Teaching Science to Every Child: Using Culture as a Starting Point Chapter 7 Questioning Strategies within Ambitious Science Teaching © 2018 Taylor & Francis

Chapter 7 Topics Behaviorism and Questioning Teacher Questioning Strategies How to Ask Questions Responding to Student Responses Using Questions to Encourage Discussion Questioning Strategies and Diverse Populations © 2018 Taylor & Francis

Behaviorism as a Narrow Approach to Questioning Stimulus  Response  Feedback Question  Response  Evaluate © 2018 Taylor & Francis

Teacher Questioning Strategies Convergent: single answer expected Divergent: multiple reasonable responses Questions can be used to check on child’s ideas Questioning to nudge students in a direction Question type varies based upon purpose Questions can ask students to transfer knowledge There is no uniformly good type of question © 2018 Taylor & Francis

How to Ask Questions Beyond knowing What questions and When to ask them, it is important to appreciate How to ask A pause of just a few seconds after asking a question but before calling on a student gives time to think: Wait Time One Wait Time One is difficult if you equate teaching with talking. The time to compose a response only requires a short silence While it may feel awkward at first, Wait Time One is sufficiently effective that it can become a good questioning habit © 2018 Taylor & Francis

Responding to Student Responses Provide specific feedback and not vague praise. Help everyone who heard the answer know what made the answer correct Follow-up with Wait Time Two—this can encourage more complete responses and cause others to share their ideas For convergent questions that are plainly wrong, it is appropriate to give feedback with a gentle “no” Other responses including probing (digging in), rephrasing (tweaked question), and redirecting (bouncing question to someone else) © 2018 Taylor & Francis

Wait Time within Questioning Wait Time One: 3 to 5 seconds before calling on someone Wait Time Two: 3 second pause (or less) after answer Wait Time leads to more complete and correct responses Wait Time allows for wider participation in discussions © 2018 Taylor & Francis

Encouraging Discussions Create a climate where it is okay to take risks Pose questions that do not have an obvious answer Invite a range of students to contribute Strive to keep the discussion close to chosen theme Encourage students to use accurate language Claims should be supported by evidence © 2018 Taylor & Francis

Questioning and Diversity Everyone should feel okay with contributing Science talk is a distinct genre Think•Pair•Share gives practice with talking Guard against low expectations Be thoughtful about when to correct grammar © 2018 Taylor & Francis

Chapter 7 Summary Behaviorism is a narrow approach to questioning Vary questions according to phase of learning cycle Recognize that how questions are asked is important Support and build upon student responses Questioning can signal a larger group discussion Make adjustments so all students can participate © 2018 Taylor & Francis