The Difference Between A Good Question And A Bad Question – TeachThought

November 16, 2025 | Up to date November 15, 2025

What’s the definition of a ‘good query’?

We regularly say to 1 one other, ‘That’s a superb query,’ by which we often imply, ‘I don’t know the reply’ or ‘I had not but thought to ask that nevertheless it appears price asking.’

We will start to outline a superb query by looking at its reverse. A query may be ‘dangerous’ for a variety of causes. A query is simply a technique (for inquiry) and should subsequently have a objective or intention if we wish to consider its high quality.

(I’ve questioned in regards to the Purpose Of A Question earlier than which I included in our Guide To Questioning In The Classroom).

It should have some sort of purpose.

So most broadly, a query could possibly be mentioned to be ‘dangerous’ if it both doesn’t have a objective or intention or doesn’t accomplish that purpose or intention (whereas additionally failing to trigger another impact that was unintended however nonetheless by some means optimistic).

A foul query may be mentioned to be so if it’s irrelevant, imprecise, or makes use of unclear language.

A foul query will obscure fairly than reveal what a scholar is aware of now.

Additional, a nasty query will deter fairly than encourage–or permit and promote–a scholar to create new information.

A query is likely to be considered dangerous if it, utilized in formative evaluation, yields no useable (formal or casual) knowledge {that a} trainer can use to revise deliberate instruction.

Thus requested, a nasty query stops each the trainer and scholar chilly with no clear and sensible path ahead.

A foul query intimidates, confuses (although not all confusion is dangerous), or by some means causes a jarring emotion that makes the scholars means to make use of their cortex as successfully as they might in a calmer state.

It could possibly be primarily based on defective premises, it could possibly be loaded with cognitive biases, logical fallacies, or different irrational patterns of pondering.

It could possibly be outdoors of the Zone of Proximal Growth for the particular person it’s requested to (i.e., too simple or too tough).

It is probably not too tough (when it comes to content material information) however its language or syntax could possibly be unnecessarily complicated. The end result right here is that the coed will get the query ‘unsuitable’ regardless that the ‘knew the content material.’

As we’ve clarified, a query is just a technique for studying. A device. You may, then, consider a ‘dangerous query’ like a ‘dangerous device’: it merely doesn’t do what it’s meant to do.

In schooling, this often signifies that it fails to facilitate/promote studying within the short-term and/or long-term for the coed.

A great query, after all, is totally different. Whereas (principally) ignoring the nuance of the idea of high quality, there are some issues we’d take into account typically qualify a query pretty much as good (be aware the purposely imprecise language–some issues…may take into account…typically qualify).

A great query–on a take a look at, for instance–will probably be environment friendly and exact relative to its objective. If a selected tutorial commonplace the trainer desires to evaluate the coed’s mastery of, the query should be written in a approach that does precisely that: assesses their mastery of precisely that commonplace.

As we’ve mentioned, it won’t have ‘fats’–pointless phrases, overly complicated vocabulary, or require different (pointless, unrelated, or nonetheless unlearned) information or expertise. Definitely, a query can have such language and require information or expertise unrelated to the precise commonplace being assessed supplied that the trainer understands this–and thus understands that the coed could get the query ‘unsuitable’ whereas doubtlessly nonetheless mastering the usual.

See? It’s sophisticated.

Conventional schooling has lengthy held that we should always assist college students study and so they can greatest show they’re studying by answering questions precisely. However answering questions precisely can’t probably be the purpose of schooling, solely a technique itself in pursuit of a bigger purpose.

The only standards to guage the standard of a query, then, is likely to be this: a superb query helps college students study and learn to study in a sustainable, inquiry-based, student-led approach. In its best carnations, a nasty query facilities itself as a sort of tutorial bar for the coed to leap over to show themselves.

At its worst, a nasty query halts the method of studying fully via confusion, imprecision, and discouragement, deceptive each the trainer and scholar as they make their approach via the educational course of. (See additionally What Is The Cognitive Load Theory?)