Questioning with Teacher Clarity in Mind Asynchronous Module

Kick off your learning by watching Questioning with Teacher Clarity in Mind: Building Background. 

To view the slide show, place your mouse in the top right-hand corner of the slide and click on the grey box with the white arrow to begin.

Each slide has a voice recording that provides further details or instructions. Please ensure your speakers are on and the volume is up.

Total slide show time: 20 minutes

Start to apply your learning by watching Questioning with Teacher Clarity in Mind: Questioning in the Classroom.  

To view the slide show, place your mouse in the top right-hand corner of the slide and click on the grey box with the white arrow to begin.

Each slide has a voice recording that provides further details or instructions. Please ensure your speakers are on and the volume is up.

Total slide show time: 5 minutes

Step 1: Review Observation Form (2 min) Find the Questioning Snapshot Observation Form in your note-taking template. Take a moment to review the form before watching the video.

Step 2: Watch Video (7 min) Watch the video of Ms. Thompson introducing quadrilaterals to her third grade students. As you watch, use the Questioning Snapshot Observation Form in your note-taking template to take notes, as if she asked you for your feedback regarding this instructional strategy. Specifically, focus on:

• What the Teacher Says/Does

  • Elicits Active Engagement

  • Sets High Academic Expectations

• What the Students Say/Do

  • Elicits Active Engagement

  • Sets High Academic Expectations

*At this time, do not focus on the row of the observation form that records “Reinforces Teacher Clarity”, since we are unaware of the sample teacher’s Learning Intentions and Success Criteria. 

Step 3: Feedback and Action Steps (3 min) On your own, synthesize your observations from the Questioning Snapshot Observation Form. Consider the following:

• What did Ms. Thompson do really well (glows)?

• What was an opportunity for improvement for Ms. Thompson (grows)?

• What is one clear action step for Ms. Thompson that she can implement to reinforce this instructional strategy?

Step 4: Reflect (9 min) Describe “glows” (3 min), then “grows” (3 min), and finally, “action steps” (3 min) on your in the "Glows, Grows, and Action Steps" graphic organizer. 

Step 1: Review Observation Form (1 min) Find the Questioning Snapshot Observation Form (this one will not have any sections greyed out) in your note-taking template and review each category. 

Step 2: Reflect (7 min) Determine the current state of implementing questioning in your classroom by highlighting each practice on the Questioning Snapshot Observation Form:

• Green- I do this in my classroom most of the time (provide evidence, if applicable)

• Yellow- I do this in my classroom some of the time (provide evidence, if applicable)

• Red- I would like more help with this (write questions, if needed)

You can highlight each practice in your note-taking template in green, yellow, or red by selecting the text you want to highlight, then clicking the highlighter icon in the toolbar. A menu of color options will show various shades, of which you can select any shade of green, yellow, or red according to your reflection of your level of implementation.

Step 3: Reflect (15 min) Think about your findings.

• Green (5 min) Reflect on which practices are happening most often in your classrooms (green) and how you know those practices are happening (evidence)

• Yellow (5 min) Then, think about which practices are happening in your classroom sometimes (yellow) and how you know (evidence)

• Red (5 min) Finally, reflect on which practices you would like more help with, and any questions you have. 

Step 4: Commit to Action (2 min) In the space below on your Reflect on Current State Activity, write down one or two “Look-Fors” you can start implementing in your classroom soon. 

Finally, consider how to extend your learning by watching Extension: Planning Questions with Teacher Clarity in Mind.  

To view the slide show, place your mouse in the top right-hand corner of the slide and click on the grey box with the white arrow to begin.

Each slide has a voice recording that provides further details or instructions. Please ensure your speakers are on and the volume is up.

Total slide show time: 5 minutes

Step 1: Align on Success Criteria (2 min) Decide what you want students to know based on the learning intention, rationale, and success criteria in this lesson (posted below for your reference).

4th Grade Science Lesson

Learning Intention

The What

Students will be able to explain the different parts of seeds and how they grow into plants by observing a seed germinate and grow.

Rationale

The Why

Plants are important for our world: Humans and animals eat them and need them to survive. Understanding the parts of plants and how plants grow from seeds allows us to better understand how to help them survive and grow. Scientists make observations and ask questions when learning about new things, and you can do the same when learning about plants.

Success Criteria

The How

• Make observations about the different parts of a seed and how they function and come up with questions about how seeds grow into plants.

• Describe what’s inside a seed, how it’s the same as a plant, and how a seed grows into a plant.

Step 2: Craft Questions (8 min) Based on your success criteria and what you want students to know/do after they’ve learned the content, plan some questions that you might ask throughout the lesson to support students’ learning. 

As you plan questions, here are additional considerations:

• What language modality will students use to demonstrate understanding? (ex. Will students be responding to questions via speaking or writing)

• What scaffolds or resources might you need to consider for students with unique learning needs? (ex. vocabulary support for multilingual learners, images or realia for non-readers, etc.)

• How might your questions elicit active engagement, set high academic expectations, and/reinforce teacher clarity?

Reflection (5 min)

To finish this module, please take a moment to reflect on what you've learned. Write down your thoughts and make specific commitments about how you will incorporate questioning into your practice.