DIAGNOSTIC QUESTIONS TO ASSESSS PROGRESS (Hinge Questions)
Good diagnostic questions assess real whole class progress and are quick to
administer. The information can help the teacher immediately to assess the
quality of progress that has been made in the topic then and there.
They are termed hinge or hinge-point questions because what the teacher
teaches to different groups within the class hinges upon the quality of the
student’s response.
Diagnostic questions examine understanding so, if we give a question where
two or more possible answers look different but are in actual fact both
correct, then the teacher can be reasonably confident that those students
who identify these as answers are able to apply their learning correctly and
have made progress.
Such diagnostic questions are based upon a fundamental asymmetry in
teaching ; in general it is better to assume that students do not know
something when they do than to assume they do know something when they
don’t
What makes a question useful as a diagnostic question is that it is unlikely
that a student can get the correct answer for the wrong reason.
The hard part is to design the question in such a way that it makes a good
diagnostic question.
The question should give very plausible alternatives with the correct
response either rephrased or taken from another angle which is equally valid
Sample Chemistry resources
For example if one is teaching about Mass and Atomic number a good hinge
point question would be:
The element Phosphorus is denoted in the Periodic table as
31
15
P
Which of the following are true:
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
It has
It has
It has
It has
It has
15 neutrons
15 protons
16 neutrons
16 electrons
15 electrons
If the student answers B,C,E then you can be fairly sure that they have
understood how to use mass and atomic numbers to calculate the number of
sub-atomic particles
Some more examples from chemistry
Ionic bonding:
A) An ionic bond is when one atom donates an electron to another atom, so
that they both have full outer shells
B) A sodium atom can form only one ionic bond because it only has one
electron in its outer shell to donate
C) An ionic bond is the force of attraction between a positive and a negative
ion
D) A chlorine atom can form only one ionic bond because it can only accept
one electron into its outer shell
E) Positive ions and negative ions will be attracted to all their nearest
neighbour oppositely charged ions
F) A molecule of sodium chloride contains one sodium ion and one chloride ion
G) Metal ions lose electrons to form cations, non-metal atoms gain electrons
to form anions
Covalent bonding
A) A covalent bond is when atoms share electrons
B) A covalent bond is when two atoms share electrons between them
C) A covalent bond is the force of attraction of two atoms for a shared pair
of electrons
D) A covalent bond is the force of attraction of two atoms for shared
electrons
E) A covalent bond is the force of attraction between the nuclei of two
atoms and a shared pair of electrons
Ammonia is formed when Nitrogen reacts with hydrogen. A Nitrogen
atom has five electrons in its outer shell and a hydrogen atom has one
electron in its outer shell
A) Nitrogen needs to gain three electrons to fill its outer shell and hydrogen
needs one electron to fill its outer shell
B) Nitrogen shares three electrons with another hydrogen atom
C) Nitrogen shares three electrons with three hydrogen atoms
D) Hydrogen shares its one outer electron with three nitrogen atoms
E) Hydrogen shares its one outer electron with a nitrogen atom
F) Three hydrogen atoms each share their one outer electron with a
nitrogen atom
G) The formula for ammonia is N3H
H) The formula for ammonia is NH3