Why Write Effective Questions

• The types of questions teachers ask influence what and how students study, read, practice, etc.
• The questions you ask should match what you expect students to learn.
• Questions should not give away the answers or be unreasonably difficult.
• Teachers need to step back and evaluate whether patterns they learned when they were asked questions in classes are good patterns to follow.
• Penn State has computer-based tools to facilitate asking questions, analyzing outcomes, and providing feedback. Knowing how to write effective questions is critical to using these tools effectively.

Definitions

Special thanks to The Schreyer Institute for their contributions to these documents.