Posers helpful to students

When it comes to challenging young minds to grow language, asking how and why during shared book reading to pre-schoolers can be more beneficial, according to new research at the University of Texas Health Science Centre at Houston (UTHealth).

An analysis of the questions pre-school teachers asked during shared reading to their classes revealed that only 1 in 6 questions would be considered challenging. Researchers would like that number to be closer to 2 in 5. The findings appear in Early Childhood Research Quarterly.

A teachable moment is the zone when learning takes place because the child is being challenged; more challenging, open-ended questions and fewer that can be answered with a yes or no, are required, according to the findings.

Teachers can enhance the learning experience by asking more complex questions that offer students a challenge. Children's responses are driven by the kinds of questions that are asked.