Questioning Strategies to Enhance Student Learning

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Questioning Strategies to Enhance Student Learning

• Presented by
• Kristi Orcutt
• ESSDACK 620-663-9566
• www.essdack.org
• kristio_at_essdack.org

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Introductions 20 Questions

• Introduce yourself to your tablemates.
• Try to find ONE thing that you all have in
  common.
• Using only YES-NO QUESTIONS, we will try to guess
  each groups commonality.

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What is a QUESTION?

• What does it look like?
• What does it sound like?
• What does it feel like?
• What does it do?
• Why do we ask it?

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Questions in the Classroom

• Few instructional skills are as important to
  good teaching, or as pervasive across classrooms
  and disciplines, as questioning. Yet, little
  formal training exists to help teachers hone this
  critical skill.
• Marie Collins
• Questioning to Enhance Student Learning

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Questions in the Classroom

• Teachers spend 1/3 to more than 3/4 of
  instructional time asking students questions.
• Teachers ask 300 - 400 questions every day.

Why ask questions?
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Classifying Questions

• In your table-groups, choose a topic.
• Individually, write down all the questions you
  can think of to ask about this topic. Write
  questions on individual Post-Its. You will have
  5 minutes for this.
• When you have finished, analyze the groups
  questions and put them into categories.

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Why Ask Questions?

• Develop interest and motivate students
• Evaluate students preparation and check on
  homework or seatwork completion
• Review and summarize previous lessons
• Assess achievement of instructional goals and
  objectives
• Stimulate students to pursue knowledge on their
  own
• Develop critical thinking skills and inquiring
  attitudes

8
Why Ask Questions?

• Questions may be the most powerful technology we
  have ever created. Questions and questioning
  allow us to make sense of a confusing world. They
  are the tools that lead to insight and
  understanding.
• Jamie McKenzie, Beyond Technology Questioning,
  Research and the Information Literate School

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Things That Make You Go Hmmm . . .

• If electricity comes from electrons, does
  morality come from morons?
• Do illiterate people get the full effect of
  Alphabet soup?
• Can you get cornered in a round room?
• Why do we wash behind our ears? Who really looks
  there?
• Why don't the hairs on your arms get split ends?
• If an atheist has to go to court, do they make
  him swear on the Bible?
• Why is it illegal to park in a handicapped
  parking space but its ok to use a handicapped
  toilet?

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Things That Make You Go Hmmm . . .

• In that song, she'll be coming around the
  mountain, who is she?
• If heat rises, then shouldn't hell be cold?
• Wouldn't it be smart to make the sticky stuff on
  envelopes taste like chocolate?
• Why are the commercials for cable companies on
  cable but not on regular television? Don't they
  want the people without cable to buy the cable?
• Have you ever noticed that if you rearranged the
  letters in mother in law, they come out to Woman
  Hitler?

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Things That Make You Go Hmmm . . .

• Isn't it ironic that the word 'politics' is made
  up of the words 'poli' meaning 'many' in Latin,
  and 'tics' as in 'bloodsucking creatures?
• Why is it that when things get wet they get
  darker, even though water is clear?
• What happens if you put this side up face down
  while popping microwave popcorn?
• Why is chopsticks one of the easiest songs to
  play on the piano, but the hardest thing to eat
  with?
• How come you play at a recital, but recite at a
  play?
• If a fork were made of gold would it still be
  considered silverware?

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Things That Make You Go Hmmm . . .

• Why is vanilla ice cream white when vanilla
  extract is brown?
• If your sick for one week and on one of those
  days they had to cancel school because of snow,
  do you have to make up that day in June?
• Why do you get in trouble for blocking an exit
  when you're standing in the doorway? In case of
  an emergency, wouldn't you run out, too,
  therefore NOT blocking the exit?
• Why is a square meal served on round plates?
• Why is the 0 on a phone after 1 and not before 1?
• Why are people allowed to put naked statues
  outside but why can't we run outside naked?

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Things That Make You Go Hmmm . . .

• Why do all superheroes wear spandex?
• If mars had earthquakes would they be called
  marsquakes?
• If a missing person sees their picture on a milk
  carton that offers a reward, would they get the
  money?
• Why aren't safety pins as safe as they say they
  are?
• Why is it that its good to score under par in
  golf but its bad to be under par in any thing
  else?
• Is Jerry Garcia grateful to be dead?
• Why do people say, "You can't have your cake and
  eat it too"? Why would someone get cake if they
  can't eat it too?

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Things That Make You Go Hmmm . . .

• Since bread is square, then why is sandwich meat
  round?
• Why is it that when babies are born they only
  weigh like 7 lbs yet the mom weighs 30 lbs more?
• Since a running back runs forward, why is he
  called a running back?
• Why do they call the small candy bars the "fun
  sizes"? Wouldn't be more fun to eat a big one?
• Do the security guards at airports have to go
  through airport security when they get to work?
• Why do we teach kids that violence is not the
  answer, then have them read about wars that
  solved America's problems?
• Who gets to keep the pennies in a wishing well?
• If money doesn't grow on trees then why do banks
  have branches?

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Things That Make You Go Hmmm . . .

• Since there is a rule that states "i" before "e"
  except after "c", wouldn't "science" be spelled
  wrong?
• Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing
  the clothes you were buried in for eternity?
• Why would Dodge make a car called Ram?
• What did cured ham actually have?
• If lava melts rock, wouldnt the lava melt the
  volcano?
• Are children who use sign language allowed to
  talk with their mouth full?
• Why do people say, "you've been working like a
  dog" when dogs just sit around all day?
• How is it that we put man on the moon before we
  figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels
  on luggage?

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Building Your Capacity to Question

• Three questions to consider
• What kinds of questions do you ask?
• Who asks and who answers questions in your
  classroom?
• How engaged are your students?

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The Value of a Good Question

• READ
• The Value of a Good Question in your
  handouts on pages 5-6.

• THINK - PAIR - SHARE
• How does what you read compare with your own
  personal and/or professional experiences?

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Why Ask Questions?

• Develop interest and motivate students
• Evaluate students preparation and check on
  homework or seatwork completion
• Review and summarize previous lessons
• Assess achievement of instructional goals and
  objectives
• Stimulate students to pursue knowledge on their
  own
• Develop critical thinking skills and inquiring
  attitudes

19

• Questions may be the most powerful technology we
  have ever created. Questions and questioning
  allow us to make sense of a confusing world. They
  are the tools that lead to insight and
  understanding.
• Jamie McKenzie, Beyond Technology Questioning,
  Research and the Information Literate School

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Welcome Back!

• This afternoon
• Building your capacity to develop questions

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The Value of a Good Question

• Perhaps the most important reason for using
  well thought-out questions in the classroom is
  that questions have the extraordinary power to
  help you engage students intellectually.
• Marie Collins
• Questioning to Enhance Student Learning

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Question Types and Purposes

• Thinking Task Questions
• Focus on task to perform
• Observe, recall, compare, contrast, classify,
  predict, speculate, demonstrate, evaluate
• Management Questions
• Focus on behaviors
• Manage, clarify, orient, refocus, monitor, probe,
  extend, narrow, summarize
• Open and Closed Questions
• Refers to a range of possible responses

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Question Types and Purposes

• Low-Level and High-Level Questions
• Response requires either relatively
  straightforward thought processes (low) or
  integrated critical thinking (high)
• Metacognitive Questions
• Thinking about thinking
• Helps students refine their thinking and gain
  better control over their learning
• Reflect, personalize, verify, question, idealize,
  revise, utilize

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Question Types and Purposes

• Cognitive Level of Complexity
• Hierarchical categories leading from lower to
  higher levels of thinking
• Blooms Taxonomy and Blooms Revised Taxonomy

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Questioning Strategies to Enhance Student Learning

• Presented by
• Kristi Orcutt
• ESSDACK 620-663-9566
• www.essdack.org
• kristio_at_essdack.org

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Effective Classroom Questioning

• Imagine a classroom in which questioning is
  motivating, promoting, and supporting student
  learning. What would you see, hear, and feel in
  such a classroom? What would the teacher be
  doing? What would the students be doing?

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Is your vision of classroom questioning more
like.

• Deep-Sea Fishing
• White-Water Rafting
• Mountain Climbing
• Scuba Diving

Form Groups!
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Group Metaphors

• Effective classroom questioning is like
  _______________ because
• Brainstorm as many responses as possible!

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Brushing Up on Blooms

• Bloom's Taxonomy is a multi-tiered model of
  classifying thinking according to six cognitive
  levels of complexity. Throughout the years, the
  levels have often been depicted as a stairway,
  leading many teachers to encourage their students
  to "climb to a higher (level of) thought."

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Revised Blooms Taxonomy

• Terminology Changes
• Structural Changes
• Changes in Emphasis

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Terminology

• Remember Describe where Goldilocks lived.
• Understand Summarize what the Goldilocks story
  was about.
• Apply Construct a theory as to why Goldilocks
  went into the house.
• Analyze Differentiate between how Goldilocks
  reacted and how you would react in each story
  event.
• Evaluate Assess whether or not you think this
  really happened to Goldilocks.
• Create Compose a song, skit, poem, or rap to
  convey the Goldilocks story in a new form.

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Structure One-dimensional to Two-Dimensional
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Brushing-Up on the New Blooms

• Read the chapter Quality Questions Engage
  Students at Varied and Appropriate Levels
• Highlight key ideas and identify areas where you
  have questions

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Practice writing questions

• Cognitive Skill Questions
• Use a sample text and Blooms taxonomy to develop
  one sample question for each of the six cognitive
  skills.

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Welcome Back!

• This afternoon
• Building your capacity to develop questions and
  improve discussion techniques

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The Value of Questioning

• Good questions lead students to inquiry and
  high levels of thinking.

All learning begins with questions. Kenneth
Chuska (1995, p.7)
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The skillful questioner causes students to do the
following

• - Focus their attention on the issue(s) at hand
• - Integrate new ideas with prior knowledge
• - Examine their values and beliefs
• - Apply knowledge to life situations
• - Pursue areas of inquiry
• Explore ideas at various levels of thinking

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The skillful questioner causes students to do the
following

• - Form habits of thinking
• - Verify and justify their positions
• - Transfer knowledge to other areas
• - Reflect on what they are learning

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Asking thought-provoking questions
Anyone can ask questions, but posing questions
that promote learning and thinking takes TIME,
THOUGHT, EFFORT, and PRACTICE. Poor questions
simply use valuable class time without benefiting
anyone.
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Discussion Types Purposes

• 1. Recitation
• 2. Discussion

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Differences between Recitation Discussion
Now we need volunteers for the students and the
teacher in a script of a second classroom
conversation.
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A Typical Classroom Conversation
CONTEXT Fifth grade students were learning about
the Revolutionary War. Last night they were
assigned pages 274-284, Troubles with Great
Britain and the War Begins, in their social
studies book, United States and its Neighbors,
1966, New York Macmillan/McGraw-Hill School
Publishing Co. The following day, they were
asked questions to find out what they retained
from the reading. The lesson concentrates on the
events leading up to the American Revolution.
The students are seated in straight rows with
their books open to page 274.
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A Classroom Dialogue
Teacher I want to know what you think were the
events that led to the Revolutionary War. Lets
concentrate on the rebellion and taxes. Jane,
what were the important things that
happened? Jane The Boston Tea Party Teacher OK,
who else can tell me something? Tracaena The
first shot was at Lexington. The British fired
it. Teacher Yes, youre right, Traceana , but
what happened before that? Jane Ohthe people
didnt like taxes. Teacher Taxes? Jane Yeah,
you know, England was taxing everything, and the
Americans had to pay it whether they liked it or
not. Teacher All right, let me list the taxes.
The following list was written on the
board.. Stamp Act, Townshend Acts, Intolerable
Acts Teacher What were the reasons for these
taxes, and why did the colonists not want to pay
them? Brad They were laws that made th e people
pay for everything, like food, newspapers, and
tea. Jane Oh, yes, the Boston Tea Party happened
because they didnt want to pay taxes on
tea. Teacher Who was responsible for the
Townshend Acts? Students (in unison) Townshend.
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Conducting Recitations
When a student responds . . .
Correctly

• Use Wait Time II (pause for a least 3-5 seconds)

• Affirm correctness 

Incorrectly

• Use Wait Time II

• Indicate incorrectness then rephrase

• Probe then cue or clue, if appropriate then
  redirect question if necessary

• Make sure the class hears the correct answer

• Hold original students accountable for correct
  answer later

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When a student responds . . .
Incompletely

• Use Wait Time II

• Probe

• Rephrase if needed

• Then cue or clue if appropriate

Not at All

• Use Wait Time II

• Rephrase if possible

• Cue or clue

• Redirect if needed

• Make sure the class hears the correct answer

• Hold original student accountable for correct
  answer later

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Discussion TechniquesWait Time
Wait Time refers to that period of teacher
silence that follows the posing of a question
(Wait Time I) as well as that following an
initial student response (Wait Time II).
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Discussion Techniques Wait Time
1. The length of student responses increased.
2. More frequent, unsolicited contributions
(relevant to the discussion) were made.
3. An increase in the logical consistency of
students explanations occurred.
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Discussion Techniques Wait Time
4. Students voluntarily increased the use of
evidence to support inferences.
5. The incidence of speculative response
increased.
6. The number of questions asked by students
increased.
7. Greater participation by all learners
occurred.
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Discussion Techniques Invitational Language

• Encouraging Open Communication
• Use an approachable voice
• Use plural forms
• Concerns, options
• Use exploratory language
• Might, possible
• Craft Positive Presuppositions

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Discussion Techniques Prompting Student Response

• Don't neglect the pauses they can lead to
  general discussion and questions from students.

Pause after asking question

• Assist non-respondents

• Pause following student response

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a verbal prompt to help students
make connections or associations that will
facilitate responding
a verbal or nonverbal prompt used
as a starter, such as a key word, beginning
sound, etc.
? Recitation ? Discussion
? Recitation ? Discussion
A verbal prompt to probe for sharper, clearer,
less ambiguous response
Question(s) which aid a student in making a more
complete or appropriate response
? Recitation ? Discussion
? Recitation ? Discussion
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a verbal prompt to help students
make connections or associations that will
facilitate responding
a verbal or nonverbal prompt used
as a starter, such as a key word, beginning
sound, etc.
What do we call a mathematical statement in which
one side is equal to the other?
Q Spell principal (a school leader).
Q
Student I dont know.
Student
A variable?
PROMPT Your principal is your pal.
PROMPT
No it starts with E.
? Recitation ? Discussion
? Recitation ? Discussion
A verbal prompt to probe for sharper, clearer,
less ambiguous response
Question(s) which aid a student in making a more
complete or appropriate response
Q What is the cause of our disappearing wetlands?
Q Why does Romeo die?
Student Coastal erosion
Student He is misguided.
PROMPT How do you know our wetlands are eroding
at the coast?
PROMPT What do you mean by misguided?
? Recitation ? Discussion
? Recitation ? Discussion
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Question Types and Purposes

• Cognitive Task Questions - (Blooms, 3 Level
  Guides)
• Thinking Skills Questions
• Essential Questions

• What are the similarities and/or differences
  between Cognitive Skill Questions and Thinking
  Task Questions?
• What are strengths and challenges associated with
  each type of questioning?

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Three-Level Categories

• Reading Beyond the Lines
• Reading Between the Lines
• Reading the Lines

• High
• Medium
• Low

• Critical
• Inferential
• Literal

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Thinking Task Questions

• Observe
• Recall
• Compare
• Contrast
• Classify

• Predict
• Speculate
• Demonstrate

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Essential Questions

• AKA - Guiding Questions, Focus Questions, Unit
  Questions
• Teachers begin by asking, What is essential for
  students to know?
• Essential questions force the teacher to choose
  the conceptual outcomes the students will
  examine.
• EQs focus on the big picture, the essential
  understandings
• A question, rather than an objective, is thought
  provoking and invites inquiry.

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What are Examples of Essential Questions?

• What is worth learning?
• When is the cost of discovery too high?
• Does history really repeat itself?
• What makes art/poetry/writing great?
• What makes writing worth reading?
• How do we explain the unexplainable?
• What makes me who I am?
• Can you win and lose at the same time?
• What is snow?
• Are numbers real?

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Question Types and Purposes
Read through A Variety of Question Types on
pages 10 - 28.

• 1.With which question types are YOU most
  comfortable and proficient?
• 2.With which question types are your STUDENTS
  most comfortable and proficient? How can you
  tell?

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EQs-One-Two Punch1st recall 2nd apply

• What does working out mean? How does it help
  you?
• What is the writing process? Why do accomplished
  writers use it?
• What are linear equations? How can we use them
  in real life?
• What are the elements of an effective computer
  presentation? Why is visual design important to
  such a presentation?

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Why ask Essential Questions?

• Engage students with the curriculum, make it more
  learner-based and less content-driven
• Raise the level of discourse in the classroom
• Provide the framework -- the glue for chapters
  / units / lessons / year-long study

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What Are Criteria for Essential Questions?

• Students should be able to understand the
  question.
• There is often no right or wrong answer.
  They prompt students to think expansively, to
  consider ideas.
• Teachers should be comfortable with not
  answering the question.
• The question should be congruent with the unit
  content, and should be written in broad,
  organizational terms.
• Essential questions can easily be related to
  standards.

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What Are Criteria for Essential Questions?

• The question should be realistic and teachable in
  the context of time and course/grade taught.
• 2 to 5 questions is the average for a unit
• Questions should be posted to provide a constant
  visual organizer and focus for the learner -- and
  for the teacher.
• The message to the learners is these questions
  are essential for you.
• Strive to generate questions that lead to more
  questions.

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Applying Different Question Types in the Classroom

• All question types are important.
• Students cannot master high-order thinking
  processes without first mastering lower-order
  processes.
• Metacognitive and reflective skills are essential
  to comprehension.
• All levels of thinking, and all question types
  that elicit them, are interdependent and have
  value in developing student capacities to think
  and learn.

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Applying Different Question Types in the Classroom
A teachers skill is in knowing which questions
are appropriate for students when, and in using
questions to challenge students to pursue deeper
and deeper levels of thinking. To respond
effectively to students changing needs, teachers
must be prepared, even within the course of a
discussion or lesson, to vary the use of
questioning types. Marie Collins Questioni
ng to Enhance Student Learning
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Why vary question types?

• Research shows that increasing the proportion of
  high-level questions can increase student
  achievement.
• One type of question cannot help teachers develop
  or assess ALL student skills.
• Students responses reveal their thinking
  processes and suggest where they may be capable
  of going next.

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Varying Question Types

• Think of this as scaffolding student learning.
• Knowing what to ask, when to ask it, and what to
  ask next based on student responses requires
  planning, sensitivity, and flexibility.

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Open-Ended/ Extended Response Questions

• More and more frequently, students are asked to
  respond in writing to open-ended questions (aka
  extended response, essay questions, performance
  tasks, etc.)
• Students need direct instruction in how to
  analyze and respond to this type of question.

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Lessons Learned from Peers

• Read the article, Never Say Anything a Kid Can
  Say by Steven Reinhart.
• Use Post-It Notes to label
• Interesting
• Agree with
• Important for you personally

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Increasing Student Engagement, Involvement and
Interaction

• Make time for questions
• Do not leave question time for the last 2-3
  minutes of class.
• Wait for students to formulate and answer
  questions - remember wait time
• Wait 10-15 seconds before calling on any
  responder.
• Wait 10-15 seconds after the last response before
  introducing a new question.
• Ask students to write down their responses, then
  call on several students to read their answers.

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Increasing Student Engagement, Involvement and
Interaction

• Make it easy for students to ask questions
• Make your classroom risk-free There are no
  stupid questions.
• Solicit questions by asking
• What aspects of this material are unclear?
• Can I give another example to help you understand
  this topic?
• Can anyone else add some examples to mine to help
  clarify this material.

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Increasing Student Engagement, Involvement and
Interaction

• Establish eye contact and cue students responses
• Let them know there is not a single correct
  answer to some questions.
• Call on students randomly
• Avoid always selecting those with raised hands
• Utilize strategies to randomize the process
  (cards, names in a hat, spinner, etc)
• Withhold judgment
• Respond to student answers in a non-evaluative
  manner. Provide specific feedback (other than
  good job or good answer).

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Increasing Student Engagement, Involvement and
Interaction

• Value all responses
• If a response is incomplete, continue questioning
  or paraphrasing. Ask for clarification.
• Ask other students to answer in order to
  encourage discussion
• Ask follow-ups
• Why? Do you agree? Can you elaborate? Give an
  example? Can you summarize Jans point?
• Plan some questions as you prepare your lessons

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Increasing Student Engagement, Involvement and
Interaction

• Ask clear, specific questions that require more
  than a yes or no answer
• Avoid ambiguous or vague questions such as What
  did you think of the short story?
• Use vocabulary that students can understand
• Rephrase questions when needed
• Ask questions from all levels and types
• Cognitive, Thinking, Metacognitive
• Encourage student questioning
• Have students formulate questions prior to class

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What are the benefits?

• Promotes reflective and critical thinking
• Encourages differences in thought processes and
  learning styles
• Allows time for elaboration and development of
  ideas
• Demonstrates that questions are not just tests
  of for right answers, but the means of
  understanding
• It is possible to lead students toward important
  understandings while allowing them to arrive at
  them on their own.

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Building Your Capacity to Question

• Three questions to consider
• What kinds of questions do you ask?
• Who asks and who answers questions in your
  classroom?
• How engaged are your students?

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For Next Time.

• Analyze the cognitive levels (Blooms) of at least
  one set of questions
• Generate and/or revise for cognitive levels
  (Blooms) at least one set of questions
• Work on wait time and other strategies
• Bring content area resources to work from