DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE QUESTIONING IN TEACHING GAMES

FOR UNDERSTANDING (TGfU)

TGfU and questioning

Developing critical thinking and deep understanding are elements of quality teaching in any domain. The notion of questioning and teaching ‘thinking’, not knowledge is used throughout teaching (Harpaz & Lefstein, 2000; Golding, 2004). The teachers’ role is to facilitate students’ thinking, helping them to develop thinking skills and behaviours.

Types of questions

Teaching through questions is an instructional format in which tasks are communicated through questions that pose problems that guide student activity towards particular goals or questions that pose problems to be solved (Siedentop & Tannehill, 2000). Questions can be organised into four types depending on the
cognitive activity involved. They are

• ·         recall
• ·          convergent
• ·          divergent and
• ·         value questions 
• (Siedentop & Tannehill, 2000).

      Recall questions are those that require memory level answer, for example: ‘Where should your eyes be when they are dribbling?’

Convergent questions aid analysis and integration of previously learned material require reasoning and problem solving, for example: ‘Why should you stay between your opponent and the basket?’

Divergent questions require solutions to new situations through problem solving, for example: ‘What ways would you start a fast break off a steal?’

         Value questions require expressions of choice, attitude and opinion, for example: ‘How do you react?’

Effective questioning

Effective questioning is a move away from the traditional teacher centred model of teaching to a more student centred approach as questioning provides opportunities for the students to think for themselves. In doing so, situations are created whereby the students learn skills and tactics inferentially through being placed in

circumstances for them to apply these skills.

The use of a questioning protocol

·         what?

·         where?

·         when?

·         why?

·         with whom?

·         how?

 is a key pedagogical tool in TGfU (Griffin & Butler 2005). In virtually every game or practice teachers need to look at the scenario and ask students the following questions:

·         What is going wrong?,

·         Where does the problem occur?,

·         When does the problem occur?,

·         Why does the problem occur?,

·         Who owns the problem?,

·          How can it be fixed?

Mitchell, Oslin and Griffin (2006) reinforce that the quality of your questions is critical and these questions should be an integral part of your planning. They propose that questions fall into three categories:

· Time. ‘When is the best time to?’

· Space. ‘Where is or where can?’

· Risk. ‘Which choice is safest and which is most risky?’

TGfU is player centered where the player has to take control and make decisions. This in turn empowers them and makes them responsible for their learning process. However, if questions are not challenging, then this learning process breaks down. It is essential that practitioners and students have practice and feedback given to them on their questioning technique.

Effective questioning should promote reflective thinking, decisionmaking and communication. The gradual progressions involved in TGfU pedagogy benefit all learners, whether they are high or low achievers, as the games and questions can be tailored to suit. Teaching games for understanding requires the learner to make the connections that lead to successful outcomes.

(Sumber: Philip J. Pearson & P. Webb, (2008). Developing effective questioning in Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU)