HOW GOOD QUESTIONS CAN HELP STUDENTS THINK AND LEARN
Secondary Staff Development Session: February 18, 2011
INTRODUCTION (25-30 minutes)
Session Overview
Folders



Top 10 Questions to Ask Myself as I Design Lessons
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/_files/pdf/416-035_PBS_Top10ques_FNL_NoMarks.pdf
Helping Students Master Content in a Whole Class Format (Questioning Techniques)
H.E.A.T. Rubric
Powerpoint Presentation
RESEARCH, REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION TIME (40 minutes)
Generic Login: Username training
Password wheels
Staff Development eBook and Professional Collection
http://www.hastings.k12.mn.us/Staff_Development.html
I. QUESTIONING TO PROMOTE THINKING AND LEARNING (Lab)
If you would like to learn more about questioning techniques to encourage higher level thinking , you
might find these links helpful.
Suggested Search Terms:
education teacher teachers classroom classrooms school schools
questions questioning inquiry
techniques strategies
+ discipline/subject/topic
Bloom’s Taxonomy Digitally
Bloom’s Taxonomy Blooms Digitally
Questioning to Promote Higher Order Thinking
http://www.pgcps.pg.k12.md.us/~elc/isquestiontopromote.html
Essential Questions (Bellingham Schools)
http://wwwgen.bham.wednet.edu/essenque.htm
The Question Mark (Jamie McKenzie)
http://questioning.org/
http://questioning.org/articles.html
From Trivial Pursuit to Essential Questions and Standards-Based Learning (Jamie McKenzie)
http://fno.org/feb01/pl.html
The Question is the Answer (Jamie McKenzie)
http://questioning.org/Q6/question.html
A Questioning Toolkit (Jamie McKenzie)
http://www.questioning.org/Q7/toolkit.html
The Question Conjure-Upper
http://www.ncwiseowl.org/Kscope/Hovercraft/InfoSkills/KnowFlow/Questions.htm
Online Writing Lab: Thought Starters (Asking the Right Questions)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_plan3.html
Questioning Techniques for the Gifted
http://resources.prufrock.com/GiftedChildInformationBlog/tabid/57/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/3
14/Questioning-Techniques-for-the-Gifted.aspx
II. RESEARCHING TO PROMOTE THINKING AND LEARNING (Main Level of Media Center)
If you would like to learn more about creating better research projects to encourage higher level
thinking, you might find these links helpful.
Bellingham Schools Online Research Projects
http://bellinghamschools.org/sites/default/files/studentgal/onlineresearch/newonline/online.htm
Turning Fiascos into Fiestas: Building Successful Inquiry Experiences (Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson)
http://spotlight1.data3m2.com/?t=19
Beyond Bird Units (David Loertscher)
http://www.davidvl.org/Achieve/Ban_Birds_Action_Research.pdf
Biography Maker (Jamie McKenzie)
http://fno.org/bio/biomak2.htm/
Beyond Cut-and-Paste: Engaging Students in Wrestling with Questions of Import (Jamie McKenzie)
http://www.fno.org/sept08/cut.html/
Great Question Press: Squeezing Import from Content (Jamie McKenzie)
http://www.questioning.org/questionpress.html
Putting an End to Topical Research (Jamie McKenzie)
http://www.fno.org/feb07/topic.html.
PBS Resource Roundups
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/resourceroundups/
The Thinking Classroom
http://learnweb.harvard.edu/alps/thinking/index.cfm
Springfield High School Virtual Library (Joyce Valenza)
http://www.sdst.org/shs/library/
Springfield Pathfinders (Joyce Valenza)
http://springfieldpathfinders.wikispaces.com/
Thesis Generator (Joyce Valenza)
http://www.sdst.org/shs/library/thesisgenerator.html
III. EVALUATING FOR EVIDENCE OF THINKING AND LEARNING (Conference Room or Tables)
If you would like to learn more about the use of rubrics to encourage higher level thinking, you might
find these links helpful.
Graphic Organizer Index
http://www.graphic.org/goindex.html
Graphic Organizers
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/learning/lr1grorg.htm
iRubric
http://www.rcampus.com/indexrubric.cfm
K-W-L-H Technique
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/learning/lr1kwlh.htm
Rubrics for Assessment (University of Wisconsin-Stout School of Education)
http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/rubrics.shtml
Rubrics Library (Teacher Vision)
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/rubrics/assessment/26773.html?detoured=1
Rubrics for Teachers (The Educators’ Network)
http://rubrics4teachers.com
Rubistar
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php
SCORE Graphic Organizers
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/torganiz.htm
ACTION PLAN
Identify a lesson, activity, project or unit for which you would like to increase the rigor. By the end of the
session, we would like to encourage you to have a concrete action plan and perhaps have a few steps
completed toward that end goal.
REFLECTION/SHARING (20 minutes)
What are some things that you discovered in your brief research or discussion? Select something that
you learned or accomplished to share with the group.
THINKING AHEAD: ESSENTIAL QUESTION
How will you measure whether or not the students truly engaged in higher level thinking?