Editor’s Toolkit: Incorporating Questions

Why Are Questions the Go-To Activity in So Many Books?

Authors often use questions in textbooks because developing questions seems quick and easy. However, implementing questions in a way that supports retention and enhances learning is more complex than one might think. Questions can serve different purposes and must be written correctly and well to serve a specific purpose. The sequencing of questions can either build a student’s confidence or undermine it. Questions that are not well-worded can cause confusion and impede learning.

When incorporating questions into a textbook it is important to consider several things:

  • What purpose do the questions serve?
  • Depending on the purpose, how are the questions sequenced?
  • What area of learning does a question target?
  • Is the question worded so that students clearly understand it and know what is expected of them?

 

What Purposes Do Questions Serve?

Questions can accomplish many things. These include:

  • activating schema
  • sparking reflection
  • prompting discussion
  • assessing comprehension, whether basic or complex
  • challenging students to think deeply and critically

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