Questioning is a powerful tool that can shape the learning experience and foster critical thinking skills among students. Questioning can be used to assess student mastery and aid in-the-moment teaching. Questioning can help engage students, assess mastery, and enhance learning.
1. Pre-Plan Questions
While spontaneity has its place in the classroom, strategic pre-planning of questions can elevate your teaching game. I’ve always found it challenging to develop higher-order questions on the spot. While it may be easy to pull out those lower-level questions on the fly, my most impactful ones are those I’ve premeditated.
These questions become checkpoints in my presentations and integral elements in assignments, and they even find their place on random sticky notes strategically placed throughout lesson materials. Pre-planned questions help avoid the pressure of generating questions on the spot and remind you to ask those well-crafted, thought-provoking questions.
The Checkpoint Slide
One effective way to incorporate pre-planned questions is utilizing a checkpoint slide in your presentations. This slide is a deliberate pause in your lesson, prompting you and your students to reflect on the material. Consider crafting questions that delve into the heart of the topic, encouraging students to connect concepts, analyze data, and apply their understanding.
Sticky Notes
While there is nothing fancy about this strategy, it may be just what you need to help you remember to ask those important questions. Post these notes to your lesson materials, assignments, or teacher textbooks. These notes, containing pre-planned questions, remind you to provoke deeper thinking.
Assignments
Integrate higher-order questions seamlessly into assignments such as worksheets, activities, and projects to reinforce learning objectives. These questions should challenge students to analyze information critically and apply theoretical concepts to practical scenarios.
2. Strive for Open-ended Questions
Your questions should require more than simple recall of information and move towards analyzing and evaluating information. An excellent place to start is by following up your questioning with a simple “why?”. Asking students to explain their answers with a rationale prompts them to think deeper into the content.
Open-ended questions foster critical thinking, encourage meaningful conversations, and promote a deeper understanding of concepts. Unlike closed-ended questions that elicit one-word answers or factual responses, open-ended questions require students to think critically, analyze information, make evaluations or recommendations, and articulate their thoughts more expansively.
- Foster Critical Thinking:
Open-ended questions challenge students to move beyond surface-level understanding and delve deeper into the content. By prompting students to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information, these questions foster critical thinking skills that are essential in the real world. - Encourage Meaningful Conversations:
Open-ended questions can be a catalyst for meaningful classroom discussions. They create an environment where students feel empowered to share their perspectives, challenge ideas, and explore new topics. - Promoting a Deeper Understanding:
Open-ended questions require active engagement as students process information, draw connections between concepts, and express their ideas. This active participation enhances the learning experience as students build communication skills and learn to express their thoughts and ideas.
Incorporating open-ended questions into classroom activities, discussions, and assessments empowers students to become active, critical thinkers who can apply their knowledge meaningfully.
3. Use Question Stems to Help
Pre-written question stems are a helpful tool for crafting higher-order questions. Question stems serve as a template that can be adapted to meet the needs of your course and topics. As you pre-plan your questions, start with a topic in mind. Next, reference a question stem guide (this is one of my favorites) to help the creative juices flow.
As you craft your questions, incorporate a variety of questions into your work. These could include questions that require analysis, synthesis, evaluation, or creativity.
Sample Questions
•In what scenario would COBRA be used?
•How is Medicare different from Medicaid?
•Do you think a healthy, young person should have health insurance? Why or why not?
•What specific skills does an individual need to be successful in the workplace? Why are these important?
•What do you think the result for _____ would be if economic changes lead to rising living standards?
•Why is a business plan important?
•How do ethics affect a business? Provide at least 3 examples.
•Compare/ contrast the application of Facebook and Instagram in business.
•Explain how advertising and an individual’s self-esteem or self-image are related.
•What problems could arise from using a focus group?
4. Tailor Questions to Meet Individual Student Needs
Open-ended questions allow for the assessment of individual student understanding. Students can demonstrate their comprehension of material in a way that aligns with their unique perspective and knowledge, moving beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to assessment.
As you question students, creating opportunities for all students to feel successful is crucial. This instructional tool can be leveraged to differentiate instruction and tailor the learning process to accommodate varying levels and interests.
Conclusion
Pre-planning questions take the stress off coming up with higher-order questions. These questions can enhance the learning experience and can be re-used each semester.
With questioning, you empower students to think critically, analyze information, and develop valuable problem-solving skills essential for their future endeavors.
Business Girl 