8.Convergent and Divergent questions

        Questioning in the classroom is an important tool for teachers. Appropriately engaging, challenging and effective questions stimulate peer discussion and encourage students to explore and refine their understanding of key concepts.

        The kinds of questions we as teachers ask in the classroom depend on what they we are testing. There are two main types of questions: convergent and divergent. The form we choose with which to evaluate our students can depend on many factors such as the type of course, the type of assessment, and our teaching style. Of course, we can have a mix of question types on any evaluation.

        Convergent questions ask for specifics information and provide feedback on a child´s ability to recall information. Convergent thinking questions are those which represent the analysis and integrating of given or remembered information. They lead us to an expected end result or answer. Thought processes involved while asking and answering these questions are explaining, stating relationships, and comparing and contrasting.

       

Divergent questions do not have one right answer; they provide an opportunity for creativity, guessing and experimenting. Divergent question refers to a question which encourages students to discover various paths and create numerous changes and alternative answers or scenarios. This type of question encourages students to analyze, evaluate knowledge base and then project results with high degree of accuracy.

7. Classroom Design: Changes over the Years

         For many teachers classroom design may not seem important, but indeed classroom design plays an essential role in the teaching-learning process. The design must make students feel comfortable and a sense of belonging so that learning takes place best. Moreover, it must provide enough space according to the students´ needs. For instance, students in a classroom full of desks may not feel comfortable as they do not have enough space to move around while doing activities.

     Over the past twenty years, classroom design has changed a lot. In the past, classroom design was completely different than it is nowadays since the desks were secure to the floor, and they were all arranged in rows not allowing group work, discussions, and so forth. In addition, classrooms in the past did not count with technological advances. Nowadays, most classrooms have a large writing surface where the instructor or students can share notes with other members of the class. Traditionally, this was in the form of a blackboard, but these are becoming less common in well-equipped schools because of new alternatives like flipcharts, whiteboards, and interactive whiteboards.  Many classrooms also have TVs, maps, charts, pencils, books, and LCD projectors for presenting information and images from a computer. Furthermore, in the past, schools and institutions would often have one computer lab that served the entire school only at certain times of the week. Computers in the classroom itself increase interest in learning and awareness of the importance of what is being taught. Pupils are less likely to feel that a subject is archaic if the teacher uses new technological instructional techniques, increasing the students’ interest in learning something new. A more restricted classroom design has changed to a more flexible and equipped one.

  

   “The Traditional Classroom Design” has had one setup: straight rows of desks facing the front of the classroom. While this keeps attention focused on the teacher, it does not allow for group work or discussion. This is a teacher-centered classroom as the teacher´s desk is at the front, where he or she stands and lectures the class. Furthermore, students are passive and recipients of information since the teacher delivers the topics starting with a lecturing presentation style. There are specific routines and repetitive use of methodology. This design does not allow teachers to encourage students’ interpersonal intelligences, or to share as a community.

    

         “The Non-Traditional Classroom Design”: in this classroom design students´ desks are arranged in semi-circle or U shape what allows students´ interaction. Moreover, this design allows group work, discussion, peer interaction, and so on. This design is student-centered as it encourages learners to be active. Moreover, the teacher delivers lessons using varied or multiple styles of delivery in different parts of the room. These may include anecdotes, storytelling, small-group collaborative exercises, and hands-on activities involving the entire class, partnerships, some individualization, and learning centers where the teacher serves as lesson facilitator.

6. Types of Comprehension

          Comprehension involves memory, cognition and metacognition. Memory is the storing and then recalling and retrieving of thoughts and feelings. Cognition and metacognition are recognized as being lower-and higher- level thinking. Comprehension is the use of one´s memory and these leveled thinking processes with the ability to understand or have knowledge about something. It is the main goal of education. We want students to gain an understanding of things. Thinking is recognized through “comprehension” to produce “understanding”.

 

         Comprehension may or not be verbalized, but regardless of this, it is demonstrated through things said, or actions and behaviors in three applications, which include the following:

  Literal is “fact-based” evidence of comprehension. For instance, “ warm-ups must be  carried out at the beginning of the class”

 Applied is “comparison and contrast comprehension”, resulting from making connections to one´s own experience, read or heard material. For example, “after reading some information about warm-ups, I think that they are essential for starting a class successfully.”

  Implied is “inferential comprehension”, based on context or illustrative material being presented in oral, visual, or tactile formats. For instance, “after observing some classes, I have come to think that classes are more interesting and successful when warm-ups are carried out since students are cheered up and full of energy to continue learning.”

         Undoubtedly, students gaining meaningful learning is the main goal of education. Furthermore, we, as teachers, want our students to comprehend and understand content so that they put their knowledge into practice in real life situation. We teachers need to focus on our students´ meaningful learning as this is more important than mechanical learning. Meaningful learning is for all our lives; meanwhile rout learning will be forgotten by the students in a short period of time.