Types of Teacher Questions
7 activating their background knowledge and also help them recalling the
information based on their experience or the fact that they have learned. Then, according to Dantonio and Beisenherz 2001 as cited in Mayberry
and Hartle 2003, questions in teaching reading are differentiated into eight types. 1.
„Clarifying‟ questions are usually used to get more information that students know about the reading topic. Mayberry and Hartle 2003 give an example of
clarifying questions based on their observation, such as “Now how many of
you know what to do when you see a bear?” 2.
„Convergent‟ questions will be answered by the students in the simple words, single answers, or basic recall. For example, “HOW many bears do you see in
this picture?” 3.
„Focus‟ questions are usually used in order to help students consider information needed, to solve a problem or complete a task. For example,
“What would you have done, if you were Goldilocks?” 4.
„Cueing‟ questions may be used for children who need help remembering key information which can take students back to the previous learned information.
For example, teacher will ask the students to make prediction, “What was in the story that you did not predict?”
5. „Divergent‟ questions are usually open-ended, higher-order requiring analysis,
synthesis, or evaluation that emerge children‟s critical thinking. For example, in the beginning of reading section, teacher ask, “What do you think is going
to happen to the little girl and the three bears?”
8 6.
„Interpretive‟ questions require learners to analyze cause and effect of something or someone else and the consequences for ideas.
7. „Evaluative‟ questions are asked in the post-reading section in which require
students‟ use social information or the moral value stated in the story. For example, “What should Goldilocks have done when she saw the open door to
the bears‟ house?” and “What do you do when you see other people‟s chairs or toys?”
8. „Reflective‟ questions which can help the students reflect the story with their
own experiences in the daily life. Eventually, the examples of the types of questions above are based in Mayberry‟s
and Hartle‟s observation in English-reading class. The observation is focus on the types of teacher‟s questions in teaching reading. Actually, the reading material is
about Goldilocks and the Three Bears. It can be seen that Mayberry and Hartle 2003 find six examples used in teaching reading out of eight types of questions
identified by Dantonio and Beisenherz 2001. Fortunately, „Evaluative‟ questions have the same term with „Value‟
questions by Wragg and Brown 2001 which are usually asked in the post- reading and it aims to ask the students about the moral value stated in the reading
passage. In addition, „Reflective‟ questions also have the same term with „Empirical‟ questions by Wragg and Brown 2001 which requires the students to
reflect the story with their own life or the fact that they have known. Moreover, the term of „Clarifying‟ questions are similar with „Conceptual‟ questions written
9 by Wragg and Brown 2001. It aims to get ideas or information about the topic
that being studied. All in all, the questions classified by Dantonio and Beisenherz 2001 are
similar with the three types of questions classified by Wragg and Brown 2001. However, the main difference of those questions is in how the questions applied.
Thus, three types of questions by Wragg and Brown 2001 can be applied in all subjects. In contrast, the examples of questions given by Mayberry and Hartle
2003 prove that the eight types of questions can be applied in teaching reading. In addition, it can be applied in the pre-reading, whilst-teaching or even in the
post-teaching also. However, Mayberry and Hartle 2003 shows that only two types of questions; Convergent and Divergent that the teacher used in the pre-
reading.