questioning strategies that really work · questioning strategies that really work right is right...

Questioning strategies

that really work

Questioning strategies that really work

• The precise questioning strategies you adopt can make a huge difference to the proportion of students that participate, both mentally and verbally, in your lessons.

• Here are some questioning strategies that you may well be using already, but have you evaluated their effectiveness? This process will allow you to do so…


• Question and answer: volunteers

answer – Usually done with hands up or students calling

out answers

– Teacher chooses if there is more than one

volunteer

– Thinking time is usually less than 1 second (0.7

average!)

– Low participation rate: students learn that if they

don’t answer they won’t be asked to contribute

– Students calling out reduces the thinking time of

others


• Question and answer: nominees

answer

– Students nominated by teacher answer

questions asked by teacher

– “Pose, pause, pounce”

– Can be used to focus students who do not

appear to be engaged


• Buzz Groups: volunteers answer

– Students work in small groups or pairs to answer

a thought-provoking question, calculation or

similar

– Teacher asks each group in turn to contribute

part of the answer, e.g. “Can you give me one

advantage of this method? …Can another

group give us another?...” etc.

– A volunteer answers for each group

– Called ‘buzz groups’ because of the buzz of

conversation created while they work


• Buzz Groups: nominees answer

– As before, but teacher nominates a student in

each group who will contribute the group’s

answers

– Teacher only chooses which student will give

answer after the group discussion

– Therefore, all group members are more likely to

engage, listen and try to understand, as any of

them might be required to explain

– Again, teacher can choose student they think

has least engaged!


• Assertive Questioning

– Buzz groups work on a thought-provoking question

– Teacher asks individuals to give the group’s answer

– Individuals usually nominated by teacher but could be

volunteers from the group

– Teacher gets a number of answers without giving

correct answer away

– Whole class is encouraged to discuss the various

answers and agree – and justify – a ‘class answer’

– Minority views are allowed but the aim is consensus

– Only when the class has agreed its answer does the

teacher ‘give away’ the correct answer


•Pair checking

– Teacher asks a question, and students work alone to answer it.

– Pairs then compare answers

– Each individual says something positive about their partner’s answer and one thing that would improve it

– Teacher then gives correct answer

– Pairs can then join into fours and suggest further improvements to one another’s answers

– Teacher listens to students conversations as s/he circulates


•Mini whiteboards

– Students have A4 whiteboards / laminated cards

and dry-wipe pens

– Teacher asks question, students all write their

answers

– Teacher waits until all students have an answer;

optionally students check their neighbours’ answers

– Teacher asks students to hold answers up all at the

same time. Students look round to see what

classmates have written

– Teacher surveys all of the boards

– Teacher clarifies any misunderstandings


• Q & A nominees ‘basket ball’ version

– Teacher nominates a student, gets an answer,

asks another student what they think of that

answer then another, etc. to get a number of

answers

– Sometimes asks ‘who agrees with that answer?’

then nominates a student to say why

– Sometimes asks ‘who disagrees?’ and chooses

a student to explain why

– Similar to ‘assertive questioning’ but no groups

involved


Evaluating these methods

Before using any of the strategies

outlined, or before developing your

own, consider these very important

characteristics and decide which

questioning methods deliver the most

effect.


Participation Rate

How high is the proportion of students who

are engaged in trying to answer the

question? How many ‘passengers’ might

this method allow?

Teacher’s feedback

To what extent does the teacher get

representative feedback on the quality of

students’ reasoning and understanding in

the class?



Students’ feedback

What kind of feedback are the students getting

about the quality of their understanding? Ideally,

students should be able to improve their

understanding as a result of this questioning

strategy.

Thinking time

How much time does a student have to think

productively about the question, and then the

quality of their answer?



Student comfort

How ‘on the spot’ do students feel using this

type of questioning?

How likely are they to feel humiliated

and/or uncomfortable by the teacher or

by others in the class?

What can be done to create a ‘safe’/ ‘no

blame’ environment?



Which of the methods would score more highly? (* g r u) Participation rate

Teacher’s feedback

Students’ feedback

Thinking time Student comfort

Question and

answer:

volunteers answer

Question and

answer: nominees

answer

Buzz Groups:

volunteers answer

Buzz Groups:

nominees answer

Assertive

Questioning

Pair checking

Mini whiteboards

Q & A nominees

‘basket ball’

version


Two further highly effective methods

No Opt Out

Right is Right

Doug Lemov is the American author of “Teach

Like a Champion” (2010). He reviewed the best

teachers in schools in the worst areas of social

deprivation and found that they had amazing

results when these strategies were being used.

These methods set high expectations and are

proven to be very powerful, yet attainable,

teaching and learning strategies.


No Opt Out

This technique deals with a student who doesn’t

know the answer, or who gets the answer wrong.

This is a summary

Student Dan

can’t answer

a question,

or answers

incorrectly

Teacher asks other students:

‘Who can help Dan?’

Gemma contributes but her

answer is incomplete.

‘Can anyone add to

Gemma’s point? Why do

you think that is the answer?’

Teacher keeps asking

questions of the class

until a satisfactory

answer and its

explanation are

obtained.

Dan answers

correctly

Teacher asks Dan

the same question

again

Teacher

indicates

answer is

correct

Advantages /

disadvantages

to this method?

Any ‘ground

rules’ or other

considerations

needed?


Right is Right

This technique can be used in conjunction with the No

Opt Out technique, or on its own. It involves using the

class to build on an answer until an excellent response

is obtained.

Teacher

asks a

question

An

imperfect

answer is

given

Teacher accepts any

strengths but explains

one inadequacy in the

answer, and asks the

class for an

improvement

Eventually, a

near perfect

answer is

given

(if not, the

teacher fills

the gaps to

provide it

with

explanation) An improved, but

still imperfect

answer is given

Advantages / disadvantages

to this method?

Could it be used for questions

where there is no one right

answer, e.g. ethics issues in

RE, interpreting a poem, etc.?


Further reading:

“Teaching Today” Geoff Petty (2009)

“Evidence Based Teaching” Geoff Petty (2009) 4th ed.

www.geoffpetty.com

“Classroom Management That Works” Robert Marzano (2003)

www.mcrel.org/topics/products/110

“Teach Like a Champion” Doug Lemov (2010)

Rachael Stevens Christopher Whitehead Language College

http://www.geoffpetty.com/

http://www.mcrel.org/topics/products/110

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