Effective Questioning
Think
Pair
Sha
Share
re
Veronica O’Hagan
A Curriculum for Excellence
It is not
“What we teach”
but
“How we teach”
and
“how children learn”
that will make a difference
What would
we like to take
away from
Today?
What do we already
know about Effective
Questioning?
By the end of this session we hope
that you can...
•Identify different types of questions
•Understand what effective questioning
techniques are
• See how you could use them
in your own teaching.
Asking Questions
Issues raised
• Ask questions once or twice every minute
• 70,000 times a year
• One million questions in 15 years
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

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57% are managerial
35% are lower order/factual recall
8% are higher order in primary school
4% are higher order in secondary school
Questions from video
• Do I ask varied and searching questions?
• Do I give time for extended answers?
• Do I give clear, effective feedback?
We learn ...
80% experience
personally
90% explain
to others
70% discuss
with others
50% see and hear
30% see
20% hear
10% read
What makes a good question?
Think
Pair
Share
Thinking skills:
Bloom’s Taxonomy
I can use the information to
build new ideas
I can say what I think about the
information and back up my opinion
I can break down the information
to understand it better
I can use the information
in a new way
I can explain the ideas
in the information
I can remember facts
about the information
Creating
How could you change the plot...?
Evaluating
What would you say
is the importance of…?
Analysing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering
What evidence can you find to…?
What questions
would you ask of…?
How could you say that
in your own words…?
Where does it say…?
When/why/how did…?
Applying Bloom’s using the story of
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Creating:
Judge whether Goldilocks was good or bad.
Defend your opinion
Evaluating:
Propose how the story would be different if it were
Goldilocks and the Three Fish
Analysing:
Compare this story to reality.
What events could not really happen.
Applying:
Demonstrate what Goldilocks would use if
she came to your house
Understand:
Explain why Goldilocks liked Baby Bear’s chair the best
Remember:
List the items used by Goldilocks while she was in the
Bears’ house
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Numeracy - Bar Graphs
Creating:
A bar graph is a good method for representing data when…..
Justify your answer.
Evaluating:
What information does the bar graph
tell us about this situation?
Analysing:
Compare a bar graph to a pie chart
Applying:
Draw a bar graph to represent a set of data
Understanding: Explain when to use a bar graph
Remembering:
List the main parts of a bar graph
Your turn to decide …
Using the story, “Little Red Riding Hood.”
Which level of Bloom’s Taxonomy are these?
1. Illustrate the main idea of the story on a
poster.
Applying
2. Rank the characters from best to worst
and explain how you ranked them
Evaluating
3. Create a new story by placing
Red Riding Hood in a modern city setting
Creating
Types of questions
A
•
•
•
Closed, Lower-Order,
Skinny, Cold
question that requires a
yes/no or a simple factual
answer.
They have a place in the
classroom
They test recall
They test factual knowledge
– What is the…?
– Calculate…
Open, Higher-Order,
Fat, Hot
A question that is
designed to promote
higher-order, independent
thought.
• Responses are expected
to be reflective,
requiring thinking time.
Which would you use?
Describe the differences
between a 2D and a 3D shape
Are these:
 Closed, Lower-Order,
Skinny, Cold
 Open, Higher-Order,
Fat, Hot ?
 If closed, can you make
them open?
What is 7 x 8 ?
Classroom climate
be yourself
make statements
make mistakes
interrupt
agree or disagree
be honest
ask questions
no put-downs
no sarcasm
enjoy yourself
Question stems
Promote & extend children’s thinking...
In your groups, think of some question stems
that could be used at these places in a lesson:
When children begin a piece of work
While children are working
If children are having difficulties
At the end of a piece of work
Questioning techniques
B
Tell
Your
Neighbour
Idea
O
thoughts
U
N
C
I
N
G
Assessment
Thumbs up
Body language
Show me boards
Smiley faces
Traffic
Lights
Have we met our success criteria?
•Identify different types of questions
•Understand what effective questioning
techniques are
• See how you could use them
in your own teaching.
References/further reading
References/further information
• Active Learning through Formative Assessment:
Shirley Clarke, Hodder Education
• Asking Better Questions: Ian Smith, Learning Unlimited
• Assessment & Learning Pocketbook: Ian Smith, Teachers’
Pocketbooks
• Mathematics inside the black box:
Jeremy Hodgen and Dylan Wiliam, GL assessment
•Assessment for learning: why, what and how?:
Dylan Wiliam, Institute of Education