Formative Assessments Questioning Formative Assessments

The art of questioning Appropriate questioning is a valuable tool for effective instruction and assessment. You know if students are paying attention and if they understand what you are teaching. Effective, clear, and critical questioning is an art.

Some do’s and don’ts of questioning

Don’t answer your own question Student s will learn to just be quiet Use wait time!

Don’t ask yes/no questions This will not tell you anything about student knowledge. They have a 50% chance of being right. Examples: Is the figure ABCD a square? Is the center of an atom the nucleus? Did the Union win the Civil War?

Do wait after asking a question before calling on a student. The class needs time to think about an answer. Wait time depends on difficulty of question.

Don’t call on a student before asking the question The rest of the class tunes out One student is put on the spot

Don’t label the difficulty of a question Students may get discouraged in they can’t answer an “easy” question It devalues an answer

Don’t encourage chorus answers Students will shout out right and wrong answers You can’t figure out level of understanding for any particular student

Do ask open ended questions This encourages thinking and problem solving

Don’t ask questions with multiple parts Student may only know half of the answer, so they won’t volunteer Overwhelming to students! Examples: Which triangles should we prove congruent and how will that help us prove AB is parallel to CD? What is the meaning of juxtaposition and how did the author use that in chapter 1?

Don’t ask elliptical questions These are vague questions Teacher does not address specifics of the problem Examples: What about these angles? What do you know about Mesopotamia?

Don’t ask leading questions This pulls the answer out of students Examples: These lines are the same, aren’t they? This is an example of diffusion, isn’t it?

Don’t ask personal questions Don’t say “me” in questions The classroom should be a community Personal questions can create a barrier

Use questions that compare and contrast This encourages active thinking and requires the students to not just guess Don’t ask “What is the relationship between ____” Say “Compare and contrast ______”

Don’t use whiplash questions This is when you start with a statement and turn it into a question It takes students by surprise Examples: When we solve the equation we get an answer of what? The formal “you” conjugation of the verb tener is what?

Things we want in questions: Direct and Simple Language  Definite and Clear Meaning  Logical Sequence  Questions Keyed to Class Ability  Questions Stimulating Effort  Maintaining Student Interest  Avoiding Repetition  Avoiding Repetition of Student Answers  Calling on Students  Wait-Time After Asking a Question

So how do I master the art of teaching? PREPARE! Think about questions and possible responses while planning lessons PRACTICE! You have to start somewhere! REFLECT! At the end of the lesson think about the strengths and areas to improve and then change.