Students Who Ask Questions Usually Score Higher

When introducing knowledge to children, whether they are the youth, adolescents, or even young adults, in and out of the classroom, there are those of us who just like to lecture or offer up information without being interrupted. We tend to feel that they will comprehend the material better if they do not disrupt the lecture.

However, research has shown that those who ask questions while information is being delivered will often understand the material more thoroughly. It may drive you crazy to get interrupted often, but the positive results that come with it should be worth the slight frustration.

The process is necessary for both the educator and the students as it often takes time to get used to. (Of course, we have all had those teachers when we were young that would state there was no such thing as a dumb question. And then, after these words left their mouths, a student would ask a question, and then the teacher would backtrack on their previous statement and urge us to ask better questions.) But the end results should be a more thorough understanding of the topic at hand.

Why Children Should Have an Active Mind Instead of Memorizing the Data
The days of rote memorization through constant repetition is something that education is slowly getting away from based on how the internet has changed learning forever. For instance, in mere seconds, you can find out just about any facts or data available by merely typing a question into your phone.

Instead, the focus is shifting to completely understanding a topic and asking questions about the subject matter as nothing in this world is straight black or white, but shades of gray. Seeing all sides of an issue is a skill that needs to be mastered more often, as we can see firsthand the problem in society today when only one view is adopted by large groups of people.

Skills Learned From Questioning
By asking questions and genuinely trying to understand a topic from the inside out, students further their reasoning skills and critical thinking and logic building. When someone has learned these skills, they can be successful in almost any profession as they investigate why things are the way they are and anything should be changed for the better. Through learning how to ask questions about the subject matter, students are introduced to higher learning at its finest.

The Socratic Method
Socrates was perhaps the most well-known Greek philosopher (at least in the top three) and is considered the Father of Western Philosophy. His style of teaching and educating involved adapting to the Socratic Method. This methodology had the student questioning everything that they were told to better understand the material.
Socrates basically preached that there were six types of questioning tactics that all students should learn and use. 

• Probing assumptions
• Clarifying the information
• Figuring out the rationale, reasons, and evidence
• Questioning viewpoints and perspectives
• What are the implications and consequences
• Questioning the question

The goal was to have the questioning tactic to provide debate between individuals, stimulate critical thinking, and draw out ideas even further. By the end of the questioning, the participants would know the topic extremely well. 

It Is a Skill That Needs to Be Learned
While some kids are just natural at asking question after question, others are more likely to be satisfied memorizing information without wondering too much about it. Proper education comes from comprehending the subject matter, though, and not just regurgitating what was handed down by someone previously.

We at iAchieve have professional tutors who can work with your children online and in-person with all subjects and grade levels. If you would like your child to adopt a more Socratic Method style of questioning and learning, we can help with this. We also provide professional development to staff members on various topics and issues, such as top teaching practices to incorporate in a classroom

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