Questioning and Higher-Order Thinking Skills Presented by: Thom Coffee, Danielle Randle and Venessa Worley Venessa

I can effectively model Learning Target: I can effectively model higher-order thinking strategies during collegial meetings for the purpose of increasing student achievement in the classroom. Venessa

Questioning Metaphor… Effective classroom questioning is like _______________ because… Thom: Warm-Up

A Penny For Your Thoughts! Venessa

“Thinking is what happens when your mouth stops and your brain keeps working”. (Dennis the Menace) Thom

Research In the area of critical thinking skills, North American students fall short. In a study conducted at the University of Nebraska, it was noted that based on questions teachers ask, 60% require only recall of facts, 20% require students to think and 20% are procedural in nature. Researcher John Goodlad (1983) of the University of Washington reports that only 1% of classroom questions invite students to give their own opinions. Danielle Slides 6-10

Higher Level Questions: Higher level questions- are questions that require students to work out answers rather than memorize them. The goal of higher level questions is to give the student a license to explore the possibilities. Higher level questions are categorized into three categories: Danielle Slides 6- analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Higher level questions encourage students to: think more deeply and critically, to problem solve, inspire discussions, and stimulate students to seek information on their own.

Little Boy Blue Here is an example of questions used with a simple source, the nursery rhyme Little Boy Blue, during a Primary environmental study. Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn, The sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn, Where is the boy who looks after the sheep? He’s under the haystack, fast asleep. Danielle- I do part of the I do, we do, you do method

Questioning with Little Boy Blue In this picture, what is the color of the boy’s coat? Knowledge (Remembering): Comprehension (Understanding): Can you describe his coat in your own words? Application (Solving): Do you know someone like Little Boy Blue? Analysis (Reasoning): Why might he have fallen asleep? Synthesis (Creating): I wonder how he will explain to the farmer how the cow got into the corn? A Caution about Taxonomies: Don’t just ask a question from each of the categories. Since you will be teaching important related concepts, ideas and generalizations-not isolated, unconnected facts-you will want to ask related questions that build these concepts, ideas and generalizations. In planning your questions, begin with a higher level question, then ask only the lower-level questions that help answer that higher-level question. Evaluation (Judging): Does it matter if he falls asleep if no one ever finds out?

The Rigor/Relevance Framework has four quadrants The Rigor/Relevance Framework has four quadrants. Each is labeled with a term that characterizes the learning or student performance at that level. Thom: http://www.leadered.com/rrr.html

Formative Assessment Evaluation Knowledge Synthesis Application Comprehension Venessa- Formative Assessment Activity Evaluation Synthesis

The Griney Grollers Thinking Skills Test The griney grollers grangled in the granchy gak. 1. What kind of grollers were they? 2. What did the grollers do? 3. Where did they do it? 4. In what kind of gak did they grangle? 5. In one sentence, explain why-the grollers were grangling in the granchy gak. 6. If you had to grangle in a granchy gak, what one item would you choose to have with you and why? Every day thinking is a natural performance we all pick up. But good thinking, is a technical performance that has to be taught-like sprinting.

The Moral of the Griney Grollers Story Students can answer low-level questions without thinking. Students enter/exit classrooms with no more understanding of what they’ve learned than “The Griney Groller” taught you! Venessa

The Rigor/Relevance Framework has four quadrants The Rigor/Relevance Framework has four quadrants. Each is labeled with a term that characterizes the learning or student performance at that level. Thom: http://www.leadered.com/rrr.html Group Sort Activity at their seats

The Strategies Top 5 strategies to implement into your classroom questioning immediately! There are many more strategies, but these are the down and dirty that can be implemented in to your classroom immediately.

Strategy #1 Involve ALL students in answering. Break up any “action zones” that may exist in your classroom. Communicate that you expect ALL students to be ready to provide an answer to the question you pose.

Strategy #2 Question first--Call on student second Address all questions to ALL students. Make eye contact with ALL sections of classroom ensuring ALL students feel included.

Strategy #3 Wait Time I Ask question, or pause for at least 3-5 seconds before calling on a student. Teach students about the value of using this time to THINK!! Thinking is a process. We all THINK at our own pace. Distribute pg. 182 (Staci’s side, then all) Steps for Wait Time I Think-Pair-Share about article on pg. 142—Benefits Associated with Wait Times. Distribute/refer to pg. 205 and pg. 208 (teacher and student prompter). Increasing wait-time beyond three seconds is positively related to the following student outcomes: (1) Improvements in student achievement (2) Improvements in student retention (3) Increases in the # of higher cognitive responses generated by students (4) Increases in the length of student responses (5) Increases in the number of unsolicited responses (6) Decreases in students' failure to respond (7) Increases in the amount and quality of evidence students offer (8) Expansion of the variety of responses offered by students (9) Increases in student-student interactions (10) Increases in the # of questions posed by students

Strategy #4 Prompting and Cueing Student fails to provide a complete and correct answer. Then what? Assist them in making connections that will lead to an answer. Let students know that you will “stick with them”. Types of feedback: Praise, Corrective, Positive, Negative, Absent, Criticism

Strategy #5 Wait Time II Teacher pauses for at least 3-5 seconds after student stops speaking in answer format BEFORE making a follow-up response to the student (e.g. feedback, praise). Do this BEFORE calling on another student. Assure students the reason for Wait Time II is ample time to THINK! Distribute pg. 139 Wait Time patterns Pg. 183 Steps for Wait Time II Increasing wait-time beyond three seconds is positively related to the following outcomes: (1) Increases in flexibility of teacher responses, with teachers listening more and engaging students in more discussions (2) Increases in teacher expectations regarding students usually thought of as slow (3) Expansion of the variety of questions asked by teachers (4) Increases in the number of higher cognitive questions asked by teachers.

As a result of today’s learning, I can effectively model Learning Target: As a result of today’s learning, I can effectively model higher- order thinking strategies during collegial meetings for the purpose of increasing student achievement in the classroom. Danielle

Exit Slip Why is it important to take the time and intentionally plan the questioning for a lesson before the day’s plans are initiated? Venessa