Explanatory Questioning is the third (and final) 'Inexpensive Technique to Improve Education'. My little boy always wants to know what things are.Then he'll want to know why things are what they are. Asking why is one of our most innate impulses. This is because, partly, it helps us organise our world and to remember the things in it: what they're called and how they link together. The authors have actually grouped two related techniques together here: elaborative interrogation and self-explanation. Here, in their own words, are definitions for each.
Like testing, explanatory questioning creates desirable difficulties: asking students why new facts are true will slow, for example, their reading of a worksheet or textbook. It will, however, embed that knolwedge more securely in students' long-term memories and therefore leave them better equipped to tackle more challenging tasks in the future. For this reason, the article ends with the hugely important statement that “the construction of a solid knowledge base is critical for promoting creative synthesis; if the knowledge base is lacking then further synthesis will likely not occur”. If you're interested in reading more, try these: 'Metacognitive questioning and the use of worked examples' - Mempowered (uses Maths examples) 'Learn How to Study Using Elaborative Interrogation' - The Learning Scientists
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