The Art of Questioning in The Struggle to be Heard

Icebreaker Baggage Claim Jot down 2 facts about yourself Jot down 1 lie about yourself

Hand Up, Pair Up, Share Up!

Points to Ponder I never learn anything talking. I only learn things when I ask questions. --Lou Holtz My greatest strength as a consultant is to be ignorant and ask a few questions. --Peter Drucker

Just the facts… when you ask questions with clarity, others respond more appropriately. confirming answers tends to prevent escalation of negative behavior. when questions stimulate a person to think, a deeper level of understanding results.

Just the facts… Deeper level of understanding allows you to communicate from the same pool of data. Understanding is not the same as agreeing. Being understood is a deep human need.

V.I.P./M.V.P. Textbook Text-rendering Inquiry Circles in Action—Stephanie Harvey and Harvey Daniels An alternative when using textbooks

Kinds of Questions Reflecting Open-ended Closed-ended

Reflecting Sentence Prompts “So you’re thinking that… “Sounds like you’re concerned that…” “You feel…because…” “I’m hearing that…” “Let me see if I understand what you are saying…”

Open-ended Questions Allows other person to express what is on his/her mind, to tell you what he/she considers to be important Gives maximum latitude to speak freely

Closed-ended Questions Limit the length of the response to a few words Call for a precise piece of information The short response focuses directly on a specific point

Phrasing to Avoid! – Direct questions (especially “what”) – Rhetorical questions – Leading question – Veiled assertions (“Don’t you think that…” – Any question where you can put the word “stupid” at the end.

The Art of Questioning “To question well is to teach well. In the skillful use of the question more than anything else lies the fine art of teaching; for in it we have the guide to clear and vivid ideas, the quick spur to imagination, the stimulus to thought, the incentive to action.” C. DeGarmo, 1911 Interest and Education, New York:Macmillan

Why the Need for Change? American 5 th graders spend 91% of their school day either listening to a teacher talk or working alone 1 st and 3 rd grade studies showed similar results Pianta and Belsky, 2007

How About the Secondary Level-- Ready to Read? MS2 Phage Coat Protein—RNA Interaction

How to Improve The Depth of Questioning? Text rendering with a purpose Think Pair/Share Collaboration Determining Importance Making Connections Ask Questions

Comprehension Continuum Answers Literal Questions Retells Merges Thinking with Context Acquires Knowledge Actively Uses Knowledge

Practice with Comprehension Connector—text to text, text to self, text to real world connections—”this reminds me of…” Discussion Director—form thick, not thin questions— cannot be answered with one word Quotation Finder—determine important quotes or words from the reading—be able to discuss why Summarizer—develop a synopsis of the main points in th reading

Practice Deeper Questioning Constructive Playtime Dementia Risk Seen in N.F.L. Players Literature Circles Format

Lunchtime!

Resource Sharing Literacy Coaching Clearinghouse Educational Leadership Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy National School Reform Faculty From the Sidelines!

Chalk Talk Book Study Suggestions:

Professional Learning Topics: Small Group Large Group

Ticket out the Door! What will I stop doing concerning coaching? What will I think about doing concerning coaching? What will I start doing to become an even more effective coach?