Effective Questioning
Objective/Learning Target:
Teachers will analyze
questioning strategies and
add at least one to their
classroom instruction.
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Designing a Learning Target
Think of the learning target as a GPS—a kind of
Goal Plan Shared. It’s the destination of the lesson—
what to learn, how deeply to learn it, and exactly how to
demonstrate their learning.
SO, plan by answering from the student’s POV:
 What will I be able to do when I’ve finished this lesson?
 What idea, topic, or subject is important for me to learn and
understand so I can do this?
 How will I show that I can do this, and how well will I have to do it?
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What is the role of questioning in education?
What do you notice about teacher feedback?
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Dylan Wiliam on feedback. . .
 The only thing that matters is what students do with it.
 We can debate about whether feedback should be descriptive or
evaluative, but it is absolutely essential that feedback is productive.
 Feedback should be more work for the student than it is for the
teacher.
 Feedback will be most effective when students are fully engaged in
learning.
 The thing that really matters in feedback is the relationship between
the student and the teacher.
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Questioning As Conversation
It lets the teacher know:
 What the learner knows
 What the learner doesn’t know
 Whether the learner is linking background
knowledge with newer concepts
 Whether there are fundamental misconceptions
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Take a Questioning Quiz with Plickers!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfUB05xiIGM
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Engagement
Assessment
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Cold Call
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Cold Call Options
Ask the question in advance to give all students
think time.
Ask the question and immediately call on the
students.
Call on students regardless of raised hands
(random, charts, sticks, name cards, etc.).
Scaffold questions from simple to complex.
Connect next questions or follow-ups to
previously answered questions.
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“Four Corners” Activity
How do you feel about “cold call”?
HOT—I will definitely use it.
WARM—I will probably use it.
COOL—I might use it.
COLD—I won’t use it.
Move to the corner that matches your feeling.
Talk with the others in your corner about why they chose that response.
Be prepared to share.
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No Opt-Out
What are the rules of “No Opt-Out”?
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“No Opt-Out” Rules
All students must answer the question correctly,
even if first answered incorrectly.
How?
Ask other students the same question until the
correct answer is given.
Then . . .
Ask the student who answered incorrectly to
repeat the correct answer.
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Reject Self-Report
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Hot Seat
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“Debrief” Using the Learning Target
Objective/Learning Target:
Teachers will analyze
questioning strategies and
add at least one to their
classroom instruction.
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Wait Time
Can we teach more by saying less?
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Wait Time
Some Important Facts
 Wait time is the period of silence between the time a question is
asked and the time when one or more students respond to that
question.
 Teachers typically wait less than one (1) second for students to
respond to a question.
 Most teachers tend to ask another question within an average
time span of 9/10 of a second.
Danielson 3b—Unsatisfactory-Level 1 (Critical Attributes)
 Questions are rapid-fire and convergent, with a single correct answer.
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Wait Time
There are two crucial junctions in the questioning
process:
 Wait Time 1: After a question is posed but before
a student is called on to answer
 Wait Time 2: Directly following that student’s
response
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Wait For It!
The benefits:
Improved achievement/retention
Greater numbers of higher cognitive responses
Longer responses
Decreases in interruptions
Increased student-student interactions
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Hinge Questions
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Hinge Questions
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Hinge Question: An Example
Let’s look at this teacher / student questioning session.
Teacher: What is a nocturnal animal:
Student: An animal that stays awake at night.
Teacher: Good. What is a diurnal animal?
Student: An animal that is active during the day.
Teacher: Correct. Let’s move on.
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Hinge Question: An Example—Pt. 2
Let’s continue that teacher/student conversation.
Teacher: What is a nocturnal animal:
Student: An animal that stays awake at night.
Teacher: Tell me more about that. Does a nocturnal
animal have special characteristics?
Student: Well, it doesn’t sleep a lot.
Misconception revealed!
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Great Hinge Questions Should:
• 1. Get a response from every student.
• 2. Do a quick check on understanding,
instead of engaging in extended discussions.
• 3. Decide whether to go forward or back on
the basis of student responses.
• 4. Elicit the right response for the right reason.
Now, it’s your turn.
Design a hinge question/s for a lesson
you will teach this week.
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