What makes effectivequestioning?

Source: ‘What makes effective questioning? David Drake 2011

AfL Reflection

• Following on from the previous session on Session Objectives, how has your approach to assessment developed?

• Discuss in groups of two or three which method(s) of AfL you have tried, how successful they were and which methods you still plan to try.

• Articulate then answer• Traffic lights• Bouncing questions• Peer marking• Thumbs up/down• 2 stars (positives) and a wish (area for development)

Question time

• Ask and answer the two questions you have been given in groups of 2-3.

• Evaluate how effective the question was at gathering information and generating discussion. Consider the quality of the questions. Which questions were/weren’t effective and why?

Objectives

• Understand the theory behind using questioning effectively.

• Know different strategies to question students.

1. Explain the impact that effective questioning has on quality of learning, teaching and assessment.

2. Apply understanding of this to select appropriate questioning strategies to use at different stages of learning.

By the end of the session you will be able to:

How important are questions?

To what extent do you agree with the following statement? Discuss in small groups.

The quality, timing and methods of asking and answering questions

plays a key role in delivering outstanding learning, teaching and

assessment.

How do we learn?

Most learning

happens here

Traditional Passive

Active

- Lecture- Reading- Audiovisual- Tutor-led demonstration- Discussion- Practice doing- Teach others/ immediate use

Rate of learning retention

Why question?

• Questioning is a key aspect of the teaching and learning process.

• There is evidence that teachers can improve their use of questions by focusing on types of questions and strategies for using them.

• Questions should draw students into the learning process as well as checking acquisition of knowledge.

Research shows that effective teachers use more higher order questions and open questions than less

effective teachers do.

What do you do more often?

• Pose questions to the group as a whole or nominate individuals directly?

• Allow students to discuss their answer with a partner or pounce on them immediately to share their ideas?

Do you (all) understand?Does that make sense?Everybody okay with that?Any questions?

Are we using questions effectively?

• Most teachers’ questions are answered in less than a second, often by the teacher themselves. Increasing wait time to 3 seconds for lower-order and 10 seconds for higher-order questions improves the quality of answers.

• Students fear being made to look silly and this inhibits them in answering. Strategies are needed to overcome this.

• The importance of students articulating ideas themselves means that it is also important to try to get them to ask questions.

Improving questioning was one of the keys to raising attainment identified by Black and Wiliam in Inside the Black Box.

Is my use of questioning effective?

• Questioning techniques need to be varied. Over reliance on the ‘volunteer’ method is to be avoided.

• Questioning is a key tool in Assessment for Learning strategies:• For allowing the teacher to assess learning• For involving students in applying assessment criteria• For developing listening skills

• Crucially, students need time to think.

What questions to ask?

Bloom’s taxonomy triangle

Using information to move forward in a creative wayAbility to make judgements about the nature of information

Ability to investigate elements of the informationConsideration of practical relevance of information

Showing understanding of the information remembered

Recall of factual information

• http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/articles/bloom0405-3/bloompix.html

• You will be given twelve questions relating to this picture. Two are posed at each level of Bloom’s.

• Arrange the questions in Bloom’s order.

A picture is worth a thousand thoughts

Types of questions

Why do you think...?What happens when...?

What does this suggest?What do you think will happen?

What is the function of...?State a point of view...

Propose an alternative...How else would you...?What conclusion…?

Which is more important...?Why is this valid?How can you defend...?

What is the name for…?Name this...

Lower order questionsHigher order questions

What questions to ask?

Create 3 questions for the image to the left.

• 1 at knowledge level• 1 at middle level of your

choice• 1 at evaluation level

Write these down on your whiteboards.

Objective recap

1. Explain the impact that effective questioning has on quality of learning, teaching and assessment.

To check that we have achieved this objective, please summarise the following (orally):

• the role that questioning plays in delivering outstanding learning, teaching and assessment;

• how Bloom’s Taxonomy can be used to ensure effective questioning.

Putting it into practice

2. Apply understanding of this to select appropriate questioning strategies to use at different stages of learning.

Practical strategies

Increase ‘Wait Time’

• Most teachers’ questions are answered in less than a second, often by the teacher themselves.

• Increasing wait time to 3 seconds for lower order questions and 10 seconds for higher order ones improves the quality of answers.

No Hands up

• Students cannot shout out OR put theirs hands up to indicate that they know the answer to the question.

• Teacher chooses the students to answer question.

• Keep them on their toes!

• Students can use a phone a friend if they are really struggling.

Phone a friend

• Empower a struggling student, who does not have the answer to your question, by asking them to choose three students, who have an answer ready

• Students give their answers

• The struggling student chooses the ‘best’ answer and explains their reasons for their choice.

Olympic challenge questioning

• Stage plenary questions in terms of• Bronze• Silver• Gold

• Stage questions to increase the level of challenge:

• What is this called?• When would you use it?• How does it work?

Think, Pair, Share (TPS)

Mini-Whiteboard

• Pose a question

• Give a ‘wait time’

• Students hold up answers

Hot Potato

• A question is posed by the teacher – ‘wait time’ given

• Ball thrown to a student (carefully!)

• Student gives response

• Student poses question, waits 10 seconds and tosses ball to another student

• This can then be repeated as much as necessary

The ‘Annoying infant’

• Ask a question

• Leave ‘wait time’

• Ask a student for a response

• Then act like an ‘annoying infant’ and repeat ‘so what?’ or ‘why?’ after each response.

Socratic Questioning

• This creates a critical atmosphere which gets students questioning in a structured way.

• 1. Clarify – Why do you say that?

• 2. Challenge – Is that always the case?

• 3. Evidence – What's the evidence?

• 4. Viewpoints – Can you see this another way?

• 5. Consequences – If that happened, what would…?

• 6. Question – Why is this question important?

Hinge Point Questions

• Planned questions at pivotal points in the session to formatively assess. This enables you to see whether to proceed or whether more work is needed before moving on to the next part of the session.

• Use closed questions eg multiple choice

• E.g. when did World War 2 begin in England? • A) 1919 B) 1938 C)1939 D) 1940

Remember the BAD question examples from earlier? These would make poor hinge questions.

Four corners

• A good technique to wake students up!

• Students are asked a question. In each of the four corners of the classroom, an opinion or response is posted. Students move to the corner of the room they would choose.

• They can then:• discuss in the corner why they’ve chosen this

option;• meet in the middle of the room to discuss and

try to convince an opposing side.

If this is the answer, what is the question?

• Works well to recap key information.

• Used on Mock the Week and other game shows so is a familiar format for students.

• Provide an answer. Students work together to construct the question that goes with this.

Pose-pause-pounce-bounce

• Traditional questioning uses pose and pounce.

• The pause allows time for students to think and give better answers.

• The bounce encourages students to respond and analyse the question in more detail.

Session objective with question

• Pose a question in conjunction with a session objective.

For example:

Explain the impact that effective questioning has on quality of learning, teaching and assessment.

(How) is it that better questions make for better learning?

Teaching others – Practical Strategies

• Snowballing• Once students have thought of

the answer, they pair and share ideas.

• They then join with another pair and each take time sharing their answers and asking questions of each other.

• This can go on and on ...(if appropriate) before feeding back.

Teaching others – Practical Strategies

• Envoying (market place)• Group work where ideas recorded• One envoy visits another group for

a minute, collecting information and asking questions.

• The envoy returns to original group and communicates findings for inclusion.

• Teacher questions groups.

Objective recap

2. Apply understanding of this to select appropriate questioning strategies to use at different stages of learning.

To check that we have achieved this objective, please identify which strategies of those we have looked at would work well with the students you work with and why.

Too much?

Homework:

• Don't try them all!

• Just choose one strategy you don’t already use and feedback how it went in the next session.