LLED 360

In chapter five I can really relate to the subject of “Rethinking the Use of Questions” (Zwiers 110). Throughout secondary school and even through university I often felt that being bombarded with questions through work sheets or tests was the least enjoyable part of the learning experience, and also where I often learned the least. I would sometimes become so caught up in trying to memorize the names of authors, the plot development or the correct spelling of a character’s name and thereby lose the essence of what was important. However, I always felt I had to put these things as a first priority in order to achieve high test marks or to score well on the provincial exam. The funny thing is, I certainly don’t remember all of the characters or key plot development from memorizing and regurgitating all of the information from my grade twelve exam on George Orwell’s 1984, but I remember why the book was important and I attribute that more to class discussions and activities than any questions I answered on a work sheet or test.

I fully agree with Zwiers’ suggestion that as teachers we can assess learning through other means than questioning all of the time (110). He argues “[t]he real world doesn’t have as many lists of questions as we hear in school and see on tests. Real-world people are asked to produce or perform, asking their own questions along the way, and are not being stopped every few minutes to answer less important questions. Questions should be a means to learning, not the end” (110). I believe that creativity in planning can assist in finding new ways to assess learning. I hope to provide a variety of English classroom activities such as group projects, skits, art-driven assignments and debates to name a few. While questioning, both orally and written, is an essential tool in the classroom, I don’t believe it needs to become the dominant vehicle to control the learning process.

Sara Martens