Enriching+Classroom+Discourse,+planning+for+and+asking+strategic+questions

= = =__**Enriching Classroom Discourse, planning for and asking strategic questions **__=
 * Teachers spend 1/3 of their time asking questions, therefore the quality of questions asked is important **


 * Traditional IRE ** (initiate, respond evaluate,) methods of questioning give teachers all of the power and give students little role in their own learning. They have fewer, if any opportunities to assess gap in their own learning **Strategic questions, ** on the other hand, promote formative discourse. These questions not only assess student learning but allow students to assess their own learning, as well as assist the learning. They assist learning as they target key concepts, build on prior knowledge, and help students to think through complex ideas.Characteristics:
 * 1) //They are planned for, // they tend to be open ended questions and ask for students' to go beyond factual recall when answering.
 * 2) //they help students harness the workings of their own minds, // they initiate students to examine their previous knowledge and then to create new understanding. By asking strategic questions, teachers model for students "how experienced learners seek clarity" and build their abilities to self-assess and self-regulate (p.99).
 * 3) //they use appropriate wait time to increase student accountability and the complexity of student response // When teachers wait at least three seconds, the question becomes of a higher-order. Also if they encourage students to wait, think, and discuss, they are encouraging discussions among students which promotes a higher level of thinking and understanding.


 * Strategic questioning leads to formative discussions ** which teachers can help guide students conversations by reminding them to use accurate facts and sources, to consider what others have to say, to challenge misconceptions and inaccuracies, and to give evidence for their claims.


 * Thinking outside the (traditional question asking) box **Teachers need to reexamine their purpose for asking questions; although questions can be asked to assess student knowledge and understanding, they also need to be used as tools for creating knowledge and setting personal goals. They also need to reexamine their method for creating question, by spending time to carefully formulate questions rather than ask questions 'on the fly.' Not all academic interactions between students can be considered formative discussions, these high quality discussions require teacher monitoring and input as well as an understanding of the expectations and characteristics of formative discussions.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Strategic ****<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Question Examples: **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">How did you arrive at your conclusion about ways to save electricity in our school? Talk about what you so that we can all check our thinking.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">What steps did you take to create a set of interview questions to ask Mr. Gabriel about why he decided to become a school superintendent? Did anyone use a different set of steps to come up with their interview questions?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">How did you decide how much time to plan for editing your essay before you handed it in? How will your decision help you reach your goals for your essay?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">You observed a thermometer that we inserted into the mitten, what did you learn about the ways we currently misuse the terms heat and temperature?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">When you were trying to predict the probability of finding more red candies in your bag than other colors, how did your understanding of fractions help you make your predictions?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">What strategies did you use in putting together your leaf book that helped you keep organized? If you had to do it again, would you do it differently? What would you do the same way, why?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">The idea that you just shared about the role that slaves played in the economy of the South is important, but general. Can you be more specific?


 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Strategies that can help teachers use strategic questions: **
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Take a snapshot - //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> Choose lessons that ask for entire class participation and questioning. Use snapshot worksheets to allow students to understand their own questioning patterns and techniques, whether they are effective, and what goals they can set for their learning.
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Develop a rule for wait time - //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> Create a wait time, or no hands up time, in which students understand they should not be racing to be the first ones, rather should take time to think through ideas. Strategies to use: 'thinking time,' 'pair thinking,' and 'square thinking.' 'Square thinking:' students think in pairs for a few minutes, then add another set of pairs to the mix, to share ideas, after another few minutes teacher brings it back to whole group instruction and asks students to share what they discussed/ learned
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Follow strategic questions with planned thinking extenders //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> - **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Invite **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> students to elaborate, "please tell me more about that," **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">reinforce **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> useful ideas, "I especially liked Tristen's idea about _ because _." **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">encouraging **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> further student speculation and questioning, "I wonder what might happen if " **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">modeling **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> how to summarize, "Ryan seems to be saying that_." **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">reflecting **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> on the use of a certain strategy, "This time we thought about_, maybe next time we could.”


 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">In my classroom **//<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Develop a rule for wait time - //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> Create a wait time, or no hands up time, in which students understand they should not be racing to be the first ones, rather should take time to think through ideas: I have noticed my CT sometimes asks students to think for a minute and then share with a partner. Sometimes she gives a specific period for thinking (say 1 minute,) then tells the students when this time is up and tells them that they must now share with a partner //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">('thinking time'.) //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> Other times there will be no wait time, and students are encouraged to think through the ides together with their partners //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">('pair thinking'.) //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> All are good ways to encourage student thought. To motivate participation further, she asks students what their partner said in a whole group follow-up.

Works referenced on this page:

Moss, C. & Brookhart, S. (2009). Enriching classroom discourse: Planning for and asking strategic questions. In //Advancing Formative Assessment in Every Classroom: A Guide for Instructional Leaders.// Alexandria, VA: ASCD. p. 96-110