of questions by an individual can ultimately play a huge part in the outcome of their situation.

However, whilst Hargie makes a valid point in regards to IRF (Initiation, Response and Follow-up) structures of questioning in classrooms, I have to admit that I disagree.  Whilst this method of questioning may still be in use in a small number of schools, it can be observed that simply regurgitating information learned by rote is becoming less common.  A number of teachers are now able to tailor questions in such a manner as to encourage discussion, questioning and instil deeper understanding of subject material within their pupils at any age.

It is also worth noting that Hargie poses the idea questions ‘playing a crucial role’ in learning and that such methods allow children to ‘make sense of their surroundings’.  This is subtly reflective of Piaget’s concept, where children take part in ‘accommodation’ of new knowledge so as to build a relevant ‘schema’ (ultimately as a result of questioning).

Overall, the chapter was a fascinating insight into the complexity of questions and their pivotal role in everyday conversation, as well as their role in building understanding at any age.

 

References:

Hargie, O (2011) Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice.  5th ed.  London: Routledge

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Reading review:

The main aim of the chapter was to emphasise and highlight the importance of questioning and how it may be used, in different situations, in an effective manner. The chapter provides many tips and examples of the ways teachers should ask questions to improve teaching and learning in the classroom. It also indicates what methods of questioning are frowned upon due to their limited or invasive nature.

 

There were many key themes within the chapter:

1.The purpose of questions

• In a school setting, teachers usually ask questions to children to check that they have an understanding of what they have been taught.
• There are many possible goals one may have when asking a question. Some of these include; to communicate in discussions, to obtain information or to initiate interaction and so on.

2.Types of questions

• The chapter outlined two main types of questions, open and closed.
• Teachers are encouraged to use more open questions in the classroom
• Closed questions can be used in areas like maths due to the limited possibility of many answers

3.Effects of leading questions on children

• It is agreed upon by many authors, including Pipe et al. 2007, that “leading questions have a distorting effect upon children’s answers…”
• It was made clear throughout the paragraph that asking an open question can provide you with much more information

4.Related aspects of questioning

• Structuring
• Pausing
• Distribution
• Responses

 

Smith et al. 2006 claim that teachers mostly use closed questions because time is limited and information needs to be gathered. This is backed up by the findings of Siraj Blatchford and Manni (2008:7), who found that “94.5% of all questions asked by early childhood staff were closed questions.”

One part of the reading I disagreed with was the way in which a female social worker conversed with a four-year-old child. (Box 5.3 of the reading).

The main aim of this chapter was to further develop the readers understanding of questioning, the range of questions and the important role it plays in our everyday lives when communicating. Some of the key themes within the chapter are the purpose of questions, different types of questions, for example, open or closed questions, how effective each question type is and the range of contexts these questions may be used in.

Within this chapter, Hargie makes several claims surrounding questions and uses a range of evidence to back this up. One claim is that pausing can be used as a type of probe. This is backed up with evidence from Margutti (2006) who showed that teachers in a classroom often use pauses to indicate the start of a new question-answer sequence and micro-pauses were used after a question to show that some form of answer or response was expected.

Another point which Hargie makes is that pupils in a classroom often do not ask questions in the classroom, even when they have one, due to the fear that other pupils may react negatively. This is backed up through a study in the US which showed that the older children get, the more uncomfortable they feel when it comes to asking and answering questions. I strongly agree with this point due to my own experiences as a pupil.

One thing I disagree with is the use of non-leading open-ended questions and other prompts in Box 5.3 from the Orkney satanic abuse crisis. This form of questioning seems very distressing and frustrating for the child and we see them refuse to agree with the social worker. As a result, the original question is still unanswered at the end of the conversation.

One concept mentioned in the chapter was the funnel sequence which is the “approach of beginning an interaction with a very open question and gradually reducing the level of openness.” (Kahn and Cannell, 1957, pg. 127)

Reference: ‘Finding out about others: the skill of questioning’, in Hargie, O. (2011) Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice. 5th ed. London: Routledge.

very clear and informative 🙂

The main aim of the text is to provide the readers with appropriate knowledge on the importance of questioning within different types of communication. The key themes that I have identified throughout the text include; the importance of questioning, the advantages of questioning and how to be an effective communicator in todays society.

Within the document, Bolden (2009:122) noted that questions allow the questioner to control the conversation by ‘requesting the addressee to engage with a specific topic and/or perform a particular responsive action’. This statement demonstrates the importance of questioning within conversation in order to identify and analyse important information which may be needed for a particular reason. This may also open-up new doors of knowledge which the addressee may not have been willing to share.

Within this reading, it was stated that leading questions and open-ended questions should not be used when speaking to children. However, I disagree with this statement, to an extent. Many children may become confused when asked questions of this nature, however children develop and learn at different stages and therefore, I would not disregard these questions with all children. When children reach a certain age or become more mature through-out school, some children may enjoy answering these type of questions, voicing their opinions or beliefs if they feel passionate about a certain subject or just even enjoy a challenge.

Within our group, there was no clear leader and instead we worked together and allowed time for each person to give their thoughts/opinions on how to build the den. The most challenging thing about working in the group was assigning roles. It was important to ensure that everyone had a worthy job and felt like part of the team.

We were shown other group’s dens and told by one person how they constructed it and how they worked as a team. They pointed to the materials that were used and this was made very clear.

When communicating outdoors, it was important that everyone was listening as the outdoor area was louder than it would have been being inside. Therefore, the spokesperson had to speak with a louder voice to ensure that everyone in both groups could hear their explanation.

We did not negotiate with any other group. This is because we had a sheet which acted as a roof for our den and we were not willing to give this up. Due to this, other groups did not want to give their materials to our group and therefore, our den did not change.

Task: to read a chapter from the book specified and to write a review on the given chapter

The main aim of the chapter is to break apart the meaning and concept of questioning. The chapter goes into great detail explaining the various types of questions and how they are used in order to receive suitable responses. There are many strong themes in the chapter including: the purpose of questions, the types of questions and asking questions within a context.

Throughout the chapter it became apparent that many interesting claims had been made. One point that I did agree with is that recall questions are considered to be more appropriate for learners who are not as advanced as others. This is due to recall questions only requiring facts to be remembered and regurgitated and is usually just testing the respondent’s ability to do so. However, on the other hand, process questions require a much deeper thought process which means that the reader may have to make their own conclusions before they respond. Ultimately, making process questioning more complex and thought provoking than recall questioning. There is evidence to support my point of view – Rubie-Davies, 2007.

Rudyard Kipling’s question classification of What, When, How, Where and when states that this take on questioning can mould and shape the answer that the questioner requires. Personally, this is an argument that I find rather fascinating to read.

Within the chapter it also mentions that leading questions can instil a sense of stress and pressure in children and that closed questions may be better suited to this age group.

Overall, the chapter was an interesting piece and it has broadened my understanding of questioning as well as improving my understanding of all the main themes of the text.

The main aim of the chapter was to illistrate that there are many ways in which you can ask questions. Key themes in this chapter is that questioning gives people a better understanding, questioning is important in communicating and that there are many types go ways to ask a question. it was shown that when answering certain types of questions people may find some types easier to answer than other people do the text states that “some open questions place more restrictions upon respondents than others”. There was also connections made throughout the piece of writing it was especially shown that questions are a vital part in communicating with people. in this chapter I do not think there is anything in which I disagree with as this allowed me to learn more about the ways I can use questions within a classroom and learn about all the other ways of questions and how to use them.

Main Themes

The main theme of this text is to convey how questions can and will effect your communication. It gives reader an insight into how questions can be asked and whether they can be effective or ineffective to the listener. The main themes are:

1. The different types of questions
2. The purpose of questions (Why do we ask them)
3. How effective different questions can be depending on the context they are used in.

Claims and Evidence

This text claimed that throughout school children are frightful of answering questions due to class mates reacting in a negative manner. The US study mentioned within the text goes on to further convey that throughout a student life and as they grow older they become much less comfortable with answering out in class. As someone who has always had quite a ‘loud’ manner, I cannot agree with this statement on a personal level within my school time but since going through college and doing a course I wasn’t sure about, I can agree that I was much more conscious of the answers I was giving and was typically more embarrassed if they were wrong. As a student teacher this experience has allowed me to become more confident in asking for help and this is something I can possibly bring to the children in a classroom.

Analysis and Evaluation

Within the example with the children from the ‘Orkney satanic abuse’ trail, I cannot agree with the question type used. It was portrayed in a manner that was far above the child’s age and was conducted by a biased questioner. By using these types of leading questions, a questioner can begin to manipulate and trick a child into saying things that are just not true to benefit the latter party. Children can find these questions extremely difficult due to them being asked in an adult manner, too advanced for a young child to comprehend.

Knowledge and Comprehension

Throughout the text there were multiple words I did not understand, Some were as follows:

• Presuppositions – a thing tacitly assumed beforehand at the beginning of a line of argument or course of action.
• Elicit – To evoke or to draw out of someone.
• Acquiesce – accept something reluctantly but without protest.

The funnel sequence

This is a theory in which people are asked an open question which may have multiple answers. For example: ‘What do you do after school?’ Multiple answers can be given and eventually the questioner will begin to whittle the question down to a closed question by giving respondents knowledge, context and information in order for them to all get the same answer. Closed questions must only have one answer. ‘The funnel sequence’ is in reference to a funnel in which it begins very wide, with multiple answers’ and begins to narrow as you come towards the closed question and the final, only answer.