T 7.0

Chapter 7: Questioning for Inquiry

Chapter 7: Questioning for Inquiry

Central concepts: Questioning stimulates and guides inquiry

Teachers use different types of questions to achieve specific effects

Questions and questioning techniques influence learners' science achievement, attitudes and thinking skills

Teachers use questions to instruct, control, and evaluate science learning

Low and high levels of questions carry different impact, both are important

Teacher modeling can improve students uses of questions

What is a question?What is a question?

T 7.1

A question is an interrogative sentence that asks for a response. A question is expressed in simple, clear, straight-forward language that students can understand. A good question stimulates thinking and should be adapted to the age, abilities, and interests of the students.

A good question is one that is appropriate and is used for a specific purpose. Questions are used:

• to find out what is not knownor to find out whether some-one knows

• to motivate

• to provide drill and practice

• to help students organizethinking

• to develop an ability to think

• to interpret meaning

• to emphasize a point

• to show relationships

Four types of questions:1. Memory questions establish or review the facts.2.Convergent questions have one correct answer and require

reasoning.3.Divergent questions have several answers and help to promote

possibility thinking and creativity4.Evaluative questions promote decision making and defensible

judgments.

How do you use questions?

How do you use children’s questions?

• to establish cause and effect

• to discover interests

• to help develop appreciation

• to provide review

• to reveal thinking processes

• to diagnose learning difficulties

• to evaluate

• to give practice

• to permit expression

What kinds of questions do teachers ask and what kinds of answers do they require?

Why do teachers use questions?

How do questions affect students?

How are teachers' questions and students' answers related?

What is "wait-time" and why is it important to science teaching?

What types of questions are found in texts and on science tests?

Questions on QuestionsQuestions on Questions

T 7.2

T 7.3

Ask mostly low cognitive level

Require mostly factual answers

Questions of this type do not support inquiry

What Kinds of Questions & Answers?What Kinds of Questions & Answers?

T 7.4

Why Do Teachers Use Questions? (Table 7.1)

Why Do Teachers Use Questions? (Table 7.1)

1. to motivate and to interest2. to reveal prior (mis)conceptions and to

evaluate3. to guide thinking4. to discipline, manage or control5. to give listening cues6. to diagnose strengths, weaknesses7. to relate concepts8. to summarize

T 7.5

How Do Questions Affect Students?How Do Questions Affect Students?

shape attitudes toward subject, level of thinking, and extent of achievement

stimulate high level and divergent thinking

achievement improves if high levels of questions are accompanied by wait-time, redirection, and probing

produces inquiring minds

T 7.6

How Are Teacher Questionsand Student Answers Related?How Are Teacher Questions

and Student Answers Related?

the level of the question tends to obtain a similar level of answer

teacher must assess appropriateness of answer level and encourage if of a lower level than expected

children's language development and thinking benefit from questioning

to adapt instruction to student diversity

to encourage greater involvement of low achievers

to initiate contact and to provide student feedback

see Figure 7.1

How Do Teachers Use Questions To Involve All Students?

How Do Teachers Use Questions To Involve All Students?

T 7.7

T 7.8

What is "Wait-Time" andWhy is it Important?

What is "Wait-Time" andWhy is it Important?

WT#1 - length of time teacher waits after asking question before continuing

WT#2 - length of time teacher waits after receiving answer before continuing

average is less than 1 second (under what circumstances is this sufficient?)

recommended average WT is 3 to 5 sec.

can expect improvements in quantity and quality of student participation

see Figures 7.2, 7.3

T 7.9

low level questions devoted to facts in books

about 95% of test questions are on Bloom's Knowledge and Comprehension levels

recommend that teacher screen texts and tests, adapt or supplement as needed

What Types of Questions are Used in

Most Science Books and Tests?

What Types of Questions are Used in

Most Science Books and Tests?

T 7.9

T 7.10

What are the Different Types of Questions?

What are the Different Types of Questions?

Good questions:1. stimulate and guide exploration2. include student's experiences3. invite students to explain or demonstrate4. include basic and integrated science process

skills5. see Table 7.2, Exercises 7.1 and 7.2, Figures

7.4, 7.5

Figure 7.5Figure 7.5

T 7.11

QUESTIONCATEGORY

Evaluative Thinking

Divergent Thinking

Convergent Thinking

Cognitive Memory

Intendedmental activity

Bloom’s Evaluation Level:• Make choices• Form values• Overlap critiques,

judgment, defenses

Bloom’s Synthesis Level:• Develop own ideas and

information• Integrate own ideas• Plan, construct, or

reconstruct

Bloom’s Application andAnalysis Level:• Uses of Logic• Deductive and inductive

reasoning• Construct or reconstruct

Bloom’s Knowledge andComprehension Level:• Rote memorization• Selective recall of facts,

formulas, instructions,rules, or procedures

• Recognition

How and Why Reasonings:• Choose, appraise, select,

evaluate, judge, assess,defend, justify

• Form conclusions andgeneralizations

Open-ended Questions forProblem Posing and Action:

• Infer, predict, design, invent• Hypothesize and experiment• Communicate ideas

Closed Questions to:• Focus attention, guide,

encourage measurement andcounting, make comparisons,take action

• Use logic, state relationships• Apply solutions• Solve problems• Hypothesize and experiment• Communicate ideas

Managerial and RhetoricalQuestions:• Simple attention focusing,

yes-no responsesInformation:• Repeat, name, describe,

identify, observe, simpleexplanation, compare

Key function orscience processes

SAMPLEQUESTION PHASES• What do you favor...?• What is your feeling

about...?• What is your reason

for...?

• What do you think...?• What could you do...?• How could you design...?• What do you think

will happen if...?

• If “A”, then what willhappen to “B”...?

• Which are facts, opinionsand inferences...?

• What is the author’spurpose...?

• What is the relationshipof “x” to “y”...?

• What is the definitionof...?

• What are the threesteps in...?

• Who discovered...?• In your own words, what

is the meaning of...?

T 7.12

What are the Keys to Effective Questioning?What are the Keys to Effective Questioning?

plan specific questions as a guide

ask simple, concise and direct questions

ask, then select the respondent

use wait time and explain it to students

listen to determine if responses match the question's level

stimulate wonder and puzzling thoughts

T 7.13

What are the Keys to Effective Questioning?, cont.

What are the Keys to Effective Questioning?, cont.

talk less and ask more

encourage complete and complex answers

vary your question types to encourage all students

stimulate the basic process skills, ages 5 to 10

stimulate the integrated process skills, ages 11 onward

to gain insight about their interests

to understand their concept formation

to help them set realistic expectations

to help them form the mental habit of reflection

Why use Children's Questions?

Why use Children's Questions?

T 7.14

T 7.15

How Can You Stimulate Children's Questions?

How Can You Stimulate Children's Questions?

use interesting materials and encourage direct experiences

model good questioning skills (Fig. 7.6) and use questions to construct connections among thoughts (Fig. 7.7, 7.8, 7.9, 7.10)

develop an atmosphere of trust and encourage productive questions

include their questions on tests and in assignments

respond in an encouraging way and help children improve their questions