1. The Art and Science of Questioning
An essential skill for effective inquiry teaching and learning

2. National Science Education Standards
Inquiry into authentic questions generated from student experiences is the central strategy for teaching science
National Science Education Standards

3. Link to Rhode Island Beginning Teacher Standards
Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving
Teachers . . .
-Pose questions that encourage students to view, analyze, and interpret ideas from multiple perspectives. (5.2)
-Engage students in generating knowledge, testing hypotheses, and exploring methods of inquiry and standards of evidence. (5.4)

4. The Making of a Scientist: Richard Feynman

5. I don't have to know an answer
I don't have to know an answer. I don't feel frightened by not knowing things, by being lost in the mysterious universe without having any purpose, which is the way it really is, as far as I can tell, possibly. It doesn't frighten me.
-Richard Feynman

6. The world looks so different after learning science.
-Richard Feynman

7. I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something.
-Richard Feynman

8. Why Is Questioning Important?
Causes learners . . .
to think in different ways.
to test their own ideas. (FOCUS QUESTION)
to transfer their ideas from one situation to another. (NEXT STEP NEW QUESTIONS)
to discuss words they use to describe their ideas. (DATA OBSERVATIONS)
to extend the range of evidence available to learners (NEXT STEP NEW QUESTIONS)
to explain their ideas. (HYPOTHESIS AND CONCLUSION)

9. Research indicates that questioning is valuable in enabling students to think in different ways and to develop ways of learning.
-Dr. Larry Lowery

10. The art of raising challenging questions is easily as important as the art of giving clear answers.
-Jerome Bruner

11. True dialogue occurs when teachers ask questions to which they do not presume to already know the correct answer.
-J. Lemke

12. Blosser’s Types of Questions
Source:
Blosser, Patricia E. (2000).
How to Ask the Right Questions. Arlington VA: NSTA

13. Blosser’s Types of Questions
CLOSED
(Convergent)
-To assess retention of information
-To focus thinking on a particular point
OPEN
(Divergent)
--To pre-assess
--To promote discussion or student interaction
--To cause students to think in different ways

14. Blosser’s Types of Questions
MANAGERIAL
To keep the classroom operations moving
RHETORICAL
To emphasize a point or reinforce an idea or statement
--The crayfish has two pincers, right?
--Last week we said that a scientist notebook is a place to do one’s thinking, okay?
--Will you turn to page 6, please?
--Who needs more time to finish the drawing?

15. The nature of each question shapes one’s response to it.

16. Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy is used to plan effective questioning.
Cognitive Processes:
Creating
Evaluating
Analyzing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering

17. About Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy
What is RBT?
A classification of different ways of thinking
Ways of thinking ranked from lower to higher order
When was RBT developed?
Developed in the 1956 by Benjamin Bloom. For six years in 1990’s Lorin Anderson (former student of Bloom) revisited the taxonomy and made changes.

18. Original Terms New Terms
Evaluation
Synthesis
Analysis
Application
Comprehension
Knowledge
Creating
Evaluating
Analyzing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering

19. What kinds of questions were planned for teachers by the developers of teacher guides?

20. More Categories of Questions Used in FOSS Science Kits
NARROW
Confirming
Integrating
BROAD-BASED
Open-Ended
Valuing
Feeling

21. Productive Questions Good for Inquiry Science
Attention-Focusing
Comparison
Measuring
Action
Problem-posing
Other:
Teacher How and Why Questions

22. Productive Questions Possible Sequencing of Questions
Start with What do you notice?
Next, Attention-Focusing and Measuring
Then, Comparing
Finally, Action and Problem-posing

23. Responding to Students
Wait Time
Using Positive Reinforcers
Using Probes
Adjusting and Re-focusing
Rephrasing
Responding to Students’ Questions

24. Responding to Students Wait Time
Teacher Question
Pause (wait time 1)
Student Response
Pause (wait time 2)
Teacher Response
Based on Research in 1970’s by Mary Budd Rowe

25. Responding to Students Wait Time
Wait Time I (wait several seconds)
Wait Time II (allow other learners to respond after a learner responds)

26. Responding to Students Using Positive Reinforcers
Positively reinforce the student by making positive statements, nodding, smiling, eye contact.
Superb! You provided excellent reasons!
Wow! You really observed carefully!
Thanks for sharing your great thinking.

27. Responding to Students Using Probes
If students provide a superficial, incomplete response, use probing questions to cause a student to clarify or extend his or her thinking.
Teacher: How does the diver sink and float?
Student: The diver sinks because it gets heavy.
Teacher: Tell me more. How does the diver get heavy?

28. Responding to Students Adjusting or Re-focusing
If a student provides a response that is irrelevant or out of context, ask questions or make statements to cause students to tie response to the topic.
Teacher: What causes a diver to move?
Student: It floats and sinks.
Teacher: You’re stating how the diver moves. How does the diver move?

29. Responding to Students Adjusting or Re-focusing
If a student provides a wrong response, don’t dwell on it.
Ask other students to add to the response or provide the right response.
What other ideas do you (class) have? or
Do you agree or disagree? Explain your thinking.

30. Responding to Students Rephrasing
If a student provides a wrong response or no response, don’t tell the student he or she is wrong. Reword the question, ask lower level questions, and/or provide additional information to guide the student to the right answer.
Teacher: How does the diver sink when you squeeze the two-liter bottle?
Student: No response.
Teacher: Sinking means that the force of gravity is greater than the buoyant force acting on the diver.
--Think about the change in the water level in the dropper.
--How does the water in the dropper change - before and after - you squeeze the bottle?
--Is the dropper more dense or less dense when the dropper sinks?

31. Responding to Students’ Questions Above all, don’t fake it!
If a student asks a question and you don’t know the answer, don’t fake it.
Propose a plan to answer the question. Work with the student(s) to identify resources to answer the question.
How could we answer this question?
Volunteer to find the answer yourself.

32. Example for Cartesian Diver
QUESTION
TYPE
1. What do you notice when I squeeze the bottle?
ATTENTION-FOCUSSING
2. What do you notice about the dropper?
3. What do you notice about the water level in the dropper?
4. How does the water level in the dropper compare before I squeeze and after I squeeze?
COMPARING
4. How can you cause the dropper to sink? To float? To remain in the middle?
ACTION

33. YOUR TURN Plan a wide range of Productive questions for an upcoming lesson.

34. YOUR TURN 1. Brainstorm possible questions.
2. Make a chart. Categorize Q’s.
Attention-Focusing
Comparison
Measuring
Action
3. Sequence the questions.