1	Questioning and Discussion Techniques By: Bonnie Fitch
2	Questioning Techniques “It is a way to force students to think during class. Too often we treat our students like sponges—devices to soak up content—without expecting them to think.” (Camp)
3	Why use To stimulate thinking student progress Encourage students to pay attention Maintain classroom control Point out key points Arouse curiosity the clarity of instruction Review and summarize lessons Encourage new insights Develop inquiring attitudes Encourage students to think at a higher level
4	Questioning is a contemporary teaching technique! It is second only to lecturing. 35 to 50% of instructional time is spent in questioning. (Cotton)
5	Oral questions… are more effective in fostering learning than written questions. help focus attention on the prominent elements of the lesson creating a better atmosphere for comprehension of the questions. (Cotton)
6	A teacher’s best tools are… Active listening questioning
7	Questions should… Be positive Never be accusing, sarcastic, or threatening Be supportive Not be tricky
8	For example: Negative What exactly are you getting at? Could you hurry up and get to the point? Positive I don’t understand what you are trying to tell me? Could you please try to explain it in a different way?
9	Different types of Open questions Encourage discussion Provide maximum information How? Why? Could?
10	Closed Few words Keeps primary job of instruction with the teacher Where? Are? Do?
11	Probes Asks for more details Requires a response Tell me…
12	"Students respond according to the..." Students respond according to the type of questions used: Recall Comprehension Analysis Evaluation
13	Recall Remembers factual information
14	Comprehension Demonstrate understanding of the factual information Explain topics Review items Discuss issues
15	Analysis Application of information in a new setting Requires students to take new knowledge and apply it previous knowledge Requires students to take new knowledge to reach a logical conclusion
16	Evaluation Sharing of opinions and beliefs in relation to information Students must use knowledge to justify earlier responses
17	Questioning is NOT easy when done right. Increasing the frequency of questions does not improve learning.
18	Research shows… “Higher cognitive questions are not better than lower cognitive questions in eliciting higher level responses or in promoting learning gains.” “Lower cognitive questions are more effective when the teacher’s purpose is to impart factual knowledge and assist students committing this knowledge to memory.” (Cotton)
19	First the teacher must have the questions clear in his/her own mind. What information do you want? How best can you get it?
20	Second Ask or frame your question. Do NOT call on a specific student before asking the questions. Other students may choose to ignore the question since he wasn’t put on the spot immediately.
21	Third Give wait time. The average wait time is less than a second. There should be at least 2 to 4 seconds wait time before any student is called on to answer. Force yourself to wait.
22	Fourth Do not shotgun. Ask only one question at a time. Confusion and misunderstanding can occur when too many questions are asked at once.
23	Shotgunning is… when a teacher asks a series of related questions without getting an answer. when a teacher restates a question hoping to make it clearer.
24	Fifth A good strategy is to begin with recall questions to discover if students are knowledgeable of the subject. Proceed up the hierarchy to comprehension and analysis questions. Use evaluation questions as a follow up.
25	If after wait time, a sufficient answer is not given PROBE. Do not accept “I don’t know” as an answer. Students get off the hook too easily and may use it as a cop out without even trying.
26	Probing is …. asking further questions to help the student to put together the pieces in order to arrive at a more complete answer. is a method of teaching students how to think through a problem.
27	Probing means going deeper through a series of questioning. It is digging for more information. It requires patience.
28	Shifting Interaction Another technique is shifting interaction. This method is when discussion is redirected. If a student doesn’t answer the question then probe. If probing isn’t productive, a teacher should give that student positive reinforcement and then redirect the discussion to another student and continue the process.
29	When a student answers with another question, shift the interaction back to that student or to another student.
30	Chunk up and down Another technique is chunk up and down. This technique is when you group information in such a way as to lead the student to a conclusion. It helps to gather sufficient details about a topic.
31	Ask for the obvious This technique can help get the discussion started on the right foot. Often students simply do not know how to get started and this method can give them that starting point.
32	Encourage disagreement Ask questions that encourage disagreement as a method of getting a discussion started. Students will often join in a discussion when they disagree and keep quiet when they see no stake in the discussion.
33	Posing questions …. before reading and studying material is effective for students who are older, higher ability, and are interested in the subject matter. before reading will help young children and poor readers focus on only that material needed to answer the question. (Cotton)
34	Timing and Technique Is everything!
35	Effective use of questioning is a critical asset in every good teacher’s toolbox.
36	"Works Cited" Works Cited Camp, William G. “Improving Your Teaching Through Effective Questioning Techniques.” Virginia Tech. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. 23 Mar. 2006 <http://www.aged.vt.edu/methods/que-skil.htm>. Cotton, Kathleen. “Classroom Questioning.” School Improvement Research Series. 31 Aug. 2001. NW Regional Educational Laboratory. 23 Mar. 2006 <http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/sirs/3/cu5.html>. “Effective Questioning Techniques.” Effective Questioning Techniques. 7 July 2000. RCMP-GRC. 23 Mar. 2006 <http://www.rcmp-learning.org/iim/ecdi0072.htm>.
37	"“Effective Use of Questioning..." “Effective Use of Questioning.” Teaching Tips: Effective Questioning. Office of Curriculum Development and Management. 28 Mar. 2006 <http://www.uab.edu/uasomume/cdm/questioning.htm>. O’Loughlin, Judith, and Judie Haynes. “Organizing and Assessing in the Content Area Class.” everythingESL.net. 2004. 28 Mar. 2006 <http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/judith2.php>. “Questioning.” ChangingMinds.org. 23 Mar. 2006 <http://changingminds.org/techniques/questioning/questioning.htm>.
38	"Wilen" Wilen. “Effective Techniques of Questioning.” Effective Techniques of Questioning. 23 Mar. 2006 <http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/effquest.htm>.