A Question calls attention to class and arouses students’ interest. Also, the question helps to reach the learning goal. The Question helps students composing mathematical knowledge themselves and connecting preliminary knowledge and new knowledge. ...
A Question calls attention to class and arouses students’ interest. Also, the question helps to reach the learning goal. The Question helps students composing mathematical knowledge themselves and connecting preliminary knowledge and new knowledge. In other words, cognitive and affective effect can be different by the teacher’s question in the class.
For these effects of the question, a teacher has to know the question and use it suitably. However, novice teachers experience a gap between a theory and a reality because their career is short and their level of professionalism is low. In other words, their understanding of the question types is insufficient. Also, they can’t design a question plan regarding a level of students, a learning content and instructional contexts.
Therefore, an effective question is essential for the novice teachers to advance the quality of a lesson and improve their professionalism. So this study wants to enhance the quality of a lesson and the get suggestions by analyzing the question types of novice teachers. The subjects for inquiry are as follows.
A. What is the question type of the novice teachers depending on the grade?
B. What is the question type of the novice teachers depending on the mathematical content area?
C. What is the question type of the novice teachers depending on the step of lessons?
For these subjects, seven novice teachers who work in the elementary schools under Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education were targeted for the study subjects. Thirty two lessons were recorded and all of the questions were analyzed on the basis of Barnes’s question type.
First of all, questions were summed up and converted into a percentage to analyze the question type by teaching grade. Next, all of the lessons were divided into five areas in accordance with the 2009 revised mathematics curriculum to analyze the question type by the mathematical content area. And then, questions were summed up and converted into a percentage. Finally, all of the lessons were divided into three steps(introduction, development, organization) to analyze the question type by the steps in a lesson. And the questions of each steps were summed up and converted into a percentage. Besides, the cases of lessons showing characteristic questions were done a case analysis. The conclusion of this study based on analysis of the results is as follows.
First, the questions which check students’ understanding and knowledge were mostly used. Teachers have to use the questions promoting students’ cognitive activity by encouraging mathematical thinking. In other words, teachers need to use questions to make students not only share but also clarify their thinking and questions that make students interact each other are required.
Second, remarkable question types were unusual in mathematical content area. The questions reminding students’ knowledge took up the great possession. On the other hand, it was insufficient that make students be possible to think creatively. Thus, teachers have to use teaching materials based on the feature of mathematical content area and use questions putting change by a class population.
Third, the closed questions which don’t require mathematical reasoning were remarkable. Teachers have to understand the meaning and role of steps and design a question plan. At this moment, it is essential not only the questions that can check student’s knowledge but also the questions that can extend student’s thinking.