Questioning can be a powerful tool in the teaching and learning process if used effectively and it is possible to plan your questioning, so that you are ready to make the best use of it:
Identify the key questions in relation to the learning intentions for the lesson
Decide on the level, order and timing of questions
Extend the questioning – thinking of subsidiary questions to ask
Analyse anticipated answers and responses you might give
Effective questioning is used to:
- Identify where pupils are currently in their learning
- Expand and deepen their learning
- Inform planning for future learning
Asking better questions:
- Ask fewer questions
- Ask more ‘open’ questions
- Sequence questions
- Prepare key questions
- Involve the whole class
- Think, pair, share
- Provide think time
- Try no hands up
Listen and respond productively to answers and use wrong answers to develop understanding. Plan time for pupils’ questions and for dealing with them effectively. Establishing the right climate is crucial. The classroom should be seen as a community of enquiry.
Please take a minute to share an example of a time you have used questioning to enhance learning effectively. I will collate the responses into another blog post to share your good practice.
You have said ‘include the whole class’ I would go one step further and say you need to ask directed questions to individuals.
In my experience, the most common feedback I give to tutors after observing their sessions, is that the use of a directed questioning would have involved more learners.
Directed questioning also enables differentiation, as the tutor can ask the more advanced learners the harder questions or provide the struggling learner with the opportunity to answer an easier question, without somebody else jumping in, thus boosting their confidence.
That sounds like a really interesting approach. I guess it would involve a lot of detailed lesson planning at first, but I’m sure once you got used to differentiating your questions in this way it would become second nature?
The IDEA mnemonic is from E.C. Wragg.
It’s a useful mnemonic for planning and thinking about developing questioning strategies within your classroom. I can highly recommend pointing you toward the National Strategies website for AfL, and looking up ‘Bloom’s Taxonomy of Questioning’ and ‘Sequencing Questions’. These can help to stimulate thinking when planning and formulating your own questions.
Excellent ideas Mike, thank you!
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A corollary to all this is to limit the questions student can ask you. I give out question tokens; when students are ‘stuck’ and pop up hand for help I ask if they really want to use their question or if they have any other strategies for “walking up the escalator”. Watch clip here: http://mrdidau.edublogs.org/2011/09/03/what-to-do-if-you-get-stuck/
In a recent A-level Maths lesson I got students to work on mini-whiteboards on a new rule in calculus. I started with easy problems and built up to harder ideas. Once most students were proficient I asked them to create another example of a question and show me. I was able to quickly check to see if any students would require a helping hand, and was also able to flag up some inventive ideas and share them with the rest of the class, before the students swapped boards and tried each others’ questions.
Mini-whiteboards allow you to build in questioning-time, are no-hands-up by definition, and involve everyone with something just a little bit different and slightly more active than usual. They allow you to praise more frequently and share good ideas (e.g. “I like the way John has drawn a diagram with his answer” or “Sarah’s working out is really clear, everyone have a look”).
I’m a big fan, as you can tell!
Actually, it’s not something I’d ever heard of before – but it just goes to show that we don’t all need tablet computers to generate innovative learning experiences. Even the trusty old whiteboard still has life left in it.
I put a “hook” picture or statement on the board along with an open question, then get students to write their ideas/answers on post-its. These can then be posted on the board or get students together in a group. Its a good way to help students develop indepth and higher level answers.
Actually it’s good for training too. I know more than a few of our course leaders who use that one!