A Manual of the Art of Questioning

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1899. Excerpt: ... leads him to repeat the question again and again while the children should be thinking. They are distracted rather than aided by such repetition; and in many instances the teacher cuts the matter short by answering the question himself and passing on. This scrambling through a lesson is not teaching; and it may be laid down as a safe general rule, that except in rare cases the teacher should not answer his own questions. Sometimes, again, when an answer is not at once forthcoming, the teacher gives the beginning of what is wanted; and the children's minds being now turned from finding the reply for themselves, they either guess wildly or remain silent, so that word after word is added by the teacher until the answer is completed, or so nearly that all gain arising from the question is entirely lost. (d) Prompting.--The teacher should not only avoid prompting the children himself, but should be particularly careful that where a question is specially directed to individuals the children do not prompt one another. When this is done in an underhand way it should be treated as dishonesty; but even where this is not the case it is a harmful practice. Children are to be trained to self-reliance, and this will certainly not result unless they are made to depend upon themselves. Unless a child has made the best effort he is capable of, or the teacher has passed him over, the others should remain silent, but ready to give what he has failed in. (e) Repeating Answers.--Some teachers readily.contract a habit of repeating mechanically almost every answer given. This should not be done. The fault may perhaps arise from the attempt to gain time while the next question is thought of; but where the teacher feels it difficult to frame questions quickly it is better to paus...