Problem Solving Essay
Tyler Perez
Liberty University
EDUC 301-D04
Thomas Berger once said that, “the art and science of asking questions is the
source of all knowledge.” The article Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say written by
Steven Reinhart talks about this exact concept that Thomas Berger is trying to convey.
Questioning students about their learning and about the knowledge you as an educator are
instilling within them rather then just simply present facts and information makes a
greater impact on each individual student. Questioning allows the students to take time to
think about what they are learning and creates depth to new concepts they are being
taught. Reinhart explains that merely presenting knowledge to students is in the past. In
order to create a learning atmosphere where the students take responsibility for their
learning, Reinhart (2008) suggests moving beyond traditional methods of teaching and
into “methods of instruction to a more student-centered, problem-based approach” (p.
478).
In his article, Steven Reinhart strives to convey the fact that traditional methods of
presenting lessons are no longer suitable for effective learning. Reinhart’s philosophy is
summed up in his definition of a good teacher that, “one who gets students to explain
things so well that they can be understood” (p. 478). His philosophy of teaching makes
sure that students feel comfortable sharing and discussing ideas. He suggests that we as
educators should spend more time planning for time of questioning in our lessons and
less time on specific content instruction overload. He lists out advice for other educators
to use who are striving to implement better questioning techniques into their curriculum.
These seven suggestions will impact the way in which you as an educator connect with
your students. First, “create a plan” (p. 480) that will transform your classroom. This
involves asking good, insightful questions to the students and give the students ample
time to respond with answers. Secondly, “share with students reasons for asking
questions” (p. 480), so that they feel valued in their statements. Next, “teach for success”
(p. 480) to the students, so that their confidence is built upon. Next, “be nonjudgmental
about a response or comment” (p. 480) because this allows other students a positive way
to deal with misunderstandings. Then, “try not to repeat students’ answers” (p. 481)
because this allows interaction amongst classmates and do not allow students to ask, “is
this my right answer” (p. 481) because it stops their thinking. Lastly, “participation is not
optional” (p. 482) because responsibility to learn is on the students, different responses
allow students to explore other thinking, and it involves every student in the classroom.
Reinhart believes that more questioning will lead students to struggle on their own, which
will then allow students to take a greater investment in their learning. This is a process
that will take time and will be a gradual implementation into the classroom.
I believe that Reinhart makes great points in improving the learning for students.
Techniques in questioning students creates an environment for students to explore other
areas of thinking they would not have previously. This focuses on the individual student
and the group as a whole. This also steers away from the monotonous, repetitive lecture
style of teaching of just presenting information to students. For specific purposes note
taking, in and of itself, is not bad, but I believe it needs to be limited. This is because note
taking does not engage the learner and information is not retained. Questioning builds
upon what is being taught and allows the students to broaden their perspectives. I hope to
plan time out in my future teaching schedule during subject lessons to question the
students about what they are learning. This will allow me to gage what they are retaining
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and what they are struggling with. Also, this will allow me to create activities specifically
geared towards what the students are learning.
References
Berger, T. (n.d.). Asking Questions Quotes. Retrieved December 1, 2015, from
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/asking_questions.html
REINHART, S. C.. (2000). Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say!. Mathematics Teaching
in the Middle School, 5(8), 478–483. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/41180868
