Asking Questions That Make Students Think
How can we ask questions that make students think rather than just remember?
Developing Questions that Prompt Thinking in Math
Math is a particularly tricky subject for asking higher-level questions. Here are a couple of techniques I’ve used to prompt students to think, not merely calculate.
Creating Sequences of Questions
High-level questions on their own simply aren’t enough. We must create sequences of questions!
Running A “Notice, Wonder” Lesson
Use these puzzling images to build a classroom culture that is comfortable with curiosity, ambiguity, and taking intellectual risks.
Who Asks The Questions? And Who Answers?
What would the pie chart look like for these three situations: the teacher asks the students, a student asks the teacher, or a student asks another student a question? I can tell you my pie chart would have been very lopsided.
From “Too Many Choices” To “One Quality Task”
Fixing an under-developed (but interesting) task that was originally part of a choice menu.
Go Beyond “Identify Figurative Language”
So students can identify a simile, metaphor, and hyperbole. What next?
Updating Old Questions: Conflict and Character Change
I update an old question about conflict and character change in the story Hatchet.
Improving Wait Time
How much time do students get to think? How much time do students need to think? How can we bring those into alignment?
Improving Evaluative Questions
How to improve questions at the “evaluate” level of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Going Beyond “Name That Genre!”
What will my students do after they’ve named the story’s genre?
Updating Old Questions: Comparing Two Leaders
How I’d upgrade a dull “which one is better” question.
Don’t Make A Mere Model!
This task is all about the product, but completely ignores how students will think.
Updating Old Questions: Pay Raise
How I’d update a low-level, overly engaging math question.
Updating Old Questions: Volcano from Two Perspectives
How I’d break down and rebuild a task about judging a volcano.
Improving These Novel Study Questions
Let’s fix these nine, underdeveloped discussion questions!
Go Beyond “Explain This Quote”
I’d show a quote and then ask, “What does this quote mean?” And that was it!
From Frantic Questions to Sensible Sequence
Why was I asking five, unrelated, low-level questions in a row?
Help my students remember these confusing terms!
When we want students to memorize two terms, we actually shouldn’t aim for memorization!
What if Dr. Seuss Covered a Poem?
Rather than just “paraphrasing” a poem, what if we did a cover version?