8. Convergent and Divergent Questions

Questioning skills help students develop critical thinking and regard reasoning as an active process. There are two types of questioning that foster two different types of thinking respectively. 

Converging questioning (also called closed questioning) fosters converging thinking. It involves recalling information, given material or previous experience, thus limiting responses or answers. When answering these questions, students do not necessarily need to analyze or reflect. Converging questions do not require student to state opinions or interpret either. Instead, students make inferences from previous experiences.

Examples of convergent questions:

§“Who are the characters of the book Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens?”

§  “What does DIGPA mean?”

Diverging questioning fosters diverging thinking. Answers to diverging questions are more open, and there is not “one correct answer”. To answer diverging questions, students not only need to recall, but also need to reflect, analyze and solve a problem. Therefore, diverging questions allow deeper thinking and exploration. 

Examples of convergent questions:

§  “What would have happened if Oliver Twist had never left Mr. Sowerberry´s house?”

§  “How has reflective teaching helped you improve your teaching skills?”