Questioning Strategies PURPOSE OF THE STRATEGY Questioning strategies can be used for the purposes of teaching and assessment. Questions become the intellectual tools by which teachers elicit a desired behavior of their students. Embedded within the teacher s questions are the cues for the cognitive task or objective that the student is to perform (Davis & Tingley, 1967.) Asking the right questions makes teaching more powerful and effective as there is a direct relationship between the level of thinking inherent in the teacher s verbal behavior and that of their students (Measel & Mood, 1972.) When teachers ask questions that require divergent thinking, students in turn respond with divergent thinking (Gallaher & Ashner, 1963) and score higher on tests of critical thinking and standardized achievement tests (Newton, 1978; Redfield & Rousseau, 1981.) Questions can be asked before, during and after reading. Some questioning strategies include Socratic Questions, Question-Answer-Relationships (QARS), ReQuest (reciprocal questioning), Bloom s Taxonomy, Operations of Intelligent Behavior, and Cognitive Enhancement. BLOOM S TAXONOMY* Bloom s taxonomy can be used to create questions that help students to discover what they know and comprehend about a given topic. It also allows them to utilize higher order thinking skills to answer questions that require them to apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information. EXAMPLES: Knowledge: Comprehension: Application: Analysis: Synthesis: Evaluation: Name the characters that emerge in Chapter Six. Defend Jemmie s actions toward the 14 th Street gang. Examine the significance of the ravine for Douglas. Diagram the subplot that runs throughout these chapters. Rewrite the ending as a tragedy. Compare the reactions of Mam and Pa to Jemmie s story.
Bloom=s Taxonomy of Thinking Processes For The Old Man and the Sea PURPOSE: Bloom=s taxonomy can be used to create questions that aid students in discovering what they know and comprehend about a given topic. It also allows them to utilize higher order thinking skills to answer questions that require them to apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information. These types of questions are useful to use throughout the reading of the text, but especially after completing the novel. Use knowledge and comprehension questions to start off. It is easier for students to recall information before they are required to think more deeply about the text. Then progress to the higher levels. The applicationevaluation questions would be particularly great for discussion within the classroom but a worksheet is also included. *(It may be helpful for students to fill out the worksheet first in order to formulate how they feel about the questions so that when having a discussion they can respond more readily having already prepared somewhat.) You can teach Bloom s Taxonomy to the class by using the following worksheet to illustrate the differences. EXAMPLE: (From The Old Man and the Sea) KNOWLEDGE: What is the old man s name? (Santiago, pg. 12) (LIST, RECALL, RECORD, DISCUSS) COMPREHENSION: What is the old man s relation with the sea? How does he feel about the sea? (p. 29 He always thought of the sea as la mar which is what people call her in Spanish when they lover her.) (PARAPHRASE, INTERPRET, EXPLAIN, DISCUSS) APPLICATION: Does the old man exhibit strength? Show examples that support your statement. Does strength always mean to be physically strong or are there other forms? Find examples from the book to support your opinion. Answers may vary. Ex: He gets up really early in the morning, he doesn t eat much but still fishes and works hard, he holds the line tight for days, he eats raw fish, he fights off sharks with everything he can find, etc.) (ILLUSTRATE, SHOW HOW, FIND) ANALYSIS: Does the old man change by the end of the novel? Does the fish change after it is captured? In your opinion, why does the old man pursue the fish for so long? Answers may vary, not necessarily right or wrong. (ANALYZE, EXAMINE, DISSECT, COMPARE)
SYNTHESIS: What would have happened if the old man hadn t caught the fish? Would he consider the journey worth it anyways? The fish does die before Santiago reaches the shore. Do you think Santiago feels the fishing excursion was a success? Discuss whether you think the fishing journey was a success or not and whether it was worth it or not. Answers may vary, not necessarily right or wrong. (CONSTRUCT, WHAT IF..., PROPOSE, CREATE) EVALUATION: Are the old man s decisions are good or foolish? What makes them that way? Would you have done something different? Make an evaluation of his behavior throughout the book. Use specific examples to demonstrate your point. (EVALUATE, JUDGE, DECIDE, ASSESS, VERIFY) ASSESSMENT: When students are able to answer more than literal comprehension questions, they are using higher order thinking skills. Answers to questions can be judged on originality, completeness, organization, and many other factors. What matters most is that you as the teacher ask the right kind of question to elicit the type of response that you are interested in.
The Old Man and the Sea Bloom s Taxonomy Worksheet KNOWLEDGE: What is the old man s name? COMPREHENSION: What is the old man s relation with the sea? How does he feel about the sea? (PARAPHRASE, INTERPRET, EXPLAIN, DISCUSS) APPLICATION: Does the old man exhibit strength? Show examples that support your statement. Does strength always mean to be physically strong or are there other forms? Find examples from the book to support your opinion. ANALYSIS: Does the old man change by the end of the novel? Does the fish change after it is captured? In your opinion, why does the old man pursue the fish for so long? SYNTHESIS: What would have happened if the old man hadn t caught the fish? Would he consider the journey worth it anyways? The fish does die before Santiago reaches the shore. Do you think Santiago feels the fishing excursion was a success? Discuss whether you think the fishing journey was a success or not and whether it was worth it or not.
EVALUATION: Are the old man s decisions are good or foolish? What makes them that way? Would you have done something different? Make an evaluation of his behavior throughout the book. Use specific examples to demonstrate your point.