English to Turkish Social Sciences Education / Pedagogy

OPEN QUESTIONS
Open questions are queries directed to the class at large, rather than to specific individuals; these questions allow anyone in the class to answer.
Open questions can be problematic: they do not put anyone on the spot, but no one may volunteer to answer them. Other pitfalls include having everyone answering at once or allowing the unofficial class leader to monopolize discussions.
Despite these difficulties, open question techniques are appropriate and effective in some situations, for example

• When instructors want to get a variety of viewpoints (i.e., different agencies’ polices on pursuit driving)