← Professional Development

Questioning


Printable List

Improving These Novel Study Questions
Improving These Novel Study Questions
Let’s fix these nine, underdeveloped discussion questions!
Go Beyond “Explain This Quote”
Go Beyond “Explain This Quote”
I’d show a quote and then ask, “What does this quote mean?” And that was it!
From Frantic Questions to Sensible Sequence
From Frantic Questions to Sensible Sequence
Why was I asking five, unrelated, low-level questions in a row?
Help my students remember these confusing terms!
Help my students remember these confusing terms!
When we want students to memorize two terms, we actually shouldn’t aim for memorization!
What if Dr. Seuss Covered a Poem?
What if Dr. Seuss Covered a Poem?
Rather than just “paraphrasing” a poem, what if we did a cover version?

Updating Old Questions

Don’t Make A Mere Model!
Don’t Make A Mere Model!
This task is all about the product, but completely ignores how students will think.
Go Beyond “Identify Figurative Language”
Go Beyond “Identify Figurative Language”
So students can identify a simile, metaphor, and hyperbole. What next?
From “Too Many Choices” To “One Quality Task”
From “Too Many Choices” To “One Quality Task”
Fixing an under-developed (but interesting) task that was originally part of a choice menu.
Going Beyond “Name That Genre!”
Going Beyond “Name That Genre!”
What will my students do after they’ve named the story’s genre?
Updating Old Questions: Pay Raise
Updating Old Questions: Pay Raise
How I’d update a low-level, overly engaging math question.
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Better Questions

Improving Evaluative Questions
Improving Evaluative Questions
How to improve questions at the “evaluate” level of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Who Asks The Questions? And Who Answers?
Who Asks The Questions? And Who Answers?
What would the pie chart look like for these three situations: the teacher asks the students, a student asks the teacher, or a student asks another student a question? I can tell you my pie chart would have been very lopsided.
Creating Sequences of Questions
Creating Sequences of Questions
High-level questions on their own simply aren’t enough. We must create sequences of questions!
Developing Questions that Prompt Thinking in Math
Developing Questions that Prompt Thinking in Math
Math is a particularly tricky subject for asking higher-level questions. Here are a couple of techniques I’ve used to prompt students to think, not merely calculate.
Running A “Notice, Wonder” Lesson
Running A “Notice, Wonder” Lesson
Use these puzzling images to build a classroom culture that is comfortable with curiosity, ambiguity, and taking intellectual risks.
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