HITS 7 BANNER

Overview

Introduce the topic and engage the students in questioning to open discussion

Questioning is a fundamental part of teaching but also one that is the keystone for a number of the other HITS, collaboration depends heavily on the ability to question, as does Feedback and Metacognition.
As teachers it is our fundamental position to teach students to See, Think and Respond for themselves and learning to think revolves around comprehension and problem solving for oneself. As a student, if they are not asked the right questions they are not asked to think, and to really challenge thinking to provide the much desired cognitive dissonance. Questioning can do that.

Key elements
· Plan questions in advance for probing, extending, revising and reflecting.
· Teachers use open questions.
· Questions used as an immediate source of feedback to track progress/understanding.
· Cold call and strategic sampling are commonly used questioning strategies.

Hyperlink to DOCX/ inline PowerPoint/ Reading or Video

Record a short video for week/ topic and ask a series of questions then embed or link it below.

Video placeholder tile

Question Types

Open and Closed Questions
Philip Cam says, ‘An open question does not have a settled answer, whereas a closed question does. If there are facts to hand that settle the answer to a question beyond all reasonable doubt, say, or if the answer is a matter of general knowledge, then the question is normally regarded as closed’ (Cam 2006, p. 33).

Open (Divergent) Questions: The teacher is asking an open ended question without a specific answer.
Divergent questions might begin with: Imagine, suppose, what would happen if, how might, what might, what are your thoughts about, can you create/suggest/predict ...

Closed (Convergent) Questions: The teacher is searching for one right answer.
Yes or No “Have I wiped enough ink away from the ............?”

Not to be discounted as the below are still useful…

Applying with Blooms
Listing “Name four individuals that...............”
Analysis “What factors influenced the .............?”
Synthesis “Can you summarise the key events in ............. life?”

Question Quadrants

Place your own questions in the Teachers Quadrant

Place your questions on these Quadrants

Activities: What can students do with these questions?

Observation and Comprehension: Students create sets of comprehension questions for each other (group task) relating to the stimulus.

Speculation: Student write a speculative question - How could the outcome be different if it was set in a modern context?

Research: Students create research questions or sets of questions for each other from the texts they are reading or being read.

Philosophy: Students can engage in skill development using the concepts and all their questions, Making Distinctions using Venn Diagrams child /adult or real/fantasy, Uncovering assumptions

----------------------------------------

Connect - Understand and Remember

[Lecturer or Teacher, open the loop between the learning objectives, success criteria, resources and Questions...]

Using Cam’s Questioning Quadrant is a way to introduce students to new ways of inquiry.

Student Directed Learning - Developing Inquiry Questions

Student Agency Develop - Self initiated and relevant

Student as Producer - Student developed resources

The more students can question their work and their peers it helps them to become more self evaluative, effective problem solvers and decision makers.

This is a point of Metacognition (HITS (9), thinking about thinking.

Education Design Guide

Essential tips to remember when constructing a CANVAS lesson page for students:

Effective teachers regularly use questioning as an interactive means to engage and challenge students, and use it as a tool to check student understanding and evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching.
Effective teachers provides stimulus materials that challenge students’ ideas and encourage discussion.
Effective teachers engages students in dialogue, continuously extending their thinking and refining students’ understanding.

Resource: High Impact Teaching Strategies, Excellence in Teaching and Learning