1. Questions and Questioning Strategies

2. Questions and questioning strategies
We use different questions for different purposes
Task 1: Make a list of some questions you have asked in the past two weeks.

3. Questions and questioning strategies
Now, sort those questions by purpose…What were you trying to accomplish with each question?

4. Questions and questioning strategies
80 % of class time spent asking questions…
Of every 5 questions asked, 3 are recall, 1 managerial, 1 higher order thinking…

5. Questions and Questioning strategies
Practice, practice, practice
Plan ahead
Be intentional

6. Factual, Convergent, Divergent and Evaluative Questions
Factual questions use the lowest levels of cognition and seek one correct answer: e.g. how many states are there in the United States?
Convergent questions have a small range of accurate answers, e.g.: Name the adaptations that a sagebrush plant has that allow it to live in dry conditions.
Divergent questions lead to the exploration of lots of possible answers. For example: If you could create an animal to live in the sagebrush community, what special adaptations would it have?
Evaluative questions ask students to critically analyze or make judgments about something, e.g.: compare and contrast different strategies for teaching kids science concepts. Which of these is most appropriate for residential outdoor science education?

7. Brainstorm
What factual, convergent, divergent and evaluative questions might we ask students in our exploration of Boulder Creek?
Silently list one or two for each category then share these with your teaching partner…

8. Bloom’s Taxonomy
A brief introduction…

9. What is it and why do I care?
Small picture: It’s a framework for understanding how to get kids to think at “higher levels”. It can help you “differentiate”.
Big picture: It’s teacher talk
Bigger picture: It will help with future curriculum / lesson planning

10. Levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation

11. Original Terms New Terms
Evaluation
Synthesis
Analysis
Application
Comprehension
Knowledge
Creating
Evaluating
Analysing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering
(Based on Pohl, 2000, Learning to Think, Thinking to Learn, p. 8)

12. Remembering
Recalling information
Recognizing, listing, describing, retrieving, naming, finding
Example: What kind of tree is this?

13. Understanding
Explaining ideas or concepts Interpreting, summarizing, paraphrasing, classifying, explaining
Example: Describe how you know that this is a _______ tree

14. Applying
Using information in another familiar situation Implementing, carrying out, using, executing
Example: Use what you learned about this tree to find another ______ tree

15. Analyzing
Breaking information into parts to explore understandings and relationships
Comparing, organizing, deconstructing, interrogating, finding
Example: How does this tree compare to others here? What characteristics of this tree might allow it to live in this biome / ecosystem?

16. Evaluating
Justifying a decision or course of action Checking, hypothesizing, critiquing, experimenting, judging
Example: Are the adaptations of this tree suited to the conditions in its current environment?

17. Creating Designing, constructing, planning, producing, inventing.
Generating new ideas, products, or ways of viewing things
Designing, constructing, planning, producing, inventing.
Example: Invent another organism that could live well in this environment.

18. Lower and Higher Order Questions
Lower level questions are those at the remembering, understanding and lower level application levels of the taxonomy.
Usually questions at the lower levels are appropriate for:
Evaluating students’ preparation and comprehension
Diagnosing students’ strengths and weaknesses
Reviewing and/or summarizing content

19. Lower and Higher Order Questions
Higher level questions are those requiring complex application, analysis, evaluation or creation skills.
Questions at higher levels of the taxonomy are usually most appropriate for:
Encouraging students to think more deeply and critically
Problem solving
Encouraging discussions
Stimulating students to seek information on their own

20. Evaluation time Task 2: Review your questions once again…
Are you asking appropriate questions?
What levels of cognition are you engaging?