Immediacy and Probing: Antidote for the "Drops of Poison" in our Classrooms

Although "difficult" students who are unwilling or incapable of validating subjectivity may infect our classrooms and damage the feeling of community that we try to create as educators, we cannot simply silence these individuals. If our goal is to create a transformative and collaborative learning environment, then we must push our students to think critically and support their statements with logic. Bell and Golombisky (2004) offer the technique of "probing" (p. 323) to tackle this issue. Simply put, "probing" is the practice of asking questions that solicit further input, clarification,  and critical thinking from an individual.

In order to effectively use probing  as an antidote to neutralize poisons in the classroom, we must first establish a clear foundation understanding of how this technique works.

Within the Pocket Guide to Probing Questions, authors Thompson-Grove, Frazer, and Dunne (n.d.) provide the following description of probing:

"Probing Questions are intended to help the presenter think more deeply about the issue at hand. If a probing question doesn’t have that effect, it is either a clarifying question or a recommendation with an upward inflection at the end. If you find yourself saying “Don’t you think you should …?” you’ve gone beyond probing questions. The presenter often doesn’t have a ready answer to a genuine probing question."

They also provide the following indications of "good" probing questions: 

• are general and widely useful 
• don’t place blame on anyone 
• allow for multiple responses 
• help create a paradigm shift 
• empower the person with the dilemma to solve his or her own problem (rather than deferring to someone with greater or different expertise) 
• avoid yes/no responses 
• are usually brief 
• elicit a slow response 
• move thinking from reaction to reflection 
• encourage taking another party’s perspective

The majority of these qualities are indicative of a transformative and collaborative learning environment. 

The next step after probing and soliciting student participation is to provide feedback. It is this act that the importance of practicing immediacy becomes apparent. As  mentioned in my previous blog posts, a technique for establishing students' perception of teacher immediacy is to acknowledge and praise student contribution. By showing students that their input and opinion is valued in the classroom, the teacher builds immediacy and enforces a supportive learning environment. 

#ImmediacyAndLearning

Resources:

Bell, E. & Golombisky, K. (2004). Voices and silences in our classrooms: Strategies for mapping trails among sex/gender, race, and class. Women's Studies in Communication, 27, 294-329.

Thompson-Grove, G., Frazer, E., & Dunne, F. (n.d.). Pocket guide to probing questions. National School Reform Faculty. 

http://www.nsrfharmony.org/system/files/protocols/probing_questions_guide.pdf