# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
8 Free
canisters and Free storage box included with purchase of class sets of 8!

Learning Chips
Boost interaction. Boost learning. Learning Chips will have your class humming with interaction. Each set has 16 attractive, durable plastic chips. Each team lays a set of chips question side down on their desk. One student picks a chip and reads the question. All teammates take a turn responding. The next student picks the next chip and all teammates respond. Learning Chips are a terrific way to get students interacting over the learning topic! Just place a set of chips at a team table and let the non-stop discussion begin. They run themselves as a center. Chips are also great for whole-class activities. Give each student one chip. Have them mix, pair, and ask a partner the question on their chip. They trade chips and find new partners to question. $5 each set or get 8 sets for your class for only$29. Save $11!
Top Ideas for Using Learning Chips
Watch Video Demo

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
kagan publishing teaching catalog teacher resources school supplies music games cooperative learning differentiated instruction educational products esl ell foreign language posters multiple intelligences textbooks math books science literature social studies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
8 Free canisters and Free storage box included with purchase of class sets of 8! Learning Chips Boost interaction. Boost learning. Learning Chips will have your class humming with interaction. Each set has 16 attractive, durable plastic chips. Each team lays a set of chips question side down on their desk.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
by Terry Heick

Questions can be extraordinary learning tools.

A good question can open minds, shift paradigms, and force the uncomfortable but transformational cognitive dissonance that can help create thinkers. In education, we tend to value a student's ability to answer our questions. But what might be more important is their ability to ask their own great questions-and more critically, their willingness to do so.

The latter is a topic for another day, but the former is why we're here. This is part 2 of a short series (can two articles be considered a series?) built around the idea about how to ask great questions as learning tools. Part 1 'An Updated Guide For Questioning In The Classroom.'

8 Strategies To Help Students Ask Great Questions
1. TeachThought Learning Taxonomy

The TeachThought Learning Taxonomy is a template for critical thinking that frames cognition across six categories.

It imagines any learning product, goal, or objective as a 'thing,' (i.e.g, a subject of some kind) then suggests different ways to think about said 'thing'-mitosis, a math formula, an historical figure, a poem, a poet, a computer coding language, a political concept, a literary device, etc. It's designed to promote 'whole' thinking about otherwise discrete or disconnected ideas.

1. Function-thinking critically about how a 'thing' works

2. Self-Making sense of how the thinker relates to the 'thing'

3. Abstraction-Thinking about the 'thing' creatively, or in non-traditional ways

4. Parts-Seeing the individual parts of the 'thing'

5. Interdependence-Examining how the 'thing' relates to other (similar and non-similar) things

6. Whole-See the 'thing' fully and within context

A literary device-a metaphor example, is usually studied in isolation. This writer uses this metaphor in this way to this effect. Using the TeachThought Learning Taxonomy, a learner would be forced to confront that metaphor in much more diverse cognitive terrain-to think about something in multiple ways for a more complete picture and advanced understanding.

Function -Communicate the metaphor's most ideal utility (how it can and should be used, and why).

Self--Identity what you do and don't understand about the metaphor

Abstraction -Design a 'sequel' of the metaphor (not a simile-an extended metaphor would be a good start)

This framework can be used not only as a planning or assessment tool, but to promote students in self-directed learning and self-created questioning and examination. In short, they can use this framework (or a simplified version of it) to create their own questions. Some examples?
Prompt: Parts-Give examples and non-examples Questions: What are 3 examples and non-examples of mammals? What are 5 examples of push-pull factors? What are 3 non-examples of mixed fractions? Prompt: Interdependence-Direct others in using it Questions: How do-or might-others use alternative fuel sources to help create fresh water sources?
Prompt: Explain it differently to a novice or an expert
Questions: How would explain the Pythagorean Theorem differently to a 2nd grader and a college freshman? What would the main difference be?
The downside to using the TeachThought Learning Taxonomy to help students ask their own questions is the relative complexity of the framework, and the extra step of converting prompts to questions. Therefore, it's better suited to late middle school-university settings.

The upside? It can be used in any content area to think deeply about almost anything.
2. Digital Taxonomy Power Verbs
'Power verbs' aren't exclusive to Bloom's Taxonomy (see below). In addition to our TeachThought Learning Taxonomy (see above), there are 'verbs' that describe cognitive 'actions.' Add some kind of framework or hierarchy, and you've got a full 'taxonomy.'

Enter the 'digital taxonomy' power verbs. You can download a ready-for-the-classroom curricula version of our power verbs here, but you can do plenty with digital taxonomy power verbs to help students ask great questions without spending a penny. From designing projects and refining assessments to classroom, discussions and digital citizenship lessons, the 'actions'of students are among the most critical components of any learning experience.
3. Socratic Discussion
A Socratic Discussion, which is also referred to as a Socratic Seminar, is a group learning strategy designed to support students in open-ended examination and extended critical thinking through dialogic terms. In short, students learn together by talking together in an open and student-centered format. These discussions are not teacher-led, but student-led-students talk to one another.

It is a dialectal method of learning inspired by Socrates' iconic teaching methods that depend on a pattern of theory formation, revision, and elimination to arrive at loosely-held "truths." Used strategically, this approach should promote inquiry as learning and the close examination of one's own beliefs as primary catalysts for learning.
4. Paideia Seminar
A Paideia Seminar is similar to the Socratic Seminar-in fact, it uses Socratic Discussions on the part of the students, combined with a minor but clear role for teachers, to facilitate verbal and critical examination of ideas. From the (a?) Paideia Seminar website, "The Paideia Seminar is an integrated literacy event built around formal whole-class dialogue. The purpose for doing Paideia Seminar is to support students' ability to think conceptually and communicate collaboratively."

One of the key differences between a Paideia Seminar and a Socratic Seminar is that within the Paideia format, teachers are "allowed" a role, provided that that role doesn't exceed 10% of the total discussion. You can see a video here to learn more.
5. The Question Game

The Question Game focuses on "teaching children a kind of thinking which is particularly useful in creative problem-solving-a focused approach to get from a problem to the most effective solution. It is most effective when combined with regular repetition, which solidifies the thought pattern, and with groups, which encourages contributory exploration of alternative responses and creativity."

Its dice-form not only offers a whiz-bang manipulative, but also introduces a level of gamification and playful uncertainty into the process, and its open-ended and universal stems make it practical for a wide variety of classroom applications.
6. Bloom's Taxonomy
Similar to the TeachThought Taxonomy, Bloom's Taxonomy can act as a framework or pattern to funnel content, inquiry, or other learning processes. These use of the taxonomy to create universal stems is one approach as modeled in the following graphic from flickr user enokson.

7. Question Formulation Technique
We'll have more on this soon but in short, the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) is a kind of question brainstorming process based around a topic as a kind of kernel.

In their words of the Right Question Institute, QFT is "straightforward, rigorous process that helps all students learn how to produce their own questions, improve their questions, and strategize on how to use their questions. In the process, they develop divergent, convergent and metacognitive thinking abilities."

For now, you can read more about the QFT here.
8. Question Stems
As seen in the Bloom's graphic, sentence stems and question stems are wonderful tools that can empower students to ask questions by giving them a head-start in doing so.

By using a 'stem,' a teacher has set the ball on the proverbial tee for the student to smash. Yes, ideally the student asks their own great questions, but what if they can't-or don't think they can? What if they don't? What if they're still learning how? What if they lack the background knowledge in some narrow sect of science or math or whatever, and need a push in the back? Stems can help.

See also 26 Sentence Stems For Higher-Level Conversation In The Classroom

Question stems are a more elementary questioning strategy than the Question Formation Technique (see above), but not necessarily less effective. They can be used for younger students, students struggling with a concept, or even "advanced learners" (not a huge fan of this term) as they narrow an open-ended learning experience, or to be used as 'bread crumbs' in the case that the teacher is trying to help them arrive at a pre-determined destination. Some examples?

8 Basic Question Stem Examples

Which differences between ____ and ____ stand out to you?

Why does____never seem to____?

How does_____impact____?

How does _____ work?

What's most important about?

What's most simple/complex about ______?

How could you classify____? (And 'Why would you classify____?')

When____, why does____?
8 Strategies To Help Students Ask Great Questions; image attribution flickr user enokson

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
8 Strategies To Help Students Ask Great Questions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A good question can open minds, shift paradigms, and force the uncomfortable. Here are strategies to help students ask great questions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As a principal, I want my teachers to teach student how to read a text closely. After going through your Powerpoint, reading the questions you suggest and the responses, I think professional development in developing questions would be required to ensure they were actually asking the right kind of questions.
One of the biggest implementation problems with Common Core that I see is that teachers (and curriculum designers) don't understand close reading well enough to ask appropriate questions. The point of the questions is to guide students' to think about the text in effective ways.

To help this principal (and others) to provide the professional development noted above, I have provided what I hope will be a useful example. But let's start off with a bit of explanation.

First, the questions should be about important issues raised by the text. Some people are taking close reading to mean "precise" reading or "thorough" reading. If you are asking about a story, you should ask about details that would be important in a summary of the story (e.g., character motivation, key plot details, theme). "Close" is not a synonym for "trivial."

Second, the questions should be text dependent. That just means that it shouldn't be possible to answer the question without reading the text. The focus of close reading should be on what the author presents, and not on anything else. That's the reason why it's a good idea for students to explain or support their answers with text evidence (proof - from the text)

Third, the questions should help the readers to accomplish three interpretive goals. Specifically, they should help the reader to think about what the text said (key ideas and details), how the text worked (craft and structure), and what it means (integration of knowledge and meaning). Unlike in other questioning schemes, these questions do not try to get kids to exercise particular thinking skills (e.g., inference, higher order reasoning, comparison); they focus on interpreting the text rather than on exercising particular cognitive muscles.

I have attached an old basal reader story (from the 1955-1965 period), The Railroad Cat , and below I have listed questions that I might ask a group of second- or third-graders about this story. I have separated my questions out into three sets - one set for each major interpretive goal, but they don't have to be asked in that way; they can be interspersed with each other.

I do think that it is a good idea to ask your questions in an order that helps students to follow through the text in an "orderly manner," particularly with regard to a first read or the key ideas and details questions. It is not enough that kids get practice reading texts, but they should come away knowing more about their world. If the questions/discussion/task takes you through the content in a well-organized way, students will be more likely to come away with content knowledge. Thus, you could have the students read this story three times, and each time use a different set of questions; or you could simply intersperse the second two sets of questions into the first wherever you think they fit best. In each list here, I have gone through the story in the same order that the author presented the pertinent information.

Of the three sets of questions, the "craft and structure" questions are the most characteristic of close reading (the other interpretive goals are important too, but they are not unique to close reading). That means that most of us need more practice with "craft and structure" - something largely or entirely neglected in the video that I recently critiqued in this space.

You may notice that I did not go through and try to have a balance of "right there" and "think and search questions" or that I didn't fool with Bloom's taxonomy. The reason is quite simple: my focus is on - and should be on - the text during close reading. If a text is very explicit, then I'll ask a lot more comprehension or "right there" questions. If the text is more oblique, then we'll end up with more inferencing practice. The point isn't the inferencing practice, however, it is to get students to think closely about the meaning of the particular text we are reading now (that's one of the reasons close reading questions are hard - because they follow each text, not some questioning scheme).

Questions about key ideas and details: what did the text say?

1. What was special about Tom?

2. What did Tom do when the men were loading the train?

3. Why did he pretend to sleep?

4. What did Tom do that got his picture in the newspaper?

5. How did his life change after he got in the newspaper?

6. What happened when the chipmunk showed up?

7. Why did Tom follow the chipmunk?

8. When he was in the railroad car what was Tom's problem?

9. When Tom got out of the car where was he?

10. Who found Tom?

11. How did the engineer know that Tom wanted to go with him?

12. Why did the engineer take him?

13. When the engineer and Tom left what was their problem?

14. When Tom yowled, what did the engineer think he wanted?

15. What changed the engineer's mind?

16. What did the fireman think Tom meant?

17. So what did the engineer do?

18. According to the engineer, why was it so important Tom yowled?

19. How did Tom know the bridge was out?

20. What happened after Tom saved the train?

Questions about craft and structure: how did the text work?

1. What does the author mean when he writes that Tom "had never seen a kitchen nor climbed a back yard fence"?

2. What is a "conveyor belt"?

3. What's "freight"?

4. On page 1, the story says that Tom was a "hero." What does that mean? (What made him a hero?)

5. On page 2, the author puts some words in quotation marks ("Oh, boy!," "Fish at last!" "thank you"). What is he trying to show by doing that? Can Tom talk?

6. What kind of story is this (fantasy or realistic fiction)?

7. On page 4, it again calls Tom a "hero." How is the meaning of "hero" different here than on page 1?

8. Why does the author tell us about the chipmunk again at the end?

Questions about integration of knowledge and meaning: what did the text mean?

1. The author used the word "hero" in two different ways. Which meaning is the right one?

2. What's the difference between being a hero and being famous?

3. Is it better to be a hero or to be famous

4. What was the point of the story? What did the author want you to learn from Tom?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As a principal, I want my teachers to teach student how to read a text closely. After going through your Powerpoint, reading the questions you suggest and the responses, I think professional development in developing questions would be required to ensure they were actually asking the right kind of questions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Fordham, N. W. (2006). Crafting questions that address comprehension strategies in content reading. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 49, 390-396.

Liang, L. A., Watkins, N. M., Graves, M. F., & Hosp, J. (2010). Postreading questioning and middle school students' understanding of literature. Reading Psychology, 31, 347-364.

Raphael, T.E., & Au, K.H. (2005). QAR: Enhancing comprehension and test taking across grades and content areas. The Reading Teacher, 59, 206-221.

Wilson, N. S., & Smetana, L. (2011). Questioning as thinking: A metacognitive framework to improve comprehension of expository text. Literacy, 45, 84-90.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The question-answer relationship (QAR) comprehension strategy teaches students how to ask key questions about their reading, and then how to find the answers to their questions - whether it means locating a specific fact, drawing an inference, or connecting the reading to their own experience.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Giving students several seconds to think after asking a question—and up to two minutes for some questions—improves their learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Questioning techniques are a heavily used, and thus widely researched, teaching strategy. Research indicates that asking questions is second only to lecturing. Teachers typically spend anywhere from 35 to 50 percent of their instructional time asking questions. But are these questions effective in raising student achievement? How can teachers ask better questions of their students? How can current educational research inform practice?

Asking Better Questions: Part 2

This article was written by Jessica Fries-Gaither. For more information, see the Contributors page. Email Kimberly Lightle, Principal Investigator, with any questions about the content of this site.
Copyright October 2008 - The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0733024. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. This work is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons license.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Questioning Techniques: Research-Based Strategies for Teachers - Energy and the Polar Environment - Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Questioning techniques are a heavily used, and thus widely researched, teaching strategy. Research indicates that asking questions is second only to lecturing. Teachers typically spend anywhere from 35 to 50 percent of their instructional time asking questions. But are these questions effective in raising student achievement?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
by TeachThought Staff

In one sentence, Bloom's Taxonomy is a hierarchical ordering of cognitive skills that can, among countless other uses, help teachers teach, and students learn.

For example, Bloom's Taxonomy can be used to:

create assessments

frame discussions

plan lessons (see 249 Bloom's Taxonomy Verbs For Critical Thinking)

evaluate the complexity of assignments

design curriculum maps

develop online courses project-based learning (often through project-based learning ideas)

self-assessment

See How To Teach With Bloom's Taxonomy for more reading.

A Brief History Of Bloom's Taxonomy Revisions

Bloom's Taxonomy was created by Benjamin Bloom in 1956, published as a kind of classification of learning outcomes and objectives that have, in the more than half-century since, been used for everything from framing digital tasks and evaluating apps to writing questions and assessments.

The original sequence of cognitive skills was Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. The framework was revised in 2001 by Lorin Anderson and David Krathwohl, yielding the revised Bloom's Taxonomy. The most significant change to the Cognitive Domain was the removal of 'Synthesis' and the addition of 'Creation' as the highest level of Bloom's Taxonomy. And being at the highest level, the implication is that it's the most complex or demanding cognitive skill-or at least represents a kind of pinnacle for cognitive tasks.

See also 100 Bloom's Taxonomy Verbs For Critical Thinking

How Bloom's Taxonomy Is Useful For Teachers

In a separate post, we're going to cover exactly how Bloom's can be used by teachers. There are many reasons for the popularity of Bloom's Taxonomy (that likely deserve an article of their own to explore). For now, it's clear that many educators love Bloom's because, among other virtues, it gives them a way to think about their teaching-and the subsequent learning of their students.

As mentioned above, the framework can be used to create assessments, evaluate the complexity of assignments, increase the rigor of a lesson, simplify an activity to help personalize learning, design a summative assessment, plan project-based learning, frame a group discussion, and more. Because it simply provides an order for cognitive behaviors, it can be applied to almost anything. (You can see one example here-one of our teaching materials that combined Bloom's Taxonomy with common digital tasks.)

The image above visually demonstrates the levels of Bloom's Taxonomy as a spectrum rather than a hierarchy to allow for room for the 'power verbs' that can act as synonyms (and thus activity ideas) for teachers planning lessons and units.

There are six levels in Bloom's Taxonomy (the initialism RUAAEC may be useful to recall the levels).

The 6 Levels of Bloom's Taxonomy

1. The first level is to Remember.

Example activities at the Remembering level: memorize a poem, recall state capitals, remember math formulas

2. The second level is to Understand.

Example activities at the Understanding level: organize the animal kingdom based on a given framework, illustrate the difference between a rectangle and a square, summarize the plot of a simple story

3. The third level is to Apply.

Example activities at the Application level: use a formula to solve a problem, select a design to meet a purpose, reconstruct the passage of a new law through a given government/system

4. The fourth level is to Analyze.

Example activities at the Analysis level: identify the 'parts of' democracy, explain how the steps of the scientific process work together, identify why a machine isn't working

5. The fifth level is to Evaluate.

Example activities at the Evaluation level: make a judgment regarding an ethical dilemma, interpret the significance of a given law of physics, illustrate the relative value of a technological innovation in a specific setting-a tool that helps recover topsoil farming, for example.

6. The sixth and highest level is to Create.

Example activities at the Creation level: design a new solution to an 'old' problem that honors/acknowledges the previous failures, delete the least useful arguments in a persuasive essay, write a poem based on a given theme and tone

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What Is Bloom's Taxonomy? A Definition For Teachers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Bloom's Taxonomy is a hierarchical ordering of cognitive skills that can, among countless other uses, help teachers teach and students learn.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Question stems are highly valuable learning tools. Versatile and adaptable to virtually any grade level or subject,

they're also a great way to stimulate higher-order thinking practice.

They can hone critical thinking skillsto a razor sharpness not only through practice, but even through simply observing them. That's our hope for the index of Bloom's Taxonomy question stems we've got for you here.

When you look at one, the possibilities are endless for them. They should immediately inspire students to begin considering all the ways they could fill in those blanks.

All of these are general enough to be widely applicable to a decent range of topics

that will ensure your learners never get bored.Enjoy exploring these question stems for any year or subject, and watch your learners' minds bloom.

140+ Bloom's Taxonomy Question Stems for Learning

Remembering:

Understanding:

Applying:

Analyzing:

Evaluating:

Creating:

What Else Is on the Table?

Glad you asked. Speaking of tables, be sure to check out our terrific resource, the Bloom's Taxonomy Periodic Table of Activities. It has even more ideas to go along with the question stems above. This interactive resource reveals an activity when you mouse over each "element" that corresponds to its place on the taxonomic hierarchy. Between these two Bloom's resources, you'll never run out of learning ideas.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Big List of Bloom's Taxonomy Question Stems

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Question stems are highly valuable learning tools. Versatile and adaptable to virtually any grade level or subject, they're also a great way to stimulate higher-order thinking practice. They can hone critical thinking skillsto a razor sharpness not only through practice, but even through simply observing them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
February 2013 | Volume 70 | Number 5
Creativity Now! Pages 76-77

Robert J. Marzano

Questioning is a potentially powerful tool that teachers can use to help students better understand academic content. However, simply asking more questions of more students might not produce the desired effect.

In working with and observing teachers, I've found that the questions they ask students can be organized into four levels, each of which demands deeper thinking of the student.

Level 1: Details

Level 1 questions ask students to recall or recognize details about specific types of information. For example, a teacher might ask, "What is one of Jack London's most popular works, and what is it about?" or "Describe some important characteristics of the Rocky Mountains in the United States."

We commonly think of Level 1 questions as "lower level." However, they have their place in learning new content because teachers commonly begin by asking students questions about narrower types of information-such as specific people (like Jack London); specific groups and organizations (like the U.S. Congress); and specific intellectual, artistic, and cognitive products (like the Greek play Prometheus Bound)-before progressing to more general and abstract content, such as mental processes and procedures (like rounding techniques in mathematics). (For a look at these types of information and examples of the four levels of questions for each, go to www.ascd.org/el0213marzano.)

Level 2: Characteristics

Level 2 questions move the focus to the general category to which a Level 1 topic belongs. For example, a Level 2 question about Jack London might be, "Jack London is thought of as an adventure writer. What are some characteristics of writers who specialize in adventure stories?" or "What are some differences between older mountain ranges like the Rocky Mountains and newer mountain ranges like the Olympic Mountains in Washington State?" Here the focus shifts from a specific person (Jack London) or place (the Rocky Mountains) to the general category to which that person or place belongs (outdoor adventure writer, mountain ranges).

Level 2 questions ask students to describe the characteristics of a given category. This might involve comparing and contrasting characteristics, such as those of two different mountain ranges. Such questions might also ask students to identify elements that fit within a category. For example, a Level 2 question about the Battle of Gettysburg might ask students to consider some other battles from wars they've studied that have had a similarly large loss of life.

Cognitively, Level 2 questions require a broader perspective than Level 1 questions require. Instead of thinking of Jack London in isolation, for example, students must consider him as part of a larger system.

Level 3: Elaborations

Level 3 questions ask students to elaborate on the characteristics of and elements within a cate-gory. Typically, such questions require students to explain the reasons something happens. For example, a teacher might say, "Explain why adventure writers tend to participate in adventurous situations themselves" or "Explain why older mountain ranges are less jagged." Level 3 questions can also require students to explain the effect of something. In a discussion about the Battle of Gettysburg, a teacher might ask, "What effect does major loss of life in a single battle have on ending or prolonging a war?"

Level 3 questions are more cognitively complex than Level 2 questions because students must explain the working dynamics of how or why certain things occur or exist.

Level 4: Evidence

Level 4 questions require students to provide support or evidence for their elaborations. They might ask students to identify sources that support their elaborations. A teacher might ask, "What sources support your conclusions about why older mountain ranges are less jagged?" They may require students to explain the reasoning behind their elaborations; the premises, rules, or generalizations they used to form their conclusions; or any exceptions that their conclusions don't seem to explain. When answering Level 4 questions, students might even find errors in premises, rules, or generalizations they previously thought to be true.

A teacher can initiate Level 4 questions in class, but these typically require extra time to answer because students must articulate sources or information or analyze their own thinking. Consequently, Level 4 questions frequently become homework that students begin in class but turn in later.

Planning for Deep Thinking

To plan for this type of leveled questioning, teachers first must consider the specific details they want to highlight about a topic and then construct appropriate Level 1 questions. Next, they must consider the general category to which their topic belongs and the characteristics of that general category. They will need to construct Level 2 questions around these. Teachers can ask Level 1 and Level 2 questions of the entire class, making sure that all students have opportunities to respond.

When constructing Level 3 questions, teachers need to consider which specific characteristics they would like students to explain. Because Level 3 questions are typically rather complex, the teacher might organize students in groups to formulate explanations. Each group might present explanations, followed by a class discussion of those explanations.

Finally, when designing Level 4 questions, teachers need to consider whether they want students to cite specific sources for their explanations, examine the logic of their own reasoning, or qualify their conclusions. Level 4 questions typically take more than a single class period to address and might even extend across multiple class periods, so it's necessary to take into account how long students will be given to complete such assignments.

Planning a lesson that uses all four of these levels can transform classroom questions into analytic tasks that require students to think at increasingly complex levels.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Asking Questions-At Four Different Levels - Educational Leadership

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
February 2013 | Volume 70 | Number 5 Creativity Now! Pages 76-77 Robert J. Marzano Questioning is a potentially powerful tool that teachers can use to help students better understand academic content. However, simply asking more questions of more students might not produce the desired effect.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
4 Questioning Strategies For Effective & Thoughtful Teaching
This is the first article in a series of 4 discussing strategies to assist in becoming a better teacher. Each article is based around a poster that I have up in my classroom, with each poster having 4 sections that deal with a general topic I want to work on in my teaching: Questioning, Feedback, Classroom expectations, and Listening.

Questioning can be an enormously powerful weapon in the teacher's arsenal, but can be equally as ineffective if not applied with diligence.

There are numerous excellent discussions to be found on effective questioning, especially in relation to the types of questions to ask, but I decided to create a visual representation that I could pin up on my wall of what I thought were the cornerstones of effective questioning. The poster is for myself, and the students, and is to remind us both of the questioning routine in the room.
4 Questioning Strategies For Effective & Thoughtful Teaching 1. Agree-Build-Challenge
The first quadrant 'Agree Build Challenge': is very effective in deepening thoughts, as students are asked to either agree with another student's response and justify their choice, or build on it, or disagree with it and state why, with an opposing view. It's a great way to keep students on their toes, but also to encourage them to think deeply about the topic at hand. Some fantastic discussions have arisen as a result of this method, and even those not directly involved are still engaged as they side with one of the views.
2. Cold Call
The 2 nd quadrant is 'Cold Calling'. This is effective as it also keeps students on their toes as they know that they could be asked a question at any time, regardless if their hand is up or not. It builds a culture of alertness in the room. Even those who don't know the answer are returned to after the answer has been generated from the room and must contribute then, thus preventing the opt out.
3. Wait
The 3 rd quadrant is perhaps my weakest point in questioning - waiting for the question to sink in before I call on a student. It's especially hard if a student immediately raises their hand and is clearly keen to answer.

But waiting serves many purposes:

it lets the whole group think before the answer is given for them

it makes the person about to answer think that little bit more to refine their thoughts before offering to the group

it lets you gauge the groups' attentiveness to the question: who's thinking about it and who's not

and finally, it encourages more participation as students know that it's not first past the post when a question is posed. I take several answers before commenting, and often ask for ABC on responses offered.

4. No Calling Out
The final quadrant is a must in any classroom. Preventing calling out is essential because when students yell out answers to questions it stops others from thinking about the question. Students soon work out that the work has been done for them - there's no point in still thinking about the question anymore, which prevents any depth of thought form happening.

Even if calling out is still a habit in your room, don't respond to the answers - make it clear that you don't just take the first response and that's it. Students soon learn that calling out has no value or advantage, and relatively quickly form better answering habits.

Above all, these techniques seem to create deeper thinking from my students, and a more productive and engaging classroom. Try them out and see if they help you too. Feel free to print out the poster also - the only cost is that you take a photo of it in your room and tweet it to me @edmerger.
4 Questioning Strategies For Effective & Thoughtful Teaching
Experienced Teacher Questioning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
4 Questioning Strategies For Effective & Thoughtful Teaching -

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
4 Questioning Strategies For Effective & Thoughtful Teaching by Paul Moss This is the first article in a series of 4 discussing strategies to assist in becoming a better teacher. Each article is based around a poster that I have up in my classroom, with each poster having 4 sections that deal with a general ...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Questioning skills refer to one's ability to formulate and respond to questions about situations, objects, concepts, and ideas. There are two levels of questions: low-level questions and high-level questions. Questioning strategies are useful to instructors for effectively planning class participation activities, for designing homework assignments, and for writing exams. The strategies help instructors to match their goals or objectives for an assignment with the actual components of the assignment. Other functions of questioning strategies are as follows.

to motivate and to interest

to reveal prior misconceptions

to evaluate

to guide thinking

to discipline, manage, or control

to encourage involvement of passive learners

to diagnose strengths and weaknesses

to understand how students form concepts

to help students form the habit of reflection

to gain insight about students' interests

to increase students' incentive to inquire

to help students learn to construct meaning

to help students set realistic expectations

to summarize information

to relate concepts

to provide student feedback

to give listening clues

Lower Level Questions Higher Level Questions

How is this idea like . . . ?

How does this idea today compare with ideas of 20 years ago?

How does this idea in the U.W. compare with ideas in another country?

Which three ideas are most alike?

Discuss the statement, "ASL is not a language."

Some people think that English skills deteriorate when Sign is used, on what do they base this assumption? What do you think?

What do you think of the person or situation; why do you feel this way?

Find the opinions; find the facts. Are the supporting reasons logical? emotional? ethical?

source: http://www.muskingum.edu/~cal/database/general/questioning.html
Developed by Karen Kimmel for the
Gallaudet University English Department
from Dr. Gerald Begy,
SUNY College at Brockport

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Questioning skills refer to one's ability to formulate and respond to questions about situations, objects, concepts, and ideas. There are two levels of questions: low-level questions and high-level questions. Questioning strategies are useful to instructors for effectively planning class participation activities, for designing homework assignments, and for writing exams. The strategies help instructors to match their goals or objectives for an assignment with the actual components of the assignment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I've been bringing my shared reading teaching into my small groups. The students read a text during shared reading and we spend time analyzing the text and really digging in - nuances of the language, comprehension of the text, vocabulary, and so on. From there we move into small groups where students answer standards-based questions about the text.
My concern at this point is this: I find myself doing pretty much the same lesson in small groups for all the groups. Should I be doing this (answering standards-based questions) in the whole group instruction? Then what about small groups? What do they look like? Part of the difficulty I experience is that I only have 90 minutes of reading instruction. This is supposed to be 30 minutes whole group instruction, in which I am to teach phonics, vocabulary, writing, grammar, comprehension, etc.; and 60 minutes of small group. As you can imagine, it is difficult to do all the teaching that needs to be done in 30 minutes prior to moving into small groups. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions/comments/insights. Shanahan's response:
I would never organize my instructional day around a grouping scheme or classroom management plan.

Changing the size of the group I'm going to teach is something that I do strategically. I teach individuals or smaller groups or the whole class based on what I'm trying to accomplish. If I can meet my teaching objective more certainly or more efficiently by grouping in a particular way, then that's what I try to do.

Examples:

(A) Yesterday, I taught a lesson to my class and a half-dozen kids didn't do well with it. I want to meet with the laggards again to reteach that lesson.

(B) I'm teaching PA and it is difficult to get the kids to see my mouth when I'm saying words, so I divide into smaller groups to intensify the teaching.

(C) I've been teaching my class using reciprocal teaching. I've been working with them as a whole class demonstrating how to use predicting, questioning, summarizing, and clarifying, and I've been gradually releasing control to them. Today I want to take another step in that direction, so I've divided my class into four groups and everyone has a particular responsibility for reading a shared text and taking part in the discussion (for instance, one child in each group is responsible for getting everyone to make a prediction and so on). Each group is working on this while I move from group-to-group as necessary.

I might decide that I'm going to need 10-15 minutes with a small group to reteach a lesson as shown in example A, but I will do this because I have a small group that needs reteaching to accomplish an objective - not because it's "small-group time."

If you look at these three examples, you'll see that I'm using grouping for a variety of reasons. First, I used it to differentiate instruction. In example A, some kids need instruction that the others do not. I can do that most efficiently by splitting off a group for a brief period of time.

I'm also using grouping to allow intensification of the students' learning experiences in a lesson and to better control attention. In example B, I wanted the kids to not just hear the words, but to see their articulation up close - in order to speed their progress in developing the ability to perceive the language sounds.

And, I use grouping to foster greater independence. In example C, the kids have to guide and help each other more, though I'm still hovering nearby. At some point, I'll have them applying these strategies independently, but for now the groups create opportunities for the kids to explain the strategies to each other and to execute them with less teacher support.

We often think of small groups as being of a particular size or purpose ... but even when you do something like paired-reading for fluency, you are grouping, though the groups in that case only have two kids in each. Which is my favorite configuration for fluency practice... I can circulate from pair to pair during a 30-minute lesson, and on average everyone gets 15 minutes of reading practice, substantially more oral reading experience than kids can get even in more traditional small groups.

If you find yourself repeating the same lesson over-and-over, as you describe, then I think you are wasting time. Try having kids respond to those same kinds of questions with the whole class, rather than in groups.

I'd use white boards or the kids' notebooks for this ... getting everyone to jot answers down prior to discussion. In other words, I'll get individual responses before we open it up to the whole class discussion. That means everyone has to think about the questions, everyone has to try to answer. You can seat kids so as to allow you to monitor those written responses easily (I favor horseshoes and double horseshoe seating plans. That way, you'll know who's having trouble and can address those needs (immediately, or later, perhaps in small group).

Of course, you can use think-pair-share or turn-and-talk for this purpose as well (as you can see, there is not one way to skin a reading objective).

Experiment with all of this but approaching the problem this way should provide a more powerful teaching experience for the kids, and more satisfying professional experience for you.

You'll have more time for a deeper discussion of each selection, every student will have an opportunity to respond to every query, and, if you hone your discussion-leader skills, you might not even lose any of the interactions that you are currently generating in the small group discussions.

Another possibility would be to ramp up text difficulty even more ... working with texts that the kids struggle with - and staying with those texts until the kids can read them at an instructional level (which would mean by the end they would read that text fluently and with high comprehension).

With texts that difficult, the kids will need closer reading supervision. Small group teaching in such a circumstance very well might have the different groups reading the same texts and trying to answer the same questions. The grouping would not lead so much to different teaching, but to everyone getting sufficient support when trying to accomplish something they couldn't do without that much support.

If you were a plumber, we would not prescribe daily "wrench time" for your practice. That'd be silly, since a wrench is just a tool that a plumber uses to address various problems. You want him to use it as needed.

You may not be a plumber, but you are a teacher, and small-group teaching is nothing more than a tool. Use it to address real problems. Small group time is not how you spending a particular part of your day.
See comments here >

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What Should Small Group Reading Instruction Look Like? | Reading Rockets

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teacher question: I've been bringing my shared reading teaching into my small groups. The students read a text during shared reading and we spend time analyzing the text and really digging in - nuances of the language, comprehension of the text, vocabulary, and so on.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Guided Reading Prompts and Questions to Improve Comprehension

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As a third grade teacher, I sometimes feel like I'm in literacy limbo, sandwiched between lower elementary students who are learning to read, and the upper elementary students who are reading to learn. Each year my class has students reading all along the continuum, from developing to fluent to proficient, which means I'm sometime juggling up to six guided reading and skill groups.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Primary & Secondary English Tuition Centre | Voted #1 English Tuition Class | Specialising in English tuition and enrichment programs for primary and secondary school students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The comprehension component isn't as straightforward as the one in our days where it consisted mainly of factual questions. It is now a lot more complex and requires students to be equipped with a varied set of techniques to answer the various types of questions.
Based on the comprehension questions from the past PSLE exam papers, we have identified 8 different types of comprehension questions that can be tested. Knowing the different types and the requirements for each of them will allow the student to acquire the marks for them with ease.

1. Factual

The most straightforward type of question. Such questions focus on obvious details from the passage. The students are required to simply find these obvious details to answer BUT they have to be careful not to lift and take only what is necessary.

Examples:

1. What did Ethan bring to class?

2. Where was Julian in the afternoon?

2. Inference

These questions are less direct compared to factual questions. They require the students to think like detectives and look for clues instead of obvious answers in the text. For instance, looking at the phrase "the sun was directly above their heads", the student should be able to deduce that it was noon time.

Examples:

1. Why did Kyle help the old man?

2. Which phrase tells you that Keith was angry?

3. Sequencing

This type of question requires students to figure out the order in which events happened in a story. However, this question is not asking which event APPEARED first. An event that appeared in the first paragraph may not have happened first.

__2__ Thaddeus realised he left his wallet at home.

__1__ It was recess time.

__3__ Mrs Goh offered a sandwich to Thaddeus.

*4. True or False

For these questions, students have to identify whether a given statement is entirely true or if a false detail is given. The students are to provide evidence to prove why the statement is true (by finding the original sentence) or false (by finding the false detail). Find that detail and write the answer in a way that matches (if true) or contrasts (if false) with the statement.

*5. Cause and Effect

These questions are asking the students to identify the cause (what made something happen) and effects (what happened as a result of the cause). A useful tip is to write "because" on top of the Cause column and "so" in the effect column. When the two are strung together, it helps them to understand the question requirement more clearly.

*6. Before / After

These questions require students to make comparisons and identify a given detail in the statement which changed over time. Once again, do not confuse this with events that appeared first (appearing first doesn't necessarily mean that it happened first).

7. Vocabulary in Context

These questions are basically testing the students' vocabulary. However, do not forget that many words have multiple meanings. Identify the correct usage of the words based on the way they are used in the passage (that's why it's called "in context").

Examples:

1. Which word/ phrase has the opposite meaning as...?

2. Find the words that have similar meanings to the following words...

8. Applied Vocabulary

Different from the vocabulary in context questions, these questions are usually tougher as it requires the students to analyse and use their own words to describe a situation or characters accurately.

Examples:

1. How would you describe the atmosphere in the classroom when the teacher stepped in? (e.g. tense, relaxed)

2. How would you describe Mr August's character in the passage? (e.g. serious, friendly)

* These types of questions are usually presented in table form. The questions may be factual or inferential in nature.
For over 15 years, Augustine's English Classes has helped hundreds of students fall in love with the subject and excelling in school exams. If you are interested to know how our classes work, or what our secret winning formula is, do feel free to drop us a message or give us a call.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
8 Types of Questions You Must Know About | Augustine's

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The comprehension component isn't as straightforward as the one in our days where it consisted mainly of factual questions. It is now a lot more complex and requires students to be equipped with a varied set of techniques to answer the various types of questions.

# data[].attributes.headline
Reading Comprehension Questions for Parents to Ask

# data[].attributes.subject
Reading Comprehension Questions for Parents to Ask