Basic questioning techniques

Basic questioning techniques

1. Developing an independent questioning mind.

   •  It is a formula for developing speculative thinking and establishing all we can deduce from the evidence we have (text, stories, images, sound, film, conversation etc).
   • Who? What? Where? When? Why? & How?

2. Dialogic Teaching

   • “Dialogic teaching harnesses the power of talk to stimulate and extend children’s thinking, and to advance their learning and understanding. It also enables the teacher to diagnose and assess. Dialogic teaching is distinct from the question-answer-tell routines of so-called ‘interactive’ teaching, aiming to be more consistently searching and more genuinely reciprocal and cumulative.” 
   • Collective,Reciprocal, Supportive cumulative,Purposeful.
     • Collective: teachers and children address learning tasks together, whether as a group or as a whole class; ■ Reciprocal: teachers and children listen to each other, share ideas and consider alternative viewpoints; ■ Supportive: children articulate their ideas freely, without fear of embarrassment over ‘wrong’ answers; and they help each other to re ach common understandings; ■ Cumulative; teachers and children build on their own and each others’ ideas and chain them into coherent lines of thinking and enquiry; ■ Purposeful: teachers plan and steer classroom talk with specific educational goals in view.
     • Most teachers use a basic repertoire of three kinds of classroom talk: o rote o recitation o instruction/exposition
       • These provide the bedrock of a repertoire of teaching by direct instruction, but some teachers also use: o discussion o scaffolded dialogue
     • As part of their cognitive development, children need to acquire the capacity to:
       • ■ narrate, ■ explain ■ instruct, ■ ask different kinds of questions, ■ receive, act and build upon answers ■ analyse and solve problems ■ speculate and imagine ■ explore and evaluate ideas ■ discuss ■ argue, reason and justify ■ negotiate 

3. The Language of Dialogic Learning Developing the behaviours and language for classroom talk.

   • To develop dialogic, talking and learning behaviours, teachers should set clear rules and model good thinking, learning and talking approaches.
     •  It is also important to establish suitable values for the classroom, to build confidence, enabling all to participate fully, promoting tolerance and respect for the views of others and the contributions of others. 

4. Talk tools or mnemonics which can be used to prompt questions, sequences or blocks of questioning and self-initiated questioning .

   • ‘Big’ Questions or First Line Questions This is a strategy used by teachers to introduce new topics, projects and new areas of learning. It is best to begin thinking with 2 key actions. For example, if introducing the concept of ethical dilemmas and moral choices

5. Pose, Pause, Pounce & Bounce The most flexible teaching strategy (mnemonic) for structuring questioning in the classroom, to ensure each stage of the questioning process is carefully considered.

   • Pose – Teacher poses the question as a big question for all to consider and form a response to. Pause – Teacher gives thinking time and possibly discussions/thinking together. Pounce – Teacher selects who will provide and answer (no hands and not hands up). Bounce – Teacher ‘bounces’ the answers from student to student developing the ideas/encouraging all to add their views or extend the e.g. depth and breadth of answers
   • CLAPS is used as a mnemonic to promote analysis thinking questions:
     • 1. Context 2. Language 3. Audience 4. Purpose 5. Style
       • Each aspect is examined to build effective and complete analysis of a text, spoken presentation or media. Several questions can be planned and phrased around each of the 5 aspects to model how analysis thinking should be structured e.g. “How would you describe … ““What do you know about…” 

6. DEAL is often used in science as a mnemonic to form questions that explore:

   • Describe, Explain,Analyse,Link.
     • D Describe Describe what you see, experience and can measure E Explain Explain what you know or understand, what you experienced or think happened A Analyse Analyse the information or evidence to draw conclusions or determine what you believe is happened and why L Link Link with previous knowledge or make connections with other phenomenon or outcomes where these connections bring further conclusions or lead to hypothesis

7. SATIP is used as a mnemonic to frame ‘text reading’ questions:

   • Sense,Audience Technique, Intentions, Personal opinion.
     • Sense – or meaning – what is it about? Audience – or tone – who is it intended for? Technique – what are the techniques that have been used - what is their effect? Intentions – What was the writer’s purpose? Personal opinion – what is your reaction? – what do you start to conclude?

8. Critical Thinking Skills:

   • Reasoning ,Evaluating, Analysing ,Problem Solving ,Decision Making.
     • Classroom Talk - using the Six Thinking Hats developed by Edward de Bono
       • The six hats represent six modes of thinking and are directions to think rather than labels for thinking. That is, the hats are used proactively rather than reactively. The hats are used literally or worn metaphorically to help young children visualise and remember the mode of thinking being used. This avoids confrontation and promotes listening, tolerance and specific characteristics of collective, reciprocal. cumulative, supportive and purposeful talk.

9. Developing flexible thinking for Creativity using SCAMPER.

   • Substitute, Combine Adapt,Modify (distort or) Magnify, Put to other purpose, Eliminate, Reverse.

10. Bloom's Taxonomy

    • Creativity, Evaluation, Synthesis, Analysis ,Application, Comprehension, Knowledge.