Better Questions

Is there any tool more critical to teaching than the humble question? Yet, we receive so little training on how to ask questions well!

Part 1: Asking Questions That Make Students Think

For Teachers

Most classroom questions test memory. These questions test thinking. There’s a difference — and your students will feel it.

Part 2: Creating Sequences of Questions

For Teachers

High-level questions on their own simply aren’t enough. We must create sequences of questions!

Part 3: Developing Questions that Prompt Thinking in Math

For Teachers

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.

Part 4: Improving Wait Time

For Teachers

How much time do your students get to think after a question? Probably not enough. Here’s how to fix that.

Part 5: Who Asks The Questions? And Who Answers?

For Teachers

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.

Part 6: Improving Evaluative Questions

For Teachers

How to improve questions at the “evaluate” level of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Part 7: Running A “Notice, Wonder” Lesson

For Teachers

Use these puzzling images to build a classroom culture that is comfortable with curiosity, ambiguity, and taking intellectual risks.