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Effective questioning techniques.
Ann Nelson
What is the purpose of
questioning?
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To check on prior knowledge
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To focus thinking on key concepts and issues
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To interest, engage and challenge
Did you know? TES article Steven
Hastings
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Teachers ask up to two questions every minute, 400 in
a day, 70,000 in a year, about 2 million in the course of
a career
Questioning accounts for up to a third of all teaching
time; second only to the time given to explanation
Most questions are answered in less than a second;
that is the average time teachers allow between posing
a question and accepting an answer, throwing it to
someone else, or answering it themselves.
Ask first!
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When you call on a pupil BEFORE asking the
question, the rest of the class is much less
likely to listen to the question, let alone think
about an answer.
Asking the question before identifying
someone to respond lets pupils know they will
be held accountable and should be prepared to
answer every question.
Think time
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Allow plenty of “think time” by waiting at least 7-10 secs before
expecting pupils to respond.
Ask pupils not to respond until you ask for a volunteer or identify
someone.
Since most teachers wait only 1-3 secs before expecting a
response, the increased waiting time can seem like an eternity
and very uncomfortable at first.
To help pupils adjust to an extended wait time, use the time to
repeat and rephrase the question; also suggest that pupils may
like to use the time to write down their responses.
Give everyone a chance to answer.
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Create a system to help you keep track of who
you call on, so you can ensure that all pupils
have the same opportunity to contribute.
If you call on a pupil who is not ready to
respond or who does not know the answer,
allow the pupil to “pass” and then give him/her
another opportunity later.
Never answer your own questions!
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Hold pupils accountable by expecting,
requiring, and encouraging their participation.
If the pupils know that you will give them the
answers after a few seconds of silence, what is
their incentive to “have a go”?
“I don’t know”.
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Do not accept “I don’t know” for an answer.
Allow additional think time, if necessary, by moving on
and then coming back to the pupil for a response later.
Offer hints to guide pupils to formulating quality
responses.
If a pupil is unable to give a response, offer two or
more options and let the student choose one.
Learning from their mistakes.
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Always “dignify” incorrect responses by saying
something positive about pupils’ efforts; public
embarrassment only confirms their worries
about class participation.
When pupils make mistakes, build their
confidence and trust by asking follow-up
questions designed to help them self-correct
and achieve success.
Let pupils know that it is OK to make mistakes!!
Bloom’s Six levels of
thinking/questioning.
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Knowledge.
Comprehension.
Application.
Analysis.
Synthesis.
Evaluation.
Knowledge
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Is simply recall. Pupils can say that they ‘know’
something if they can recall it, recite it, or write
it down.
Comprehension
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Means that pupils can say what they ‘know’ in
their own words.
Retelling a story, stating the main idea, or
translating from another language are ways in
which pupils can show that they ‘comprehend’
or understand what they have learned.
Application
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Means that pupils can apply what they have
learned from one context to another.
For example they could apply what they have
learned in Maths about how to calculate area,
to working out the cost of a carpet.
Analysis
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Means that a pupil can understand the
attributes of something so that its component
parts can be studied separately and in relation
to one another.
Experience in analysis can be gained from
asking pupils to compare/contrast, categorize,
recognise inferences, opinions, or motives.
Synthesis
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Requires pupils to create a novel or original
thought, idea, or product.
Everything we call ‘creative thinking’ gives
pupils experience with synthesis.
If pupils can take bits from several theories or
combine ideas from different sources to create
an original idea, they are working at synthesis
level.
Evaluation
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Gives pupils opportunities to make judgements
about what they have analysed.
Aspects of Challenge
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Challenge needs to be realistic.
Challenge needs to be free from anxiety.
Mistakes are accepted as an important part of
learning.
Effective learners take risks.
Challenge is a prerequisite of learning.
Aspects of Challenge
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Getting the level of challenge right is crucial.
The more stimulating the challenge, the higher
the tolerance of frustration during learning.
Support should encourage independence in
the learner and success depends on receiving
support when needed.
Increasing the level of challenge
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Increase pace.
Encourage pupils to be more independent.
Increase high order questioning.
Widen the range of sources used by pupils.
Demand more precision in language.
Expect pupils to justify answers.
Provide open-ended problem solving tasks.
Provide opportunities to apply new ideas.
Encourage self and peer review.
Making challenging tasks achievable.
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Encourage risk taking.
Use targets and goals based on prior attainment.
Set high expectations.
Praise success and effort.
Use rewards to build ‘learning stamina’
Break tasks down into small achievable steps.
Intervene early if needed.
Provide lots of feedback.