GACIS MDC Training

Improving LearningThrough Questioning

Christa Burch Rhonda Carlisle Kim Conley Kami Wyse

Classroom Questioning Research Findings

• Posing questions during lessons is more effective than instruction carried out without questioning students.

• Students perform better on test items previously asked during instruction

• Oral questions posed during classroom instruction are more effective than written questions.

• Questions which focus students on pertinent elements in the lesson result in better comprehension than questions which do not.

Classroom Questioning Research Findings

• There is a relationship between academic ability and question asking.

• Low-achieving students become less likely to seek help and less academically engaged over the course of their school careers.

• Students who feel more connected to their teachers at a personal level are more likely to ask questions.

Building Rapport with Students

Relationships Matter!

Should you disclose basic facts about yourself?

Yes, your students are curious about you.Sharing some basic information aboutyourself can go a long way to set yourstudents at ease and make you moreapproachable.

Why is tone important?• Your attitude toward your students

matter! They are perceptive.• Each interaction you have with a student

is an opportunity to build a relationship.• Make sure every conversation sets a

positive tone.

You can build rapport withyour students by having clear expectations for

your students so that they know how to be successful in your class.

Don’t forget…• You are a role model and mentor for your

students. • Building rapport does not mean you are

their friend.• You should create meaningful

relationships that foster an environment where students feel comfortable taking risks and are willing to learn.

Create aclassroomculture thatis open todialogue.

Collaborative Pairs• Organization tool for a classroom where two

students are grouped together for the purpose of actively engaging their thinking about the new learning.

• Used extensively in FALs

Creating Collaborative PairsAlternate method for creating pairs when not using

pre-assessment data

Grouping Methods

• Peas(1) /Pairs(2) /Pods(3-4)

– Practice getting into groups• Random ways to group

– Color sticks– Numbering– Review cards/matching (matching vocabulary word with definition or matching problem with answer)

Alternate method for creating pairs/groups when not using pre-assessment data

While Students Work• Circulate around the room• Listen carefully and value diversity in

thinking• Provide additional direction to those in need

using focused questioning, if possible• Manage conflict constructively

(Balance learning & working effectively)

Teaching Students to Think by

Teaching Teachers to Question

Why Ask Questions?

• Encourage learners to talk constructively and on-task

• Signal an interest in hearing what learners feel and think

• Stimulate interest and awaken curiosity• Encourage a problem-solving approach

to thinking and learning

Why Ask Questions?

• Help learners externalize and verbalize knowledge learning

• Encourage thinking aloud and exploratory approaches to tasks

• Help learners learn from each other• Monitor learning• Deepen learners’ thinking level and

increase their ability to conceptualize

Types of QuestionsData Recall• Requires the learner to remember facts, information without

putting the information to use. Naming Question• Asks the learner simply to name an event or process without

showing insight into how the event is linked to other factors. Observation Question• Asks learners to describe what they see without attempting

to explain it.Control Question

Involves the use of questions to modify learners’ behavior rather than their learning.

Types of QuestionsHypothesis Question• Asks learners to speculate about the outcome of a

hypothetical situation.Analysis Question• Ask learners to give reason(s) why certain things do

or do not happen.Evaluation Question• Is one that makes a learner weigh out the pros and

cons of a situation or argument.Problem Solving Question• Asks learners to construct ways of finding out

answers to questions.

Bloom’s Taxonomy

• Knowledge• Comprehension• Application• Analysis• Synthesis• Evaluation

Higher Level Questioning

• Allows students to think more critically and not just repeat information

• Encourages students to see themselves as producers of knowledge

• Cause students to find connects to their own background knowledge and experiences

• Video: How To Question

Effective Classroom Questioning

Develop good habits that will impact the teaching and learning process by using…

• Direct and Simple Language• Definite and Clear Meaning• Logical Sequence• Questions Keyed to Class Ability• Stimulate Effort• Create Student Interest• Variety of Questions• Avoid Repetition• Avoid Trick Questions• Avoid Yes/No Questions• Appropriate Wait Time

Questioning Procedure

• Ask the Question• Pause• Call on Learner by Name• Listen to the Answer• Emphasize the Correct Answer

ask probing questions to clarify answers, support a point, or extend

their thinking

Wait Time Patterns

Teacher Question

Student Answer

Teacher Reaction

Wait Time 1

Wait Time 2

Studentsrespond

Talk by

students

PAUSE

The length of timea teacher waits after asking a question before naming a student to respond

Wait

Time

1

The length of timea teacher waitsafter a studentstops talking inresponse to aquestion beforegiving feedbackor calling onanother student

Wait

Time

2

Research Patterns When teachers increase Wait Time 1

and Wait Time 2 to three seconds or more, there are pronounced improvements in student use of language and logic and in teacher and student expectations.

Increasing wait time…• Improves student achievement• Improves student retention• Increases the number of higher cognitive

responses• Increases the length and number of responses• Decreases in students’ failure to respond• Decreases student interruptions• Increases in the number of questions posed by

the students

WIN…I am WonderingI am Interested inI am Noticing

Tell me…• How did you arrive at that answer?• Can you describe the process you used?• What do you know about the problem?• What do you need to figure out?• What materials might help you figure this out?• Are there other parts of the problem you can do

first?• How does this relate to…?• What would happen if…?

Closure questions…

• What was something you learned from this problem/activity?

• What were the mathematical concepts ?• What do you still have questions about?• What did you do to contribute to your group’s

work?

“Give a student a question to answer and she will learn the passage she has just read. Teach her how to ask questions, and she will learn how to learn for the rest of her life.”—James R. Gavelek & Taffy E. Raphael (1985, p. 103)

ReferencesCotton, Kathleen. (1998). Classroom Questioning. Retrieved from

http://www.learner.org/workshops/socialstudies/pdf/session6/6.ClassroomQuestioning.pdf

Posamentier, A. and Stepelman, J. (1990). Teaching Secondary School Mathematics (3rd ed.)

Sattes,B. & Walsh, J., (2005). Quality questioning research-based practice to engage every learner.

Shell Center for Mathematical Education and Mathematics Assessment Project (MAP) www.map.mathshell.org

Sutton, J.S. & Krueger, A. (2002). EDThoughts: What we know about mathematics teaching and learning.