Reflection no. 7

3) Questioning Strategy

Purpose:to create a life long, independent learners who uses questioning as a tool to learn.

Characteristics:

1. up to students' level, clear and simple
2. logically sequenced 
3. back ground knowledge

• Question should be relevant to the students' level, knowledge ,sequenced and active involvement.

Difference between modern way of teaching and traditional method is QUESTIONING.

What are the purpose of questioning:

1. enhance understanding of students
2. make classroom interactive
3. enhance more participation
4. to let the teacher and student conscious of what they learn
5. create an affective and efficient learning 
6. for evaluation and assessment
7. gain students' attention; maintain the f low of teaching 
8. to create a life long independent learners who uses question as a tool to learn.

Classification of questioning

The literal level ('right there on paper'): types of question most often used in the classroom.
                   e.g; what is the color of the dog named Kasper?

The inferential level ('think and search'): answer can be identified by reading in between the lines, like from different
                    e.g; how did Kasper help the other dog?

The applied level ('on your own'): answer relies mainly on the readers background knowledge and experiences. Here d reader have to analyze, synthesize and evaluate themselves.

Thinking time/ wait time: consciously waiting for students thinking on answer.

No hands questioning: student are aware that teachers will select the students to give an answer.

Basketball questioning: move questions and discussions between students.

Conscripts and volunteers: teacher select answers from those who volunteers and also equally from those who do not.

Phone a friend: those who are not able to answer are allowed to nominate another student to suggest an answer on their behalf but still they have to provide their own answer.

Hot seating: a student is placed in the hot seat to take several question from the class and teacher.

Preview: questionings are shared/displayed before being asked or before starting the lesson.

Pair rehearsal: pair of students are able to discuss and come up with agreed responses to questions together.

Eavesdropping: listen to the group discussion and target specific questions to groups and individauls.

Big questions: setting of substantial and through provoking questions .

Fat questions: seeking a minimum answers.

Skinny questions: in traditional approaches to question and answer asking everyday, questions with a fixed/ specific answer.

Seek a partial answer: provide only a partly formal answer, to promote collective engagement.

THREE TYPES OF QUESTIONING

1) Socratic questioning:

i) Conceptual clarification questions=will get to think that what you are thinking/asking about .

                                                             e.g; why are you saying that?            

ii) Probing assumptions=based on assumptions, do you agree/do not agree?

                               

iii) Probing rationale, reasons and evidence=why is that happening [reason to the question] digging into the reasons. e.g; why are this reasons?

                           

iv) Question view points and perspectives=questions that can be debated. e.g; why is it better than?

                              

v) Probe implication and consequences=having logical implication. e.g; what is the best? why?

vi) Questions about the question=ask question, instead of giving answer we ask questions to a question in return. e.g; what was the point of asking that question?

2) Blooms taxonomy (Benjamin Bloom in 1950):

i)Remembering

ii)Understanding

iii)Applying e.g; calculation

iv)Analyzing (compare and contrast)

v)Evaluating (judge, evaluate, justify(judging others' work))

vi)Creating (construct and imagine)  

3) Kipling's questions (5WH):

i) What: will have questions like; what are we doing? 

ii) Why: in order to have deeper understanding of information; why are we doing it? 

iii) When: time/for a period of time(duration); When are you leaving?

iv) Where: locate a action/event. In three dimensional space -a) on, above, under, below

                                                                                                  b) next

                                                                                                  c) New york, London, Paris

v)Who: bringing people into frame.

vi) How: seeks verb of process. e.g;how often will you see me?(time), how much will you pay me?(quantity)

Role of Teacher and Students (Socratic questioning )

1)Teacher: use of different teaching technique, prompting students' view points. Probes their understanding and shows genuine interest in their thinking.

2) Teacher poses the questions that are more meaningful then those a novice of a given topic might develop.

3) teacher creates and sustain an intellectually stimulating classroom environment and acknowledgement the value of the student in that environment. [make friendly and interactive classroom environment].

(should not interrupt in between, while student answers).

Role of students:

1. Participate when called up.
2. Answer question as carefully and clearly as possible.
3. Address the whole class so everyone can hear.
4. Be as precise as possible in the interest of maximum classroom time and effectiveness.

Merits and Demerits of Socratic questioning

Merits:

1. interactive classroom
2. participation
3. two ways learning
4. independent work
5. think and do rather than just remember
6. handling incorrect responses or no responses
7. supports active student centered learning
8. helps student to construct knowledge
9. helps students to develop problem solving skills
10. improves long term retention of knowledge
11. fosters students' meta-cognition (thinking on thinking)

Demerits:

1. time consuming
2. student's level
3. fear of questions
4. teacher should have patience
5. calling students randomly maximizes incorrect responses.