1. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 The Art of Questioning Seminar

2. Session Intentions To be made aware of the basic principles which underpin successful learning environments. To examine teaching and learning in a range of contexts. To consider the vital role of questioning in the classroom. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010

3. Why Do People Ask Questions…? Discuss Do questions vary in nature and complexity? Are they contextually embedded? Are they always necessary? When do you ask questions?

4. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 Devise 3 Questions to Ask About This Picture

5. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 Why do Teachers Ask Questions? Discuss Why do we need to ask questions?

6. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 Questioning Needs To Be Productive Open Probing Reflective Hypothetical [Values Perception]

7. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 What questions would a teacher want to ask? Discuss with a partner and feed back to the main group. Try to develop open questions which need further investigation rather than closed and limited questions.

8. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 Teachers Ask Questions To… Assess Differentiate Lead Teaching Discuss how each of these 3 aspects might be seen in the classroom

9. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 Reasons Given By Teachers For Asking Questions To encourage thought, understand ideas, phenomena, procedures and values To check understanding, knowledge and skills To gain attention to the task and to enable the teacher to move toward the learning objective To review, reinforce, revise, recall and remind To manage, settling down, focus attention, warn To teach the whole class through pupil answers To give everyone a chance to answer To prompt bright pupils and encourage others To draw in shyer pupils To probe pupils after critical answers, redirect or ask other pupils To allow expressions of feelings or views of empathy

10. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 Activity In pairs ask each other the following questions: Do you like school? Do you meet your friends during break? Is homework set every day? Do you eat school dinners? What do you like about school? Where do you go during break time? How much homework do you receive? What do you think of school dinners? Ask the rest of the group: Which questions generated the best answers? Closed questions often prompt the short response: Yes or No. Open questions are used because they encourage people to give more information.

11. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 Teacher’s Approach What is the link between the teacher’s approach to questioning and classroom climate? Teachers need to : Plan questions – to have an idea of who is likely to be able to answer each question and each type of question – Why?

12. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 A Positive Approach Inclusive of all children Clear and unambiguous Presents an encouraging tone Allows children thinking time Personable [humour where appropriate] Motivates and sustains interest Accords dignity to children in phrasing an answer Allows them to have a go/contribute even if they may be wrong Displays consistency and fairness Models what you expect from the children Recognises the interpersonal nature of the exchange

13. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 Unproductive Questioning - Possible Shortcomings Asking too many superficial questions Asking too few questions Asking rhetorical questions in the presence of very young pupils Use of inappropriate vocabulary Questions that are poorly expressed Delivering questions in a way which pupils fear giving a wrong answer Several questions in a single statement Questions that begin hard and get harder Questions that are too simple

14. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 Open Questions Most questions asked by a teacher are closed – the teacher already knows the answer Assessment for Learning encourages the asking of open questions that encourage children to respond having thought more deeply about the way they understand ideas and concepts Possible open ended questions… How can we be sure that…? How would you explain…? What does that tell us about…? How do we know…? What is the same and what is different about…?

15. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 Response Time The average response time for an answer for a question asked by a teacher is…? 1 second

16. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 Take Up Time One second is not enough for most children to understand the language in which the question has been given, relate the question to their prior learning which is going to enable them to formulate their reply, structure their reply and put their hands up. Some teachers find the silence between asking and having a question answered difficult Between 3-5 seconds is about right for dealing with most open questions

17. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 Ted Wragg Teachers and Questioning http://www.teachers.tv/video/2619

18. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 Levels of Questioning [Applying Bloom’s Taxonomy] Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Process 1. Knowledge 2. Comprehension 3. Application 4. Analysis 5. Synthesis 6. Evaluation Lower Order – Recall of facts and information Higher Order – Require reasoning Studies show that teachers use more lower than higher order questions It is important teachers use a mix of both

19. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 Activity Activity 2

20. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 http://excellence.qia.org.uk/GoldDust/questioning/print/Open%20and%20closed%20question%20acti vity.pdf

21. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 Key Tactics in Questioning Structuring Pitching Directing Distributing Pausing Pacing Responding Listening to Replies

22. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 Purposes Of Questioning To find out what pupils already know or do not know To shape a line of argument by using pupils own ideas To check how well the pupil understands what is being explained Eliciting concrete examples of principles or concepts Helping children develop a desire to enquire and learn further, once the explanation is complete

23. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 The Purpose of Asking Questions To involve pupils in the lesson To discover whether pupils possess specified forms of knowledge To encourage pupils to think deeply about an issue To open up fresh areas of a theme or topic for discovery To inspire creativity and imagination To help pupils ask their own questions

24. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 Pupil Questions Why do pupils ask so few questions? What are the implications of this for your teaching? Encouraging children to look and ask questions is an important part of teaching.

25. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 Pupils Leading The Process Look at the following slide of The Great Exhibition… What questions might children ask about it? How could you use these questions to develop an open/investigative activity with a KS2 Class? What cross-curricular links might be possible? Devise a possible approach with your partner and be prepared to share outcomes.

26. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 What questions might children have to ask about this slide?

27. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 Independent Study Task In Reading Pack read Hayes (2004) “Effective Questioning” in Foundations of Primary Teaching. Observe teachers’ use of questioning on SE – how do questions support learning. Note effective questions – why do you consider them effective? Consider your own questions – do you allow sufficient “wait” time?

28. KP Professional Practice 1 Semester 2 2010 Bibliography Dean J [2001] Organising Learning in the Primary Classroom London: Routledge Falmer Hayes D [2004] Foundation of Primary Teaching Abingdon: David Fulton Hayes D [2006] Inspiring Primary Teaching Exeter: Learning Matters Jacques K and Hyland R [2007] Professional Studies Primary and Early Years Exeter: Learning Matters Kyriacou C 1998] Essential Teaching Skills Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Wragg E and Brown G [2001] Questioning in the Primary School London: Routledge