Using higher order questioning in planning and instruction to raise student thinking and engagement Katherine Williams, PhD Advanced Learning Programs Consultant

 Skilled questioning  improves a student’s communication abilities and study skills.  results in a more positive student attitude about self and school. Plus, the questioning process  stretches the curriculum vertically and deepens the quality.  stretches teachers out of a comfort level while igniting new interest in “old” subject matter/content.  involves teachers in modeling the process and practice. Why focus on questions?

 So that learners have the opportunity to  think in DIFFERENT ways  ask DIFFERENT kinds of questions  apply what they know in DIFFERENT ways Teacher becomes a Creator of Possibilities

  What is the real purpose for your questions?  Catch what students don’t know/didn’t study?  Nail the class goof-off?  Put the know-it-all in their place?  Make yourself look smarter? Never use questions to threaten, belittle, accuse or “one- up” students – they will see right through you and their performance will NOT improve. Do you teach for questions or teach for answers?

 Get your students ready and use questions to  Find out what they do know  Discover what they feel  Understand what they need  Determine how they think AND Most importantly…  To stimulate and motivate MORE questions! Do you teach for questions or teach for answers?

 Ask these questions to understand the logic and structures of thought that underlie a discipline: QUESTION:  What kinds of questions are asked? What types of problems/issues are addressed? PURPOSE:  What is the main goal of studying the subject? What are the experts within the field trying to accomplish? INFORMATION:  What sorts of information is used in settling questions within the discipline? Elements of Reasoning To learn any subject well is to actively probe its logic with questions.

INFERENCES:  What types of inferences or judgments do the experts in the discipline make? ASSUMPTIONS:  What is taken for granted in the discipline? CONCEPTS:  What are the main ideas, principles, and theories that guide thinking within the discipline? IMPLICATIONS:  How are the products or results of thinking within the discipline used in other disciplines, or in everyday life? POINT OF VIEW:  What viewpoints are fostered within the discipline? Are there multiple viewpoints within the discipline?

 Why use the 8 Elements of Reasoning?  Building blocks of productive thinking  Provide a general logic to reasoning  Assist in making sense of an author or speaker’s reasoning (in document reading or listening activity)  Assists authors and speakers to strengthen their arguments  Assists students with using the “habits of mind” of a scientist, historian, writer, or other specialist practicing in that field

 A Questioning “Balance” 1. On the Line questions (closed) 2.Between the Lines questions (open) 3.Beyond the Line questions (open/divergent)

 On the Line questions:  answers to these questions can be found directly in the text, lesson, or facts already known (Closed) On the Line

 Between the Line questions: To answer these questions  students select clues from the text or lesson, or  use prior knowledge.  some inferences made based on information  process of developing questions based on these inferences will also help shape their understanding of the content (Open or Closed) On the Line Between the Line

 Beyond the Line questions:  usually reflective in nature  questioner is making connections with the content and other concepts or ideas related to the content.  answers to these questions require thought about the implications of the facts and clues. (Open) On the Line Between the Line Beyond the Line

 Moving from On to Beyond – the Questioning Continuum  ON : What is stress?  BETWEEN: How does stress affect the human body?  BEYOND : What stress coping skills would the President utilize during a national emergency?  ON : When were health warnings first put on cigarettes?  BETWEEN : Why did the government require these warnings?  BEYOND: When might the national government be compelled to place warning labels on other products?

 Divergent Thinking:  creative thinking that may follow many lines of thought and  tends to generate new and original solutions to problems The difference is in the ‘Openness’ of the question.

 Between or Beyond? Is it Divergent? Who questions Who questions should engage the students in making choices. What questions What questions should involve students in hypothesizing. When questions When questions should require students to predict. Where questions should have students developing plans. Why questions should use analysis. Which questions should provoke the use of criteria and evidence to make decisions and reason arguments. How questions How questions should compel students to synthesize.

 As a nation, who do we depend on to guide us on health issues? For what reasons? Divergency depends on how much direct instruction has taken place on health information and policies in the US. Between or Beyond?

 What might life be like today if the fast food industry had not been created? Between or Beyond?

 When might the media have more influence on your health than your family? When might your family have more influence than the media? What about friends? Why? Between or Beyond?

 How should you make choices of meals in a restaurant? How should you make choices of foods to purchase in the grocery store?  Are they the same choice strategies? Why or why not? Between or Beyond?

 The types of questions that a teacher asks has a direct impact on student thinking and learning. Good questioning strategies give learners have the opportunity to  think in DIFFERENT ways  ask DIFFERENT kinds of questions  apply what they know in DIFFERENT ways Conclusion

 When you are planning your lessons, focus on the questions you will ask. Use a variety of starters, such as:  Who - engage the students in making choices  What - involve students in hypothesizing  When - require students to predict  Where - have students developing plans  Why – have students analyze  Which - provoke the use of criteria and evidence to make decisions and reason arguments  How - compel students to synthesize Raise the level of questioning and see what happens next! Take the challenge

  VanTassel-Baska, J., & Little, C. (2003). Content-based curriculum for High-Ability Learner. Waco, Texas: Prufrock Press.  Curcio, F.R. (1987). Comprehension of mathematical relationships expressed in graphs. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 18, Resources

  Write two beyond questions for a topic your students will be studying next year on index cards.  Use any two starters:  Who - engage the students in making choices  What - involve students in hypothesizing  When - require students to predict  Where - have students developing plans  Why – have students analyze  Which - provoke the use of criteria and evidence to make decisions and reason arguments  How - compel students to synthesize  Share among your table mates – are the questions between or beyond ? Why? Your Turn

 Any questions? High level only!