Probing Skills for Tutors and Teachers

Skill of Probing Questions 

Introduction

It is very important for a teacher to ask questions during teaching in order to increase the thinking capability in students. probing is one of the best skill which helps students to solve the problems with the help of a teacher. These are the set of some ques and hint in the form of questions which a teacher ask during teaching for seeking further information, this may increase the thinking capability of students so that they can think in multiple fronts. This skill is very helpful when student go through deeply in order to have multiple answer, sometimes this is used for involving all students if they showing a bit less interest in the teaching learning process.

Why Probing?

• In case of when students are unable to give the answer or give incomplete answer, teacher use probing skill for ques.
• For seeking further information.
• For gaining student's attention in the teaching learning process and we call it re-focussing.
• If the teacher want to give the knowledge of all aspects of the problem  to students, then the teacher ask the similar question in different manner. We can call it re-directing.
• For improving the student's thinking ability, for that teacher asks why? and how? type questions. This is called as Critical Awareness.

Components of Probing Skill

1. Prompting 
2. Seeking Further Information
3. Re-focussing 
4. Re-direction 
5. Critical awareness 

Prompting 

Prompting mostly involves verbal ques, visual ques, through model, gestures and some physical guidance. In order to help the student to know the answer teacher gives some indication.

Seeking Further Information

most of the time student don't give the proper and accurate answer then teacher asks the same question to other students in order to get the correct answers. Teacher asks different aspects about the question in order to seek further information, this also may check the student's knowledge.

Re-focussing 

If the teacher is not satisfied with the answer of student then the teacher puts different situations in front of the students which help them in transfer of knowledge of the student.

Re-direction 

Teacher try to know the multiple answer of the question in order to make student to think again and again. This will increase the thinking ability of the student, and this may increase the participation of the students in the class too. 

Critical awareness 

If teacher asks why?, how?, type of questions then it is called as Critical Awareness. This increase critical awareness among students and finally they will understand the nature of the questions.