Effective Questioning
Characteristics of effective questions and questioning strategies.
index
Learning Objectives
Open and Closed Questions
Higher Order Thinking Questions
Effective Questioning Strategies
Summary
Learning ObjectivES
By the end of this lesson you will be able to...
Identify effective classroom questioning techniques
Construct higher order thinking questions aligned with Bloom's Taxonomy.
Differentiate between open and closed questions.
01
Open & Closed Questions
Why Ask Questions?
Effective questioning techniques are critical to learner engagement and are a key strategy for supporting students as they engage with ill-structured problems.
Teachers Ask questions to...
Facilitate the transition from concrete and factual thinking to analytical and evaluative thinking.
Captivate, engage, & challenge students.
Lead students through a planned sequence which establishes understanding.
Assess prior knowledge and comprehension levels.
Encourage reasoning, problem-solving, evaluation, and hypothesis formulation.
Activate memory and utilize existing knowledge to foster new understanding.
Direct students' thinking
Stimulate students' reflection on their learning processes.
Types of Questions
Questions can be described as open or closed.
Closed Questions
Open Questions
Closed questions usually require a brief response, often a single word or a short phrase. They are useful for fact-finding and verifying knowledge.
Open questions elicit more extended and thoughtful responses. They encourage students to analyze, evaluate, and provide detailed explanations.
Example: "What is the sum of all angles in a triangle?"
Example: "How might we solve the problem of pollution in our community?"
Open Questions
Effective questioning should involve more open questions than closed questions. Open questions....
Encourage Critical Thinking
Promotes Discussion
Open questions create opportunities for students to share their opinions and experiences. They expose students to different perspectives promoting an inclusive learning environment.
Open questions prompt students to think deeply, analyze information, & develop their own ideas.
Enhance Understanding
Support Creativity & Problem-Solving
Open questions require students to articulate their understanding in their own words. This helps solidify knowledge & encourages deeper comprehension.
Open questions provide space for students to explore different possibilities and solutions. They stimulate creativity, encourage innovative thinking, and develop problem-solving skills.
Research
Lower cognitive questions
has shown that in the average classroom 60 percent of the questions asked are lower cognitive questions, 20 percent are procedural, and only 20 percent are higher cognitive questions.
60%
Closed questions which require the learner to recall material previously read or learned from the teacher.
Procedural questions
20%
Questions that concern classroom steps, routines, and management.
Higher cognitive questions
20%
Open questions which require the learner to manipulate previously learned knowledge.
Open and closed questions
As we will discuss later, closed questions have their place in the classroom. However, asking more open, higher order questions, well above the 20% incidence found in most classrooms, leads to higher student achievement. By incorporating more open questions into your teaching you can foster student engagement, active learning, and the development of critical thinking skills.
Quick
Check
Open and closed questions.
Start
Question 1/5
Question 2/5
Question 3/5
Question 4/5
Question 5/5
You did it!
Incorporating more open questions encourages critical thinking in your learners.
02
Higher Order Thinking Questions & Bloom's Taxonomy
Bloom's Taxonomy
A framework of cognitive skills.
Create
Bloom's taxonomy is a framework that categorizes different levels of cognitive skills. It consists of six levels, arranged in order from lower-order thinking skills such as remembering and understanding to higher-order thinking skills such as evaluation and creation.
Evaluate
Analyze
apply
Apply
Understand
Remember
Bloom's Taxonomy
Click on the buttons to see descriptions of each cognitive level.
design, assemble, construct, conjecture, develop, formulate, author, investigate
Produce new or original work
Create
appraise, argue, defend, judge, support, value, critique
Justify a stand or decision
Evaluate
differentiate, organize, relate, compare, contrast, experiment, question, test
Draw connections among ideas
Analyze
execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, operate, interpret
Use information in new situations
apply
Apply
classify, describe, discuss, explain, identify, locate, recognize, select
Explain ideas or concepts
Understand
Remember
define, duplicate, list, memorize, repeat, state
Recall facts and basic concepts
Bloom's Taxonomy
Developing students cognitive abilities with higher order thinking questions.
Create
Evaluate
Analyze
apply
Apply
Closed questions typically fall on the lower end of Bloom's taxonomy and are appropriate for:
- Identifying factual knowledge.
- Evaluating students’ comprehension.
- Reviewing and/or summarizing content.
Understand
Remember
Bloom's Taxonomy
Developing students cognitive abilities with higher order thinking questions.
Create
Open questions are found at the higher end of Bloom’s taxonomy and are appropriate for:
- Encouraging students to think deeply and critically.
- Problem-solving.
- Encouraging discussions.
- Stimulating students to seek information on their own.
Evaluate
Analyze
apply
Apply
Understand
Remember
Bloom's Taxonomy
Bloom's taxonomy can guide you in designing effective questions that align with higher levels of thinking. Click on the buttons to see some examples.
How would you design a transportation system that reduces greenhouse gas emissions?
Create
Evaluate
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Paris agreement?
Analyze
What evidence in the text supports the position that deforestation contributes to global warming?
apply
Apply
How could you use renewable energy sources to reduce the effects of global warming?
How would you describe the main factors contributing to global warming?
Understand
Remember
What is global warming?
Quick
Check
Higher Order Thinking Questions & Bloom's Taxonomy
Start
Question 1/3
Question 2/3
Question 3/3
You did it!
Bloom's taxonomy can be a valuable tool in your instructional practice. It provides a framework to guide you in designing questions that target higher levels of thinking which develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and deep learning in students.
03
Effective Questioning Strategies
Effective Questioning Strategies
Scaffolding questions, increasing wait time, and implementing a "no hands policy" has been found to enhance the effectiveness of questioning in the classroom.
Move from simple to complex
Increase wait time
Wait 3 seconds for lower-level questions, and ...
Research has shown that higher order questions are more effective when...
+ INFO
+ INFO
No hands rule
Implementing a "no hands rule" prevents...
+ INFO
Responding to Students' Answers
"Several studies have confirmed that nearly half of student answers are at a different cognitive level than the teacher question, yet teachers generally accept these answers as sufficient without probing or prompting correct responses" (Walsh & Sattes, 2005, p. 14).
Responding to students' answers
Responding to students' answers is important for effective questioning. Asking probing or prompting questions helps students form correct and complete responses and deepen their thinking.
Increase Wait Time
Respond to the student's answer.
Incorrect Answers
- Assess for comprehension of the question and restating it if necessary
- Ask probing questions: "What is the question you are answering?" OR "Walk me through the process you used." OR "What evidence supports your answer?"
- Provide a clue.
- Allow the student to discuss with a friend but not opt out of answering.
Allowing 3–5 seconds after the student stops speaking before continuing with questioning. This allows the student time to further process information and to elaborate on their response.
Incomplete Answers
- Ask questions to extend thinking: "Can you give me an example of..." OR "What makes you say that?" OR "What else can you add to that?"
- Ask the student to restate the question.
Correct Answers
- Ask questions to deepen thinking: "Does this rule always apply?" OR "Why do you think this is true?"
- Ask another student whether he or she agrees or disagrees, and why.
- Affirm that the response is correct. If praise is given use it sparingly and tie it directly to the student's response. Praise should be sincere and credible.
Quick
Check
Effective questioning strategies.
Start
Question 1/6
Question 2/6
Question 3/6
Question 4/6
Question 5/6
Question 6/6
You did it!
Scaffolding questions, increasing wait time, engaging all students, and responding effectively to student answers can improve student outcomes.
Summary
Effective questioning has the power to engage students, scaffold critical thinking, and improve learner outcomes. Bloom's taxonomy provides a framework to design questions in increasing complexity to support students as they transition from concrete and factual thinking to higher order thinking. Questioning strategies such as increasing wait time and calling on students randomly can help facilitate the delivery of well designed questions.
tHANKS!
Thank you for participating in this lesson on effective questioning in the classroom.
Effective Questioning
Sonya Crider
Created on July 4, 2023
Learn to use effective questioning techniques to guide student inquiry, encourage deeper understanding, provoke critical thinking, and facilitate productive PBL discussions.
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Transcript
Effective Questioning
Characteristics of effective questions and questioning strategies.
index
Learning Objectives
Open and Closed Questions
Higher Order Thinking Questions
Effective Questioning Strategies
Summary
Learning ObjectivES
By the end of this lesson you will be able to...
Identify effective classroom questioning techniques
Construct higher order thinking questions aligned with Bloom's Taxonomy.
Differentiate between open and closed questions.
01
Open & Closed Questions
Why Ask Questions?
Effective questioning techniques are critical to learner engagement and are a key strategy for supporting students as they engage with ill-structured problems.
Teachers Ask questions to...
Facilitate the transition from concrete and factual thinking to analytical and evaluative thinking.
Captivate, engage, & challenge students.
Lead students through a planned sequence which establishes understanding.
Assess prior knowledge and comprehension levels.
Encourage reasoning, problem-solving, evaluation, and hypothesis formulation.
Activate memory and utilize existing knowledge to foster new understanding.
Direct students' thinking
Stimulate students' reflection on their learning processes.
Types of Questions
Questions can be described as open or closed.
Closed Questions
Open Questions
Closed questions usually require a brief response, often a single word or a short phrase. They are useful for fact-finding and verifying knowledge.
Open questions elicit more extended and thoughtful responses. They encourage students to analyze, evaluate, and provide detailed explanations.
Example: "What is the sum of all angles in a triangle?"
Example: "How might we solve the problem of pollution in our community?"
Open Questions
Effective questioning should involve more open questions than closed questions. Open questions....
Encourage Critical Thinking
Promotes Discussion
Open questions create opportunities for students to share their opinions and experiences. They expose students to different perspectives promoting an inclusive learning environment.
Open questions prompt students to think deeply, analyze information, & develop their own ideas.
Enhance Understanding
Support Creativity & Problem-Solving
Open questions require students to articulate their understanding in their own words. This helps solidify knowledge & encourages deeper comprehension.
Open questions provide space for students to explore different possibilities and solutions. They stimulate creativity, encourage innovative thinking, and develop problem-solving skills.
Research
Lower cognitive questions
has shown that in the average classroom 60 percent of the questions asked are lower cognitive questions, 20 percent are procedural, and only 20 percent are higher cognitive questions.
60%
Closed questions which require the learner to recall material previously read or learned from the teacher.
Procedural questions
20%
Questions that concern classroom steps, routines, and management.
Higher cognitive questions
20%
Open questions which require the learner to manipulate previously learned knowledge.
Open and closed questions
As we will discuss later, closed questions have their place in the classroom. However, asking more open, higher order questions, well above the 20% incidence found in most classrooms, leads to higher student achievement. By incorporating more open questions into your teaching you can foster student engagement, active learning, and the development of critical thinking skills.
Quick
Check
Open and closed questions.
Start
Question 1/5
Question 2/5
Question 3/5
Question 4/5
Question 5/5
You did it!
Incorporating more open questions encourages critical thinking in your learners.
02
Higher Order Thinking Questions & Bloom's Taxonomy
Bloom's Taxonomy
A framework of cognitive skills.
Create
Bloom's taxonomy is a framework that categorizes different levels of cognitive skills. It consists of six levels, arranged in order from lower-order thinking skills such as remembering and understanding to higher-order thinking skills such as evaluation and creation.
Evaluate
Analyze
apply
Apply
Understand
Remember
Bloom's Taxonomy
Click on the buttons to see descriptions of each cognitive level.
design, assemble, construct, conjecture, develop, formulate, author, investigate
Produce new or original work
Create
appraise, argue, defend, judge, support, value, critique
Justify a stand or decision
Evaluate
differentiate, organize, relate, compare, contrast, experiment, question, test
Draw connections among ideas
Analyze
execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, operate, interpret
Use information in new situations
apply
Apply
classify, describe, discuss, explain, identify, locate, recognize, select
Explain ideas or concepts
Understand
Remember
define, duplicate, list, memorize, repeat, state
Recall facts and basic concepts
Bloom's Taxonomy
Developing students cognitive abilities with higher order thinking questions.
Create
Evaluate
Analyze
apply
Apply
Closed questions typically fall on the lower end of Bloom's taxonomy and are appropriate for:
Understand
Remember
Bloom's Taxonomy
Developing students cognitive abilities with higher order thinking questions.
Create
Open questions are found at the higher end of Bloom’s taxonomy and are appropriate for:
Evaluate
Analyze
apply
Apply
Understand
Remember
Bloom's Taxonomy
Bloom's taxonomy can guide you in designing effective questions that align with higher levels of thinking. Click on the buttons to see some examples.
How would you design a transportation system that reduces greenhouse gas emissions?
Create
Evaluate
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Paris agreement?
Analyze
What evidence in the text supports the position that deforestation contributes to global warming?
apply
Apply
How could you use renewable energy sources to reduce the effects of global warming?
How would you describe the main factors contributing to global warming?
Understand
Remember
What is global warming?
Quick
Check
Higher Order Thinking Questions & Bloom's Taxonomy
Start
Question 1/3
Question 2/3
Question 3/3
You did it!
Bloom's taxonomy can be a valuable tool in your instructional practice. It provides a framework to guide you in designing questions that target higher levels of thinking which develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and deep learning in students.
03
Effective Questioning Strategies
Effective Questioning Strategies
Scaffolding questions, increasing wait time, and implementing a "no hands policy" has been found to enhance the effectiveness of questioning in the classroom.
Move from simple to complex
Increase wait time
Wait 3 seconds for lower-level questions, and ...
Research has shown that higher order questions are more effective when...
+ INFO
+ INFO
No hands rule
Implementing a "no hands rule" prevents...
+ INFO
Responding to Students' Answers
"Several studies have confirmed that nearly half of student answers are at a different cognitive level than the teacher question, yet teachers generally accept these answers as sufficient without probing or prompting correct responses" (Walsh & Sattes, 2005, p. 14).
Responding to students' answers
Responding to students' answers is important for effective questioning. Asking probing or prompting questions helps students form correct and complete responses and deepen their thinking.
Increase Wait Time
Respond to the student's answer.
Incorrect Answers
Allowing 3–5 seconds after the student stops speaking before continuing with questioning. This allows the student time to further process information and to elaborate on their response.
Incomplete Answers
Correct Answers
Quick
Check
Effective questioning strategies.
Start
Question 1/6
Question 2/6
Question 3/6
Question 4/6
Question 5/6
Question 6/6
You did it!
Scaffolding questions, increasing wait time, engaging all students, and responding effectively to student answers can improve student outcomes.
Summary
Effective questioning has the power to engage students, scaffold critical thinking, and improve learner outcomes. Bloom's taxonomy provides a framework to design questions in increasing complexity to support students as they transition from concrete and factual thinking to higher order thinking. Questioning strategies such as increasing wait time and calling on students randomly can help facilitate the delivery of well designed questions.
tHANKS!
Thank you for participating in this lesson on effective questioning in the classroom.