DEVELOPING QUESTIONING STRATEGIES

DR. HUSNIAH SAHAMIDFACULTY OF EDUCATIONAL STUDIES

UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA

Why Do We Ask Questions?

• To manage and organise pupils’ behaviour

• To find out what pupils know

• To stimulate interest in a new topic

• To focus on an issue or topic

• To structure a task for maximum learning

• To identify, diagnose difficulties or blocks to learning

• To stimulate pupils to ask questions

• To give pupils opportunity to assimilate, reflect and learn through discussion

classroom teachers • thirty-five to fifty percent of time conducting

questions• 300-400 questions each day (Leven and Long,

1981)

TYPES OF QUESTIONING

• Good thinking is derived from asking questions that stimulate thought

• The quality of questions we ask will therefore determine the quality of thought.

(Paul and Elder 2001)

Categories

Two cognitive categories:• Higher order - analysis

• Lower order- memory, rote, and simple recall

Bloom’s Taxonomy

• The Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, The Classification of Educational Goals, Handbook I: Cognitive Domain,

• by Benjamin Bloom (editor), M. D. Englehart, E. J. Furst, W. H. Hill, and David Krathwohl

Knowledge:

• recognize or recall information. • Remembering - key intellectual activity• define, recall, memorize, name, duplicate,

label, review, list, order, recognize, repeat, reproduce, state)

Comprehension

• demonstrate sufficient understanding to organize and arrange material mentally;

• demands personal grasp of the material• translate, explain, classify, compare, contrast,

describe, discuss, express, restate in other words, review, select

Application

• apply information, demonstrate principles or rules, and use what was learned.

• Many, believe this is the first of the higher-level thought processes.

• apply, classify, solve, use, show, diagram, demonstrate, record, translate, illustrate, choose, dramatize, employ, operate, practice, schedule, sketch, write

• All following categories require higher-level thinking skills.

• identify reasons, uncover evidence, and reach conclusions.

• identify motives and causes, draw conclusions, determine evidence, support, analyze, deduce, categorize, compare, contrast, criticize, differentiate, justify, distinguish, examine, experiment) Analysis

Synthesis:

• perform original and creative thinking. • Often many potential answers are possible. • write or arrange an original composition,

essay or story, make predictions, solve problems in an original way, design a new invention, arrange, assemble, collect, compose, construct, create, design, develop, formulate, manage, organize, plan

Evaluation:• judge the merit of an idea, solution to a problem,• or an aesthetic work. • These questions might also solicit an informed opinion

on an issue. • (judge, value, evaluate, appraise, argue, assess, attach,

choose, compare, defend, estimate, rate, select)

Read more: Classroom Questions - Types Of Questions, Feedback, Effective Questioning Practices - Student, Students, Time, Teacher, Wait, and Level http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1836/Classroom-Questions.html#ixzz1EYErkdXD

The Response Process (mental process)

T questions

S hears , deciphers

Question

S formulates

response (covert)

S respond to Question (overt)T respond

Revise/reconsider response

Wait time I

• Wait-time I can be thought of as "think" time• if wait-time I is long enough• students have adequate time to volunteer to

answer a question• to think about the answer that they will give

Wait-time II,

• the second critical silent period• follows a student answer but precedes a

teacher reaction• If wait-time II is long enough, both students

and the teacher can carefully consider student responses.

• higher rate of student participation• longer, more correct and more complete

answers• higher achievement• more on-task student talk

Wait time

• at least three to five seconds after asking a question (wait time I)

• three to five seconds after a student response to provide precise feedback (wait-time II).

Open and Closed Questions• relates to the learner response. • If correct answer is in question• or there is only one correct answer, • or learner only has to agree or disagree, • Example: The common rafter requires only 4

saw cuts. Agree or disagree?

Convergent question

Restricts responses to predetermined answers.• Examples: According to the author, what are

the possible reasons that . . . . ?• What are the factors controlling the speed of a

motor?

Divergent question

Allows multitude of correct responses. • excellent choice: learners are required to be

creative, look for alternatives beyond their experience.

• Examples: What other factors should the analysis have considered?

• What are the possible responses to her complaint?

Classroom Strategies: Ask Better Questions

• Ask fewer questions.• Ask more ‘open’ questions.• Sequence questions.• Prepare key questions.

Quick Tips

• Involve whole class.• Think, pair, share.• Provide wait time.• no hands up.

Quick Tips

• Use wrong answer to develop understanding.

• Prompt pupils.• Listen and respond positively.

right climate• Establishing the right climate is

crucial.• The classroom should be seen as a

community of enquiry.• The role of questioner does not lie

solely with the teacher.

Socratic Method

a powerful tool - promotes critical thinking.

focuses on the questions & process of questioning

Provides opportunities for developmental change

Piaget (1952)

• ability to think logically and abstractly, to reason theoretically - characteristics of CT

• descriptive of those in formal operations stage,

• typically begins at age of adolescence.

formal operations stage

• capable of imagining different possibilities in given situation,

• analyzing problems • applying concepts • determining solutions for varied situations considered the ultimate stage of development.

The way you listen to a question or comment communicates your attitude toward the students.

• look at students when they are talking; • show that you are following : nodding, etc.; • Check for understanding: rephrasing the

question.