Hey There

💭 Let’s imagine you are in your classroom in front of your students. You ask them this:

“How was your winter vacation?” Most of the students responded with a “Fine” or “Okay”.

You follow it up with “What happened? I want to hear more.”

And Voila! You open the window to their minds!

Open-ended questions are one of the most effective learning tools that teachers can use in the classroom. These questions help you bring the class together and encourage discussions. They are also a great way to highlight that there are some things that do not have a right or wrong answer.

For you, they act like a window. Such questions help in understanding your students’ views on things and getting an idea of their existing knowledge levels on the different topics. Hence, you will be able to plan your lessons efficiently by using the right examples, words and language and ensure a rich learning experience.

These questions also foster critical thinking, problem solving, self-expression, and creativity. Answering open-ended questions helps students accumulate their thoughts better and boost their confidence and analytical strength. They allow students to pause, think and reflect, hone their sense of judgement.

So, how about you trying some interesting open-ended questions in your classroom the next time? Do let us know how it went!
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📰 Educational News Around the World

• Mumbai, Maharashtra: Maharashtra school education department collaborates with TISS for vocational education
  Maharashtra school education department under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan joins hands with Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) to encourage employment-oriented vocational education.

• New Delhi, India: Winter vacation extended in several North Indian states due to cold wave
  Schools in the states of UP, MP, Punjab, Haryana and others in North India have extended winter vacation and revised school timings due to the massive cold wave blanketing the entire region.

• Dubai, UAE: UAE schools reopen after winter vacation
  Schools in the UAE have reopened for the second term of the academic year of UAE Ministry of Education after around a 3-week long winter vacation.

Watch Monthly recap of Educational News for December 2022 here 👇

❔ Question of the Week

Q: What are some tips for questioning students while learning in the classroom?

Ans: A lot in the classroom depends on the questioning of the teacher. Here are some tips that you can use while asking questions to your students:

1. Don’t pick the first student who raises their hand to answer the question. Wait for some time and encourage more students to come forward.
2. Whenever a student gives a wrong answer, take it as an opportunity to build on it and direct the student to reach the right answer. For example you can say something like, “I get what you’re saying but there are a few points that you still need to add” or “You’re almost there. Can you remember this point where I explained about <give hints>.
3. Go for follow up questions whenever possible. Ask them about a “what might/ who might/ why might” question to encourage imagination or a “what would/ why would/ how would” question to strengthen their understanding of probabilities.