1. Q uality uestioning Henrico County Public Schools
Welcome to the Quality Questioning Professional Development Workshop. You are participating in a workshop designed to address a Henrico county initiative. We have adapted the QUILT curriculum to address the needs of the Henrico division and we call our initiative Quality Questioning.
Today we are providing a brief overview of a piece of the Quality Questioning curriculum - the role of student generated questions in the learning process.
Materials adapted from QUILT curriculum:
Questioning and Understanding to Improve Learning and Thinking

2. Focus Questions:
What are the benefits of engaging students in the development of questions?
How can we create a classroom environment that supports student questioning?
There are a number of benefits to having students ask and answer their own questions. Many of these practices we already employ. We will explore these benefits and discuss ways to foster a supportive environment.

3. Metacognition
Definition: knowledge of your thinking and factors that influence your thinking
“Left to ourselves we will not usually become skilled thinkers… Therefore, good thinking and effective questioning require deliberate conscious effort, modification of action, and reflection on action.” Francis Hunkins.
The ability to formulate and answer one’s own question is a foundational piece to understanding thought processes.
So let’s say that we teach students the process we go through to develop and ask good questions. How do you think students would benefit from these insights?
(benefits might include: developing better research questions, finding better information more quickly on the internet, better awareness of whether they understand concepts/relationships between content, asking better questions to clarify their misunderstandings, increased ability to engage in dialogue about content…)
The benefits you have identified require higher level thinking skills and open the door to conversations about their thinking.

4. Plan the question Reflect on the effectiveness Ask the question
Questioning cycle (for students and teachers)
Francis Hunkins makes a solid argument for the connection between effective questioning, thinking and achievement. Research indicates that students think at higher levels when they are asking and answering their own questions, and engaging in conversations with peers about the the questions and answers.
This cycle might provide a concrete process for structuring the metacognitive process with students.
Plan - prepare the question.
- Use Blooms and question stems.
- check for effective characteristics
Ask - Implement the question
- analyze textbook questions
- research questions others have asked for a similar purpose
Reflect - Assess quality
- assess effectiveness of purpose
- was it understandable? (how do I know)
- did it interest my classmates? (what would have made it better)
- did the answers align with what I wanted out of the question? (why or why not)
This cycle provides practice with metagcognitive skills.

5. Suggestions for helping students develop their questioning skills:
Teach students about Bloom’s taxonomy and characteristics of effective questions.
Provide sample questions stems or key verbs (cue cards)
Make your questioning transparent by explaining your thinking and recognizing areas for growth
Practice developing and analyzing questions together
Start simple
Provide lots of feedback in the beginning (from teacher and/or student)
Emphasize the value of making and learning form mistakes
Allow time for students to work collaboratively
Emphasize intrinsic motivation and reduce competition
Reference: Quality Questioning: Research-based practice to engage every learner, Walsh and Sattes Pages
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6. Engagement Strategies:
Reciprocal Teaching
Question Review/Analysis
Game Show type Activities
Questions for the participants: What strategies do you already use to help students create and analyze questions? (participants may answer: twenty questions, jeopardy games, interview assignments…) How do you see this impacting the students?
As we discuss the next couple of strategies, think about the added benefits of teaching question development and analysis, and impact on student thinking/learning. Maybe ask yourself “how can I use elements of these techniques to enhance what I already do?” (a little metacognition for the participants.)
Selected strategies from Quality Questioning: Research-based practice to engage every learner, Walsh and Sattes Pages 132
Reciprocal Teaching:
- Incorporates: prediction, questioning, summarizing and clarifying misleading or complex sections of the text.
- Benefits: promotes reading comprehension, helps students monitor thinking and learning, facilitates engagement
Question Review/Analysis
Students work collaboratively (and with the help of the teacher) to dissect questions for meaning, purpose, level and clarity. Rewriting when necessary. Source of questions can be textbooks, assessments, student developed, etc.
Benefits: Promote critical thinking, metacognition, review content
Game Show type Activities:
Benefits: encourages active listening, promotes retention, higher level thinking
Question/Question (from Who’s Line is it Anyway)
- Talk only in questions
Answer/Question (Jeopardy)
- Answer is given and then student proposes a question that would have that answer

7. Think Pair Square Think Pair Square
Think
Pair
Square
Think
Pair
Square
Ask participants to reflect on the focus questions:
What are the benefits of engaging students in the development of questions?
How can we create a classroom environment that supports student questioning?
Then with a partner share their individual responses to the questions and together come up with one question that they would like answered (e.g. how do I motive students to WANT to ask questions?)
Each pair combines with another pair (for a square) and practices asking their question.
Each member of the group of four answers the question.
Then the group analyzes the effectiveness of the question.
If time allows, encourage groups to share what they learned or experienced as they analyzed their questions together.

8. Develop and implement a lesson that engages students in asking and answering their own questions.
If meeting again - bring sample of student generated questions.
Challenge

9. Q uality uestioning Henrico County Public Schools
Questions and Thank you!
Materials adapted from QUILT curriculum:
Questioning and Understanding to Improve Learning and Thinking