Generalizations on Cues and Questions

There are four generalizations to help teacher with cues and questions.

1. Cues and questions should focus on what is important as opposed to what is unusual. Most teachers focus on what is interesting, rather than what is important, in the hopes of sparking interest. Research says - the more they know about something, the more they want to know about something.

2. "Higher level questions produce deeper learning than "lower level" questions. Most of the questions asked by teachers are lower level questions. By having students apply knowledge, it creates deeper, longer lasting learning.

3. "Waiting briefly before accepting responses from students has the effect of increasing the depth of students' answers. Research shows that this creates more effective student-to-student interaction.

4. Questions are effective learning tools even when asked before a learning experience. Asking questions before a learning activity sets the mental tone of the lesson, and engages students right from the start.