Question based instruction (QBI) promotes learners’ abilities to ask more questions and express opinions during group discussions

Abstract

Generating questions is a fundamental skill for critical thinkers. This chapter describes Question Based Instruction (QBI), a teaching method in which classroom lessons are based on learner-generated questions; subsequently, learners discuss the questions they have generated. This method was used in an elementary school class, and measurements were taken to assess students’ abilities to ask questions and express opinions. The results of the data analysis indicate that QBI promoted increases in students’ utterances and questions during group discussions. This chapter also explains the teaching steps required to carry out QBI and discusses reasons for its effectiveness and its potential applications.