I feel like this should be a standard copy in every binder and training for teachers. It's the best thing you'll EVER read as far as learning how to ask a good question!! Learning how to ask good questions will invite the spirit, plenty of participation, and help everyone be edified!
Prepare yourself. PURE GOLD AS FOLLOWS!!! I did add a few !!! marks because I tend to be a hyper person in regards to punctuation. !!! !!! !!! From Teaching, No Greater Call... word for word (pages 68-70)
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Jesus Christ, the Master Teacher, often asked questions to encourage people to ponder and apply the principles He taught. (see, for example, Matthew 16:13–15; Luke 7:41–42; 3 Nephi 27:27). His questions prompted thought, soul-searching, and commitment.
General Guidelines for
Preparing Questions
Church-produced lesson manuals
suggest many questions that you can use in lessons. Read them carefully to
decide which will be most helpful for
those you teach. You may also prepare your own questions. As you consider
questions to use in a lesson, ask yourself,
“Will they help those I teach understand the main ideas of the lesson?
Will
these questions help those I teach apply the
gospel principles being taught?”
The following ideas may help you prepare your own questions.
Questions That Can Be
Answered Yes or No
Questions that can be answered yes or
no have limited use in gospel instruction. You should
use them primarily to obtain commitments or to determine if
someone agrees or disagrees.
Factual Questions
Factual questions are used to
establish the basic facts of a scripture passage, event, or gospel principle.
They have specific answers. They can help learners
begin to study scripture passages, understand major points, review ideas, and
overcome misconceptions.
For example:- When Nephi’s brothers asked to be forgiven for binding him with cords, what was his immediate response?
- When and where was the Church organized?
Make sure that you do not ask only factual questions. They do not require much thought, and they may discourage those who do not know the answers. When you do use them, you should generally make sure that the information necessary to answer them is available to those you teach.
With factual questions, you can
help everyone begin a discussion at the same point. You can then move to
questions that prompt deeper thinking and
help learners see how gospel principles apply in their lives.
Questions That Prompt
Deeper Thinking
Some questions encourage
learners to think deeply about the meaning of scripture passages and gospel
principles. These questions often begin with the
words what, how, or why. They cannot be answered with yes or
no, and they usually have more than one right answer. For
example:
- Why do you think this revelation came at this time in
the history of the Church?- What can this story teach about how the Lord helps those in need?
- How would you define faith?
- What does it mean to be meek?
- How is this object like the gospel principle we are discussing? (This is a good question to ask with an object lesson.)
- How was the reaction of Laman and Lemuel different from Nephi’s reaction?
When asking such questions, be
open to all answers !!(see “Listening,” pages 66–67).
It is important to ask questions
that help learners apply gospel principles in their lives. For example:
How has this promise from the Lord been
fulfilled in your life?How do we sometimes make the same error as the people in this story?
How can God’s chastening be a blessing to us?
What are some circumstances today that are similar to the events in this scripture account?
If you were this person, what would you do?
Ask learners to share examples of how they or others have applied the gospel principles being discussed. As
prompted by the Spirit, encourage them to bear testimony of the principles they discuss.
General Guidelines for Asking
Questions
Do not use questions to show
your own knowledge!!!!
Ask questions that will prompt
thoughtful answers from those you teach!!!
Respond to Incorrect Answers
with Respect and Courtesy
Occasionally someone will give
an incorrect answer or an answer that shows little understanding. Others in the
group might laugh at such an
answer. This might embarrass the individual and make him or her hesitant to
participate in the future. It can interfere
with his or her learning.Respond to incorrect answers
with respect and courtesy!!!!!Ensure that the individual still feels comfortable participating.
You may choose to take responsibility yourself by saying something like, “I’m sorry. I don’t think I asked that
question very clearly. Let me try again.” Or you could rescue the individual by saying, “Perhaps you were thinking of something else” or “Thank you for bringing that up, but I’m not sure my question was clear.” Such responses will help those you teach feel more and more comfortable participating, even when they think they might be risking a wrong answer.
Wait for Responses
Do not be concerned if learners
are silent for a few seconds after you have asked a question. Do not answer
your own question; allow time for
learners to think of responses. However, prolonged silence may indicate that
they do not understand the question and that
you need to rephrase it!!!!
Follow-up questions can help
learners think more deeply about a principle they are discussing. For example,
if learners suggest one way that
a scripture account can be likened to themselves, you might ask, “What else can we learn from this story?”
Give Everyone an Opportunity to Speak
To encourage more learners to
participate, you may want to direct some follow-up questions to those who have
not yet made comments during the lesson.
If several people have comments
about a subject, you may want to say something like, “We’ll hear your comments first and then yours.” Then
those you teach will remain orderly because they know that they will have an
opportunity to speak.
Help Learners Prepare to Answer
Questions
To help learners prepare to
answer questions, you may want to tell them before something is read or
presented
that you will be asking for
their responses (see the “look for” and “listen for” approaches in “Teaching
from theScriptures,” page 55). For example, you could say, “Listen as I read this passage so that you can share what most interests you about it” or “As this scripture is read, see if you can understand what the Lord is telling us
about faith.”
Avoid Questions That Create
Controversy or Encourage Argument
The Savior said, “He that hath
the spirit of contention is not of me” (3 Nephi 11:29; see also verses 28 and
30).
Be careful not to ask questions
that promote argument or highlight sensational issues. Do not ask questions
that create doubt or that lead to
discussions that fail to edify. Make sure that your questions move learners
toward a unity of faith and love (see
Mosiah 18:21). When there is disagreement, strive to emphasize points of
agreement and correct doctrine.
Occasionally Ask Questions That
Prompt Silent Reflection
You may occasionally choose to
ask questions that learners should ponder silently rather than answer in
an open discussion. For example:
What have you done today that is moving you toward eternal life?
Have you failed to do something today that would have moved you toward eternal life?
Creative Uses of Questions
You may want to use questions in
some of the following ways:
Write questions on wordstrips, and tape the
wordstrips to the bottoms of chairs. At appropriate times during the
discussion, ask each person to remove the question from his or her chair. Then
have him or her read the question and respond to it.
Ask each learner to write one question based
on a gospel principle or verse of scripture. Gather the questions and discuss them.
Ask individuals to role-play characters of their choice in the lesson, and let the others ask them questions
(see “Role Playing,” page 178). This works particularly well with children.
During the week before the lesson, give
questions to a few learners. Ask them to prepare to respond to those
questions as part of the coming
lesson.
Use the following questions to discuss a
gospel principle:
“What do we already know about
this principle?” “What do we want to know?” “What have we learned
today?” You can form the basis of
the lesson by having learners answer these questions and then writing theiranswers in three columns on the chalkboard.
Write a question on the chalkboard before
class begins so that learners can begin pondering it as soon as they
arrive.
Have learners answer questions by finding and
reading appropriate scriptures or hymns. Ask learners to respond to questions by sharing examples
from their own lives.
Divide the class into small groups. Give each
group a few questions to consider. Then have each group report
their answers to the class.
Additional Information
For additional help, see “Plan
and Conduct Meaningful Discussions,” pages 303–4 in the
“Gospel Teaching andLeadership” section of the Church Handbook of Instructions.
