All Teachers Should Ask Good Questions

From http://www.reallearningroom213.blogspot.ca
 

During a lecture at the University of Windsor, our professor once informed us that asking good questions is a key skill that teachers should have, but many lack.  At first, this statement really shook me because as a naïve first-year student-teacher, I was under the impression that all educators, especially experienced ones, knew exactly how to meaningfully assess student understanding.  This prompted me to do my own online research, which only confirmed my professor's knowledge in the matter.  According to multiple observational studies, it has been found that about 90% of teachers focus on low-level questioning and that most don't even realize it!

From baysidejournal.com

Most teachers will say that the main purpose of asking questions is to determine the depth of student understanding of what was taught.  Thus, common questions such as "Does everyone understand?" and other close-ended and low-level thinking questions are often used in the classroom.  But as the questions get more difficult, ever notice that it always seems as if the same hands are raised?  And when a student who hadn't raised their hand is called upon, more often then not, an answer like "Uh, I don't know" comes up.  Why does this happen?  Well, it could be due to poor questioning methods.

There are several ways to incorporate good questioning techniques in the classroom.  Here are some examples:

1. Wait-Time or Think Time:  Invented by Mary Budd Rowe, it has been found that waiting 3 secs or more after a question is posed thereby giving students more time to think about an answer, can increase student participation in questioning periods.

2. Pose, Pause, Bounce, Pounce:  This technique involves posing a question to the whole class (or several consecutive questions) while insisting that no one raise their hand.  Then after giving students a pause period to think and reflect on their answer, selectively choose one student to answer the question, while providing scaffolding if necessary.  Finally, another student is chosen by the teacher to respond to or add to the first student's answer, while also giving their opinion. 

3. Reflecting using Bloom's Taxonomy:  By carefully pre-planning questions prior to all lessons, a teacher can effectively use Bloom's Taxonomy as a guide to asking high-order questions.  For a great resource on writing up questions based on Bloom's Taxonomy, refer to Bloom's Taxonomy Planning Kit for Teachers.

4. Create Debate Sessions:  Another powerful way to encourage higher-order thinking is by creating opportunities for debates.  Students can be placed into groups, given a question, and time to work in order to reflect and find evidence confirming or rejecting their reasoning.  For a list of good high-school debate topics, click here.  To search through a great database of science-related debate topics, click here. 

5. Exit Cards:  Having one high-order question on an exit card, can be another great way to assess student understanding of the day's big idea.  For this to work effectively, it is important to ensure the question is clear and that students are given a sufficient amount of time to answer (ie. 5-10 mins at the end of a period).  Sample questions to ask:

What is the most important idea that was generated in today’s discussion?

Can you explain this concept in your own words?

Can you draw a diagram to illustrate this idea?

What are some other examples of questioning techniques that you employ in your classroom in order to promote higher-order thinking skills?  Please respond in the comments below.