1. Questioning and Discussion
Rebecca Gaddie
Betsy Madison

2. Questioning Anticipation Guide
Please complete the
Questioning Anticipation Guide
"Good teaching is more a giving of right questions than a giving of right answers."
Josef Albers

3. Today’s target for learning:
Today we will expand our understanding and use of questioning and discussion techniques to enhance teaching and learning and increase student achievement

4. Habits Are Hard to Break
A teacher with 20 years of experience will have asked something like a half a million questions in her career. And when you’ve done something the same way, half a million times, it’s quite difficult to start doing it another way.
Wiliam (2003)
You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.
Naguib Mahfouz
Jerry Seinfeld video
Questions

5. Why do we ask questions?
To guide students toward understanding when we introduce material
To push students to do a greater share of the thinking in the classroom
To remediate an error
To stretch students
To check for understanding

6. Questioning Facts
On Average, a teacher asks 400 questions a day (one third of their time)
Most of the questions are answered in less than one second (Hastings, 2003)
60% recall facts and 20% are procedural (Hattie, 2012)
IRE structure is dominate (Initiate – respond –evaluate)
Most answers are right or wrong

7. End of the Day Reflection Activity
What questioning and discussion techniques/strategies could you use to enhance the lesson you brought today?
How can this lesson better represent the Critical Attributes of Domain 3B of PGES?
What one indicator from Domain 3B of PGES could you focus on in this lesson?
How can you move this lesson to a more student led lesson?

8. Review your data—painting and table
Brainstorm a few questions. Select a
question that can be answered using only the data in the painting and the table.
Answer your question.
Select a method of displaying the results of your data analysis.
Create your display sharing your question and the answer to your question.
As a group, what else are you curious about now that you’ve analyzed your data? What questions do you have that would require more than the available data you have? Write those questions.

9. Effective Questioning and CHETL
Signers of the Declaration of Independence Small Group Activity
Afterwards have participants use CHETL 1 page document to reflect on activity

10. 5 Keys to Formative Assessment
Clarifying, sharing, understanding goals for learning and criteria for success with learners.
Engineering effective classroom discussions, questions, activities, and tasks that elicit evidence of students’ learning.
Providing feedback that moves learning forward.
Activating students as learners for their own learning.
Activating students as learning resources for one another.
Keep in PGES

11. To what extent do you intentionally and systematically use questioning to facilitate formative assessment and feedback to support student learning?
Choose your “face”
Turn and talk with your neighbor about how you can be more intentional
Share out
(Strategy= Think-Pair-Share)

12. PGES Domain 3: Instruction; Component 3b: Questioning and Discussion Techniques
Read Domain #3, Component B
As you read this, think about
classrooms you have visited. Which
column best describes what you have seen?
2. Compare and Contrast the “Accomplished” and “Exemplary” Columns
3. On a piece of paper, Summarize the difference between the two designations

13. 4. Match up with a partner
5. Listen carefully to their summarization of the differences
6. NOW- as a team create a NEW summary of the difference that is SUPERIOR to your individual answers--Be Prepared to share out.
Strategy: FSLC (Formulate, Share, Listen, Create)

14. Another variation of FSLC– 4 Corners
Critical Attributes/Exemplary
All voices heard

15. Consider what it takes to move your practice from accomplished to exemplary in the area of questioning and discussion techniques Write down one Classroom idea for each element that you can use to move your practice from accomplished to exemplary (Strategy= Give one/Get one)

16. Bloom D.O.K. Thick & Thin Ciardello QAR
Groups of 5 (5 different colored cards numbered 1-5)
COLORS indicate your EXPERT group
Come to a consensus with your expert group about the most classroom applicable points, to share with your Teaching group.
Study the type of questions/questioning in your EXPERT group
NUMBERS indicate your TEACHING group
Move to TEACHING group
Teach your group about your type of questions/questioning
Group members complete graphic organizer about each of the 5 types.
QAR

17. Open and Closed Questions
Open Questions
Imply that teacher has a predetermined correct response in mind
Recall of facts
Simple comprehension where answer has been previously provided
Allow for range of responses
Encourage students to think beyond literal answers
Help teacher to assess student’s understanding of content

18. Strategies for Redeeming Closed Questions
A Range of Answers
A Statement
Right and Wrong
Starting From the Answer/End
Opposing Standpoint
Handout & Activity
Look back at Signers of Declaration questions and label them Open and Closed. Would it be possible to change any closed to open using one of the above strategies.

19. When 3 or more seconds of Wait Time is given…
Wait Time--Think Time--Write Time—
Talk Time
When 3 or more seconds of Wait Time is given…
…the length and correctness of student responses increases.
…the number of “I don’t know” and no answer responses decreases.
…the number of volunteered, correct answers increases.

20. When 3 or more seconds of Wait Time is given….
…teacher questions are more varied and flexible.
…the quantity of questions decreases and the quality increases.
…teachers ask add-on questions requiring higher-level thinking and processing.

21. Wait Time=Think Time 3 second minimum
Instruct students to take a “thinking moment” before you either open the floor for answers or, better yet, YOU choose a student to respond.
Provides the students with a time of reflection and rehearsal
Write the question on the board during student think time.
Discuss “translation” time for ESL and other linguistically diverse students

22. “I don’t know what I think until I write it down.” (Norman Mailer)
Write Time
“I don’t know what I think until I write it down.” (Norman Mailer)
Especially helpful for tactile/kinesthetic learners
It’s not specifically the writing that helps the learning
Writing is an active, rather than passive, task
Writing involves more of the whole body in the process of thinking
Writing clarifies perspectives
Perfect opportunity to use technology if that is helpful to students

23. “If you have to talk, you have to think.”
Talk Time
“If you have to talk, you have to think.”
The importance of talk
“ By the age of 4, the child of professional parents in the US will have had nearly twice as many words addressed to it as the working-class child, and over four times as many as a child on welfare. For the middle-class child, encouragement from parents vastly outweighs discouragement; but for the child on welfare the climate of adult reaction is an overwhelmingly discouraging one. While talk is essential for intellectual and social development, for some children, the talk which they engage in at school is nothing less than a lifeline.” (Robin Alexander, 2004)
Reference handout with guidelines for selecting Talk Partners

24. Agree or Disagree with this statement
“If my students are to demonstrate, explain, critique, analyze, and answer, they need to have academic conversations.”

25. Write a few of your thoughts on a post- it note Talk Time
Think Time/Write Time
Write a few of your thoughts on a post- it note
Talk Time
Group (table) discussion using
Discussion Stems
Write Discussion Stems

26. Right is Right
What’s the difference between pretty good and 100% correct?
How do you respond to “almost right” answers?
Turn and Talk

27. Right is Right
Many teachers respond to almost-correct answers by “rounding up.” They affirm and repeat the answer, adding the details to make it fully correct.
Most students stop processing when they hear the word “right.”
What does this communicate about the standard of correctness in your classroom?
Who’s doing the cognitive work?

28. No Opt Out
A sequence that begins with a student unable to answer a question and should end with the student answering that question
1. Teacher provides the answer; the student repeats the answer.
2. Another student provides the answer; the initial student repeats the answer.
3. You provide a cue; the student uses it to find the answer.
4. Another student provides the cue; the initial student uses it to find the answer.
Bottom line—the correct answer is going to come out of your mouth

29. Cold Call ALL students should answer ALL questions in their minds.
You merely choose one student to speak the answer out loud.
The goal is for the student to get the answer right, not learn a lesson by getting it wrong.
Ask the question, pause, call the name of the student you want to answer the question.

30. Cold Call benefits:
You can check any student’s level of mastery at any time
Time saver
Shows students you want to hear everyone’s opinion
Establishes that you are in charge and all students are accountable

31. How do we make sure Right is Right, no student can Opt Out of answering a question, and reduce the anxiety of Cold Call, while not humiliating students?
Show from 7:00-9:30
The Omnivore's Dilemma: Close Reading of a Non-Fiction Text

32. Simple to Complex
Simple questions engage student thinking, and activate memory and opinions.
Simple questions build a fact base students can build on to argue more complex questions.
Correctly answering simple questions builds student confidence and increases the likelihood they will attempt harder questions.
Can provide background knowledge for some students
Follow a Bloom’s sequence

33. The Role of Background Knowledge in Student Success
Every child comes to school with a “frame” made of their experiences since birth.
Some students have a frame that looks like garden lattice.
Some students have a skinny little
frame.

34. All day long, we throw “dirt clods” at their frames.

35. New Knowledge has to have Prior Knowledge to “stick” to.
Which frame will more dirt clods stick to?

36. Stretch It
The questioning experience doesn’t end with a correct answer.
Correct answers are built on with:
How? or Why?
Another way to answer
A better word
EVIDENCE
A related skill
Application in a new setting

37. Effective Student Discussions
“Involving students in discussion is like allowing them to double swipe their cognitive card. It forces them to stop, reflect, process, repackage, and deliver whatever they’re learning.”
{Persida Himmele}

38. Authentic Discussions~ what does it take?
A warm classroom climate- students must feel comfortable talking to each other
A physical set up conducive to discussion- students need to see each other
Establish criteria for a good discussion- if you want to see if you need to teach it…

39. Listen well and validate questions- expand on them, challenge them, and encourage students to challenge you!
Allow enough time for the discussion and for students to respond. “wait time.”
Warm up the audience: review questions, etc…
Talk Moves

40. Curiosity + Purpose + Structure
How do we increase the likelihood that our students will engage in academically focused conversations?
Curiosity Purpose Structure
Curiosity—Whatever you’re teaching, give your students something interesting to think about.
Purpose—An authentic purpose raises student engagement. Students need to be responsible for something as a result of the discussion. Make sure it’s not a group grade too often.

41. Mathematics Discussion
How does Ms. Simpson encourage mathematical discourse?
How does Ms. Simpson encourage her students to respect and value differing points of view?
What is one take-away, from this video, about facilitating discussion in your classroom?
Rebecca will talk about standards for Mathematical practice

42. Socratic Seminar Socratic Seminar in the Classroom
What strategies encourage higher student engagement and the participation of all individuals?
How might you use Socratic seminar with other grade levels?
Discuss questions on the side
Discuss what this looks like at lower grade levels

43. The Power of Sentence Stems
“Providing students with the beginning of an academic response is a very effective tool for increasing the quality and quantity of student participation. Sentence starters serve to both focus attention on critical content as well as provide students with the language support needed to engage in academic discussions. It also increases the likelihood that students will apply previously taught lesson terms in their formal writing and speaking.”
Kevin Feldman & Kate Kinsella
In what ways do sentence stems help students learn to respectfully express ideas?

44. Purposeful Pairings
Review Talk Partners Handout

46. Coming to the Discussion Prepared
Preparation for the Discussion
How does this strategy enrich discussion?
How could you use this strategy to encourage reluctant students to participate?

47. Tricks of the Trade Poker Chips Talking Sticks Discussion Cards
Hand out Questions in Advance
Post-Its

48. Student Questioning
“Four Strategies to Spark Curiosity via Student Questioning”
(Strategy) LAST WORD

49. Engaging Students in Effective Questions
When giving an assignment, ask your students to prepare three questions they had while they were completing the assignment.
Ask your students to write three questions they would expect to answer on a quiz covering the assignment content.
Start class by having your students share their questions in small groups or as a whole class.
Your students’ questions will stimulate discussion and provide you “informative” assessment data.
Use your Blooms’ Flip chart to help. Make a class set.
Students Asking Questions

50. (and students cannot learn) everything there is to know.
Teachers cannot teach
(and students cannot learn)
everything there is to know.
(Brookhart, 2009)
Authentic Questions
Change in thinking – shift for teachers. If Luke wants to know how to create a specific movie clip, he goes to you tube for a ‘how to’ We all use Wikipedia, even though we seem to have issue about students using it…. Knowledge of content is at our fingers tips. How do we create situations or environments where students want to know something so much that they engineer questions and go find the answer.

51. End of the Day Reflection Activity
What questioning and discussion techniques/strategies could you use to enhance the lesson you brought today?
How can this lesson better represent the Critical Attributes of Domain 3B of PGES?
What one indicator from Domain 3B of PGES could you focus on in this lesson?
How can you move this lesson to a more student led lesson?