certain what the pupils already know, what their
interests are, and what matter they may reasonably be expected to
apprehend, if he is to have them assimilate properly the facts of the
lesson. He must further show sympathy and tact in order to inspire the
pupils to their best effort. He must be able to detect unerringly the
symptoms of inattention, listlessness, and misbehaviour, and by a
well-directed question to bring back the wandering attention to the
subject in hand.

=Faults in Questioning.=--There are two serious weaknesses that many
young teachers exhibit, namely, questioning when they ought to tell and
telling when they ought to question. To tell pupils what they might
easily discover for themselves is to deprive them of the joy of conquest
and to miss an opportunity of exercising and strengthening their mental
powers. On the other hand, to question upon matter which the pupils
cannot reasonably be expected to know or discover is to discourage
effort and encourage guessing. To know just when to question and when
to tell requires considerable discrimination and insight on the part of
the teacher.

PURPOSES OF QUESTIONING

Questioning has three main purposes, namely:

1. To determine the limits of the pupil's present knowledge in order
that the teacher may have a definite basis upon which to build the new
material;

2. To direct the pupil's thought along a prescribed channel to a
definite end, to lead him to make discoveries and form conclusions on
his own account;

3. To ascertain how far he has grasped the meaning of the new material
that has been presented.

=A. Preparatory.=--The first of these purposes may be designated as
preparatory. Here the teacher clears the ground for the presentation of
the new matter by recalling the old related facts necessary to the
interpretation of the new. In thus sounding the depths of the pupil's
previous knowledge, the teacher should usually ask questions that demand
fairly long answers instead of those which may be answered briefly. The
onus of the recall should be placed largely upon the pupil. The teacher
will do comparatively little talking; the pupil will do much.

=B. Developing.=--The second purpose may be described as developing. The
pupil is led step by step to a conclusion. Each question grows naturally
out of the preceding question, the responsibility for this logical
connection falling upon the teacher. The pupil has before him a certain
set of condit