Task 2 - Ask 'Smart' Questions

If you are a teacher, a trainer, a learning facilitator…you know what it’s like when you want to get someone (student, participant) to respond or answer your question.

Don’t look at me, Sir. I don’t have the answer! [Image from GIPHY].

Most of the time, you will get this blank look…as if you are transparent!

This scenario is quite common in most traditional “passive” classrooms and it can be very discouraging even for enthusiastic teachers. Obviously, merely asking questions and pausing for students to think is insufficient — it hardly engages the students and makes them an active participant in the learning process. It is likely that you end up giving the answer for your own question!

The scenario above has been depicted in one of the scenes in 1986’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off movie. In that scene, Ben Stein as an Economics teacher was asking a question and repeatedly asking, ‘Anyone, anyone’ and end up answering his own question! This scene may look hilarious or funny but I believe still very much prevailing in real schools and universities to this day.

"A mind with no questions is a mind that is not intellectually alive. No questions (asked) equals no understanding (achieved). Superficial questions equal superficial understanding, unclear questions equal unclear understanding. If your mind is not actively generating questions, you are not engaged in substantive learning."

Excerpt from a book, The Miniature Guide to the Art of Asking Essential Questions by Linda Elder & Richard Paul.

TASK

Study the four types of classroom questions in the diagram above and Figure 1.1 Examples of Four Types of Classroom Questions in Chapter 1. What Makes a Question Essential?, I Essential Questions.

Choose any random topic or topics related to the subject you are teaching. Create one example for each type of question. Do the exercise here.

What makes a question "essential"?

Here are seven defining characteristics. A good essential question

Is open-ended; that is, it typically will not have a single, final, and correct answer.
Is thought-provoking and intellectually engaging, often sparking discussion and debate.
Calls for higher-order thinking, such as analysis, inference, evaluation, prediction. It cannot be effectively answered by recall alone.
Points toward important, transferable ideas within (and sometimes across) disciplines.
Raises additional questions and sparks further inquiry.
Requires support and justification, not just an answer.
Recurs over time; that is, the question can and should be revisited again and again.

Adapted from Chapter 1. What Makes a Question Essential?, I Essential Questions, by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins

TASK—Read the article, A Global Pandemic's Impact on Higher Education and make your own critical appraisal. Post one essential question below.

Prioritise Question

Another useful to engage students cognitively is to get them to ask thoughtful questions (or essential questions). For example, get them to read a selected article or watch a video and then post ONE QUESTION on Slido. Then, ask the students to vote which question they want the teacher to discuss in the class.

TASK—Read the article, A Global Pandemic's Impact on Higher Education and make your own critical appraisal. Post one essential question on Slido. Read all the questions posted by others. Vote THREE questions that you want the teacher to discuss in the class.

This groundbreaking book provides teachers with an accessible, research-based blueprint for developing student metacognitive skills and ensuring that students take responsibility for their own learning. The authors use the findings of cognitive scientists to highlight quality questioning behaviors and explain how to apply them for improved student outcomes. Key features include:

Short vignettes of quality questioning in action Evidence that ties question strategy to student achievement An overview of collaborative, written, electronic, and group response strategies Examples of how quality questioning connects to formative assessment Special note regarding the eBook version: Some figures have been redacted in compliance with digital rights permissions.

I've been reading the questioning approach in engaging students cognitively and determined to apply some of the techniques in the course I'm teaching this semester. One of the books I always recommend to people is Thinking Through Quality Questioning.

So, in a 2-hour class session today I managed to practice and apply some of the techniques quite successfully.

Based on the selected mind map prepared by students (using Popplet application), I used the technique of framing quality questions to take them slowly and deeply into the content (and towards the learning outcome of the session).

Yes, I believe the approach of letting the students uncover the content rather than covering the content for them (direct instruction) requires a major shift in paradigm and mindset on both the students and the teacher. It takes a lot of courage and huge effort in the preparation and planning but...it's really worth it!

Check out this presentation: Planning to Engage Students in Thinking Through Quality Questioning.

Further reading: Using Student-Generated Reading Questions to Uncover Knowledge Gaps

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