Effective Questioning Formative Assessment in Action Shirley Clarke

Effective Questioning Formative Assessment in Action Shirley Clarke

Organization and Training Strategies: n Wait Time n No Hands Up n Talking Partners n Framing the question

WAIT TIME n Some studies have shown that teachers wait an average of one second before answering an unanswered question or asking someone else.

With a partner: n Discuss some possible positive effects of adequate wait time during questioning.

What’s good about wait time? Longer answers n Failure to respond decreases n More confident responses n More alternative explanations n Students challenge each other to improve answers n

The “raise your hand” routine n Teachers often begin lessons with the “automatic question and answer” routine: “So who can tell me……? ” n “Who remembers the…. . ? ” n “Raise your hand if you…. ? ” n

With a partner: n Discuss possible negative effects of having students raise their hand during questioning.

NO HANDS UP! Same students have their hands up n Teacher chooses the “right” students to answer n Other students’ thought processes stop immediately n Some never even begin to think n Leads to more recall questions n

Talking Partners Ask a question and give students 30 seconds to talk with a partner about possible answers. n Compile a list of responses from a few pairs until an answer is agreed upon. n

What’s good about talking partners? Allows time to think and articulate n Gives less confident, shy students a voice n Shifts emphasis from the student to the response n

Key Points: Partners should be changed regularly (weekly etc. ) n Random pairing has been shown to be most effective n Be sure to check the pairs before the lesson (for absentees etc. ) n Create expectations for talking partner activities n

With a partner: Think of a higher order question from your content area that you might ask “talking partners” to answer. n Share a good question your partner developed. n

Other ways to get students talking about content: Snowballing – talking pairs share ideas with other pairs, fours combine and share to make eights. n Envoying – One student from each group moves to another group and shares ideas. n

FRAMING THE QUESTION Developing effective questions requires moving away from recall questioning. n Questions requiring higher order thinking processes can be developed by “reframing” recall questions. n n Here are 4 strategies:

1. Giving a range of answers Give students a range of possible answers with the question n Provide the right answer(s) n Answers that are “close” or “it depends” answers n And answers that “can’t be right” n Have students categorize the answers n

2. Turning a question into a statement Make a statement and ask students to discuss with their talking partner to decide if they agree or disagree. n Allows you to pose questions of higher DOK level. n

3. “One that works and one that doesn’t. ” Have students explain why one answer is correct or “works” and why another does not. n Talking partners discuss reasons to support one answer and refute the other. n

4. Giving the answer and asking how it was arrived at. Pose the question and go straight to the answer. n Have talking partners discuss how to explain the answer. n Great for solving equations. n

5. Asking a question from an opposing standpoint. Great potential for discussing issues in depth. n Forces students to think of issues from unconventional standpoints. n Good way to address different learning styles. n

CREATING A SUPPORTIVE QUESTIONING ENVIRONMENT Many students do not respond to questions out of fear or embarrassment. n Avoid words or tone of voice that create a negative climate. n Preface challenging questions with something like: “This is a tough one you’ll really have to think about. ” n

Responding to answers: n n n There are some ways to respond to right or wrong answers that can encourage analysis. Careful redirection can also reduce over reliance on the teacher. Most importantly, students need to feel “safe” when responding to questions.

Here are some ideas: Gathering: “Thank you, does anyone have anything to add/agree/disagree? ” n Echo: “Seventeen, would anyone like to agree or disagree? ” n Stalling: “Hold that thought and we’ll come back to it later. ” n

More questioning ideas: Transfer: “You read my mind, that’s the answer to another question I was going to ask. ” n Ask for elaboration: “Tell me more, I’m not sure I get what you’re saying. ” n Extra information: “You might also need to know…. ” n

3 Ways to Vary Questioning Style n Random Response n Choral Response n Signal Response

Random Response Names of all students in a container n Ask students to think about the question, pause and draw a name n Use visual and verbal cues n

Choral Response n Sometimes it is appropriate for the class to respond as a group n Use a verbal and visual cue to signal a “choral response” n Keeps a fast paced lesson going

Signal Response Use in pairs or individually n Use individual size white boards n Thumbs up / Thumbs down n Multiple Choice Flip Cards n Student Responder System n Teach them to wait for the signal to respond n

With a partner, discuss: n The benefits/impact of using these strategies… n The barriers…why we don’t see these strategies used more in our classrooms.