{"id":228775,"date":"2024-06-06T01:46:52","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T01:46:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/06\/questioning-in-the-classroom-an-updated-guide\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:17:47","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:17:47","slug":"questioning-in-the-classroom-an-updated-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/06\/questioning-in-the-classroom-an-updated-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Questioning In The Classroom: An Updated Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"text\">\n<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\">\n<\/aside>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/goodquestions.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"756\" height=\"567\" src=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/goodquestions.png\" alt=\"guide to questioning in the classroom\" class=\"wp-image-44895\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/goodquestions.png 756w, https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/goodquestions-150x113.png 150w, https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/goodquestions-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/goodquestions-86x64.png 86w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 756px) 100vw, 756px\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>by <strong>Terry Heick<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If the ultimate goal of education is for students to be able to answer questions effectively, then focusing on content and response strategies makes sense.\u00a0If the ultimate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/learning\/the-point-of-school\/\"><strong>goal of education<\/strong><\/a> is to teach students to think, then focusing on how we can help students ask better questions themselves might make sense, no?<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-questions-are-more-important-than-answers\"><strong>Why Questions Are More Important Than Answers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The ability to ask the right question at the right time is a powerful indicator of authentic understanding. Asking a question that pierces the veil in any given situation is itself an artifact of the critical thinking teachers so desperately seek in students, if for no other reason than it shows what the student knows, and then implies the desire to know more.<\/p>\n<p>Asking a question (using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/critical-thinking\/strategies-to-help-students\/\"><strong>strategies to help students ask better questions<\/strong><\/a>, for example) is a sign of understanding, not ignorance; it requires both knowledge and then\u2013critically\u2013the ability to see what else you\u2019re missing.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a title=\"Why Questions Are More Important Than Answers\" href=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/critical-thinking\/questions-more-important\/\">Questions are more important than answers<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>because they reflect understanding and curiosity in equal portions. To ask a question is to see both backward and forward\u2013to make sense of a thing and what you know about it, and then extend outward in space and time to imagine what else can be known, or what others might know.\u00a0To ask a great question is to see the conceptual ecology of the thing.<\/p>\n<p>In a classroom, a student can see a drop of water, a literary device, a historical figure, or a math theorem, but these are just worthless fragments. A student in biology studying a drop of water must see the water as infinitely plural\u2013as something that holds life and something that gives life.<\/p>\n<p>As a marker of life, and an icon of health.<\/p>\n<p>It is a tool, a miracle, a symbol, and a matter of science.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"line-height: 1.5;\">They must know what\u2019s potentially inside a drop of water and how to find out what\u2019s actually inside that drop of water.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"line-height: 1.5;\">They must know what others have found studying water and what that drop of water means within and beyond the field of science.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>They must know that water is never really just water.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" src=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/question-game-critical-thinking.jpg\" alt=\"question-game-critical-thinking\" class=\"wp-image-19709\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/question-game-critical-thinking.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/question-game-critical-thinking-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\"\/><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-teacher-questions-vs-student-questions\"><strong>Teacher Questions vs Student Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>When teachers try to untangle this cognitive mess, they sacrifice personalization for efficiency. There are too many students, and too much content to cover, so they cut to the chase.<\/p>\n<p>Which means then tend towards the universal over the individual\u2013broad, sweeping questions intermingling with sharper, more concise questions that hopefully shed some light and cause some curiosity. In a class of 30 with an aggressively-paced curriculum map and the expectation that every student master the content regardless of background knowledge, literacy level, or interest in the material, this is the best most teachers can do.<\/p>\n<p>This only a bottleneck, though, when the teacher asks the questions. When the student asks the question, the pattern is reversed. The individual student has little regard for the class\u2019s welfare, especially when forming questions. They\u2019re on the clock to say something, anything. Which is great, because questions\u2013when they\u2019re authentic\u2013are automatically personal because they came up with them. They\u2019re not tricks or guess-what-the-teacher\u2019s-thinking.<\/p>\n<p>A student couldn\u2019t possibly capture the scale of confusion or curiosity of 30 other people; instead, they survey their thinking, spot both gaps and fascinations and form a question. This is the spring-loading of a Venus flytrap. The topic crawls around in the student\u2019s mind innocently enough, and when the time is right\u2014and the student is confident\u2014the flower snaps shut. Once a student starts asking questions, that magic of learning can begin.<\/p>\n<p>And the best part for a teacher? Questions reveal far more than answers ever might.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-purpose-of-questions\"><strong>The Purpose of Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Thought of roughly as a kind of spectrum, four\u00a0purposes of questions\u00a0might stand out, from more \u201ctraditional\u201d to more \u201cprogressive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/learning\/what-is-the-purpose-of-a-question\/\"><strong>What Is The Purpose Of A Question?<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0Terry Heick said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo be a little more abstract, a good question causes thinking\u2013more questions. Better questions. It clarifies and reveals. It causes hope.<\/p>\n<p>A bad question stops thinking. It confuses and obscures. It causes doubt.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/purpose-of-questions.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"756\" height=\"567\" src=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/purpose-of-questions.jpg\" alt=\"purpose-of-questions\" class=\"wp-image-20807\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/purpose-of-questions.jpg 756w, https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/purpose-of-questions-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 756px) 100vw, 756px\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-more-traditional-academic-view\"><strong>(More Traditional) Academic View<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>In a traditional academic setting, the purpose of a question is to elicit a response that can be assessed (i.e., answer this question so I can see what you know).<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-less-traditional-curriculum-centered-nbsp-view\"><strong>(Less Traditional) Curriculum-Centered\u00a0View<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Here, a \u2018good question\u2019 matters more than a good answer, as it demonstrates the complexity of student understanding of a given curriculum.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-more-progressive-inquiry-view\"><strong>(More Progressive) Inquiry View<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>As confusion or curiosity markers that suggest a path forward for inquiry, and then are iterated and improved based on learning. (Also known as question-based learning.)<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-more-progressive-still-self-directed-view\"><strong>(More Progressive Still) Self-Directed View<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>In a student-centered circumstance, a question illuminates possible learning pathways forward irrespective of curriculum demands. The student\u2019s own knowledge demands\u2013and their uncovering\u2013center and catalyze the learning experience.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>To be a little more abstract, a good question causes thinking\u2013more questions. Better questions. It clarifies and reveals. It causes hope. A bad question stops thinking. It confuses and obscures. It causes doubt.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-relative-strengths-of-questions\"><strong>The Relative Strengths of Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Good questions can reveal subtle shades of understanding\u2013what this student knows about this topic in this context<\/li>\n<li>Questions promote inquiry and learning how to learn over proving what you know<\/li>\n<li>Questions fit in well with the modern \u201cGoogle\u201d mindset<\/li>\n<li>Used well, questions can promote personalized learning as teachers can change questions on the fly to meet student needs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-relative-weaknesses-of-questions\"><strong>The Relative Weaknesses of Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Questions depend on language, which means literacy, jargon, confusing syntax, academic diction, and more can all obscure the learning process<\/li>\n<li>Questions can imply answers, which imply stopping points and \u2018finishing\u2019 over inquiry and wisdom (See <a title=\"20 Questions That Promote Inquiry-Based Learning\" href=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/critical-thinking\/guide-inquiry\/\"><strong>questions that promote inquiry-based learning<\/strong><\/a>.)<\/li>\n<li>Accuracy of answers can be overvalued, which makes the confidence of the answerer impact the quality of the response significantly<\/li>\n<li>\u201cBad questions\u201d are easy to write and deeply confusing, which can accumulate to harm a student\u2019s sense of self-efficacy, as well as their tendency to ask them on their own<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-7-nbsp-common-written-assessment-question-forms\"><strong>7\u00a0Common Written Assessment Question Forms<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Questions as written assessment (as opposed to questions as inquiry, questions to guide self-directed learning, or questions to demonstrate understanding) most commonly take the following forms in writing:<\/p>\n<p>Matching<\/p>\n<p>True\/False<\/p>\n<p>Multiple Choice<\/p>\n<p>Short Answer<\/p>\n<p>Diagramming<\/p>\n<p>Essay<\/p>\n<p>Open-Ended<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-questioning-in-the-classroom-amp-self-directed-learning\"><strong>Questioning In The Classroom &amp; Self-Directed Learning<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>For years, questions have guided teachers in the design of units and lessons in classrooms, often through the development of essential questions that all students should be able to reasonably respond to and that can guide their learning of existing and pre-mapped content.<\/p>\n<p>In the TeachThought <a title=\"Self-Directed Learning Model\" href=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/critical-thinking\/self-directed\/\"><strong>Self-Directed Learning Model<\/strong><\/a>, learners are required to create their own curriculum through a series of questions that emphasize self-knowledge, citizenship, and communal and human interdependence. In this model, existing questions act as a template to uncover potential learning pathways.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/SDL-Framework-ONEONE.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"773\" src=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/SDL-Framework-ONEONE.jpg\" alt=\"SDL Framework ONEONE\" class=\"wp-image-14158\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/SDL-Framework-ONEONE.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/SDL-Framework-ONEONE-300x231.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>Also, the Question Formation Technique is a powerful strategy for asking questions in the classroom, which you can read about here along with other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/critical-thinking\/strategies-to-help-students-ask-great-questions\/\"><strong>strategies for helping students ask great questions in the classroom<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-cognitive-dissonance\"><strong>What Is Cognitive Dissonance?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Cognitive Dissonance is the cognitively-uncomfortable act of holding two seemingly competing beliefs simultaneously. If you believe that Freedom of Speech is the foundation of democracy, but then are presented with a perspective (through Socratic-style questioning in the classroom from the teacher, for example), you arrive (or the student does) at a crossroads where they have to adjust something\u2013either their belief or their judgment about the validity of the question itself.<\/p>\n<p>In this way, questions can promote Cognitive Dissonance, meaning a good question can change a student\u2019s mind, beliefs, or tendency to examine their own beliefs. Questions, cognitive, and self-reflection go hand-in-hand.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-role-of-lower-level-questions-in-the-classroom\"><strong>The Role of \u2018Lower-Level\u2019 Questions in the Classroom<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Lower-level questions inquire at \u2018lower levels\u2019 of various learning taxonomies.<\/p>\n<p>These are often \u2018recall\u2019 questions that are based in fact\u2014definitions, dates, names, biographical details, etc. \u00a0Education is thought to have focused (without having been there, who knows for sure?) on these lower levels, and \u2018low\u2019 is bad in academics, right? \u2018Lower-level\u2019 thinking implies a lack of \u2018higher-level\u2019 thinking, so instead of analyzing, interpreting, evaluating, and creating, students are defining, recalling, and memorizing, the former of which make for artists and designers and innovators, and the latter of which make for factory workers.<\/p>\n<p>And that part, at least, is (mostly) true. Recall and memorization aren\u2019t the stuff of understanding, much less creativity and wisdom, except that they are. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/pedagogy\/teaching-with-blooms-taxonomy-2\/\"><strong>Bloom\u2019s Taxonomy<\/strong><\/a> was not created to segregate \u2018good thinking\u2019 from \u2018bad thinking.\u2019 In their words, \u201cOur attempt to arrange educational behaviors from simple to complex was based on the idea that a particular simple behavior may become integrated with other equally simple behaviors to form a more complex behavior.\u201d In this way, the taxonomy is simply one way of separating the strands of thinking like different colored yarn\u2013a kind of visual scheme to see the pattern, contrasts, and even sequence of cognitive actions.<\/p>\n<p>Nowhere does it say that definitions, names, labels, and categories are bad\u2013and if it did, we\u2019d have to wonder about the taxonomy rather than assuming that they were. It doesn\u2019t take much imagination to see that if a student doesn\u2019t know there was a war, and that it was fought in the United States in the 1800s, and that it was purportedly over states\u2019 rights, and that both culture, industry, and agriculture all impacted the hows, whens, and whys of the war, that \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/critical-thinking\/critical-thinking\/\"><strong>higher-level thinking strategies\u2019<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0aren\u2019t going to be very useful.<\/p>\n<p>In short, lower-level questions can illuminate and establish foundational knowledge to build a more complex and nuanced understanding of content. They provide a foothold for thinking. To further the point, in <strong><a title=\"Misconceptions About Bloom's Taxonomy\" href=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/learning\/misconceptions-about-blooms-taxonomy\/\">5 Common Misconceptions About Bloom\u2019s Taxonomy<\/a><\/strong>, Grant Wiggins explains that the phrases \u2018higher-order\u2019 and \u2018lower-order\u2019 don\u2019t appear anywhere in the taxonomy.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-essential-questions-in-the-classroom\"><strong>Essential Questions in the Classroom<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Grant Wiggins defined an essential question as \u201cbroad in scope and timeless by nature. They are perpetually arguable.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-examples-of-essential-questions\"><strong>Examples of Essential Questions<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>What is justice?<\/p>\n<p>Is art a matter of taste or principles?<\/p>\n<p>How far should we tamper with our biology and chemistry?<\/p>\n<p>Is science compatible with religion?<\/p>\n<p>Is an author\u2019s view privileged in determining the meaning of a text?<\/p>\n<p>A question is essential when it:<\/p>\n<p>causes genuine and relevant inquiry into the big ideas and core content;<\/p>\n<p>provokes deep thought, lively discussion, sustained inquiry, and new understanding as well as more questions;<\/p>\n<p>requires students to consider alternatives, weigh evidence, support their ideas, and justify their answers;<\/p>\n<p>stimulates vital, ongoing rethinking of big ideas, assumptions, and prior lessons;<\/p>\n<p>sparks meaningful connections with prior learning and personal experiences;<\/p>\n<p>naturally recurs, creating opportunities for transfer to other situations and subjects.<\/p>\n<p>You can see more <a title=\"Examples of Essential Questions\" href=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/pedagogy\/examples-of-essential-questions\/\"><strong>examples of essential questions<\/strong><\/a> here.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bonus<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>9. Think-Pair-Share<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Think-Pair-Share is a collaborative learning strategy that promotes discussion and allows students to share their thoughts and questions with a partner before sharing with the larger group.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Process<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Think<\/strong>: Pose a thought-provoking question or problem related to the lesson. Give students a few minutes to think about their responses individually.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pair<\/strong>: Have students pair with a partner to discuss their thoughts and questions. Encourage them to come up with additional questions during their discussion.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Share<\/strong>: Pairs share their questions and ideas with the class. This can be done by having each pair present their most interesting question or facilitating a larger group discussion where pairs contribute to a growing list of questions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Follow-Up<\/strong>: Use the questions generated from the Think-Pair-Share activity to guide further inquiry, research projects, or class discussions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>10. Wonderwall<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Description:<\/strong> A Wonder Wall is a dedicated space in the classroom where students can post questions that come to mind during lessons, discussions, or independent activities. It is a visual and interactive tool to foster a culture of inquiry.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Process<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Create the Space: Designate a section of a wall or a bulletin board as the Wonder Wall. Provide sticky notes, markers, and a way for students to add questions easily.<\/p>\n<p>Introduce the Concept: Explain to students that the Wonder Wall is a place for them to post any questions about the topics being studied or other related curiosities. Encourage them to write their questions on sticky notes and place them on the wall.<\/p>\n<p>Regularly Review and Address Questions: Set aside time each week to review the questions on the Wonder Wall. Select a few questions to investigate further as a class or to incorporate into future lessons and activities.<\/p>\n<p>Encourage Peer Interaction: Allow students to read and respond to their peers\u2019 questions on the Wonder Wall. They can add comments, suggestions, or additional questions, creating a collaborative and dynamic learning environment.<\/p>\n<p>Integrate into Curriculum: Use the questions from the Wonder Wall to guide inquiry-based projects, research assignments, or class discussions. This ensures that student curiosity directly influences learning and keeps students engaged.<\/p>\n<p><em>A Guide To Questioning In The Classroom; image attribution flickr user flickeringbrad<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/critical-thinking\/questioning-guide\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] by Terry Heick If the ultimate goal of education is for students to be able to answer questions effectively, then focusing on content and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":228776,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228775"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228775"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228775\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}