Quality Questioning to Support Learning and Thinking 1

Barb Sharbaugh Spanish Teacher Mount View Middle Welcome!! Laura Monroe Spanish Teacher Elkridge Landing Middle Is there a word in the English language that uses all the vowels including y ? Unquestionably! 2

Essential Questions How can quality questioning enhance teacher and student thinking and learning? 3 How can the effective use of discussion techniques deepen student understanding and reflect the central importance of teacher practice?

Mystery Bag 20 ?s 4

Danielson 5

PARCC 8

PARCC The Key Shifts at the Heart of the PARCC Design and ELA Standards Complexity: Complexity: regular practice with complex text and its academic language Evidence: reading and writing grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational Knowledge: building knowledge through content rich non-fiction Note: These are the shifts the Standards require of teachersand students and they will be reflected in the PARCCassessments. 9

Teacher Evaluations What are they looking for? 10

Administrative Look Fors: 3b Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques 11

Level 4: Distinguished Critical Attributes The teacher uses open-ended questions, inviting students to think and/or offer multiple possible answers. The teacher makes effective use of wait time. The teacher builds on and uses student responses to questions effectively. Discussions enable students to talk to one another, without ongoing mediation by the teacher. The teacher calls on most students, even those who dont initially volunteer. Many students actively engage in the discussion. 12

Commitment to Quality Questioning Is a Journey 13

How do we ask questions? Simple to Complex Simple questions engage student thinking, and activate memory and opinions. Simple questions build a fact base students can build on to argue more complex questions. Correctly answering simple questions builds student confidence and increases the likelihood they will attempt harder questions. 14

Blooms vs. DOK 15

Types of Questions Convergent Divergent Text Dependent 17

Convergent Questions Closed-Ended 18 refer to the limits placed on the response to a given question looking for an anticipated response requiring little original thought on students part answer is provided within the context of the text more narrowly defined correct answer

Convergent Questions Answers are generally short require little reflection recall from memory a bit of factual information multiple choice definitions true/false fill in the blank calculations where there is only one correct answer 19

Divergent Questions Open-Ended 20 broader in nature more analytical always open-ended multiple answers allow students to express themselves as they demonstrate their ability to reason in the subject steer student interest to engage them where you want them

Divergent: Higher Level Thinking Test the students ability to explain defend judge predict extrapolate synthesize offer educated opinions create hypotheses based on their knowledge further analyze a topic situation or problem Ifthen Can you create? 21

Text Dependent Questions 22 Questions that ask students to cite evidence from texts and backup their claim without using prior knowledge or experience. These are the types of questions that can only be answered correctly by re-reading the text, and are therefore "text-dependent."

Text Dependent Questions are NOT Low-level, literal, or recall questions Focused on comprehension strategies Just questions 23

3 Types of Text-Dependent Questions 1.Assess themes and central ideas 2.Assess knowledge of vocabulary 3.Assess syntax and structure 24

Good Text Dependent ?s often linger over specific phrases and sentences to ensure careful comprehension of the text help students see something worthwhile that they would not have seen on a more cursory reading 25

Text Dependent Questions 26

Middle School Example Before What can we tell about Don Quijote? 27 After What aspects of Don Quijotes character is the author developing in this paragraph? What words or phrases support these traits?

High School Example Before Name three elements of Chicano culture presented in The House on Mango Street. 28

Vocabulary Which words should be taught? Essential to understanding text Likely to appear in future reading Which words should get more time and attention? More abstract words (as opposed to concrete words) persist vs. checkpoint noticed vs. accident Words which are part of semantic word family secure, securely, security, secured 29

Close Reading: choosing a piece of text analyzing all of the fine details and your reaction as a reader. 30 Reading Strategies List Annotate the Text Make Connections Ask Questions Identify Main Ideas Clarify what is unclear Use Context Clues Stop and Check for Understanding Chunk Meaning Make Inferences by Using Evidence Access Prior Knowledge

The Elements 31 Quality of Questions/Prompts Questions of high quality cause students to think and reflect deepen their understanding Test their ideas against those of their classmates When teachers ask questions of high quality, they only ask a few. Provide wait time Provide time to reflect on classmates comments Provide time to deepen their understanding

Wait Time Think Time--Write Time--Talk Time When 3 or more seconds of Wait Time is given the length and correctness of student responses increases. the number of I dont know and no answer responses decreases. the number of volunteered, correct answers increases. When 3 or more seconds of Wait Time is given. teacher questions are more varied and flexible the quantity of questions decreases and the quality increases teachers ask add on questions requiring higher-level thinking and processing 32

Think Time 3 second minimum Instruct students to take a thinking moment before you either open the floor for answers or, better yet, you choose a student to respond. Write the question on the board, while students are thinking, for visual learners Provides the students with a time of reflection and rehearsal 33

Write Time I dont know what I think until I write it down. (Norman Mailer) Especially helpful for tactile/kinesthetic learners Its not specifically the writing that helps the learning Writing is an active, rather than passive, task Writing involves more of the whole body in the process of thinking Writing clarifies perspectives 34

How do you handle incorrect answers? Say No to No Why does a teacher focus on improving her questioning rather than simply telling students that an answer is not correct? How does this approach build confidence? My Favorite No How does this strategy allow for immediate re-teach or intervention? How does this approach of discussing what is correct and incorrect address both students' academic and psychosocial needs? 35

Stretch It A sequence of questioning that doesnt end with the right answer. Right answers are rewarded with follow-up questions that extend the knowledge and test for reliability. Ask how or why Ask for another way to answer Ask for a better word Ask for evidence Ask students to integrate a related skill Ask students to apply the same skill in a new setting 36

Questioning Techniques 1.Key Questions as Learning Objectives 2.If this is the answerwhat is the question? 3.Thunks 4.Just One More Question 5.Socratic questioning and Socratic Circles 6.Question continuum 7.The Question Wall (4 quadrants) 37

Questions discussion 38

Danielson 3b: Student to Student Interaction and discussion 39 To Achieve the Distinguished Rating Teachers questions are of uniformly high quality, with adequate wait time for students to respond. Students formulate many questions. Students assume considerable responsibility for the success of the discussions, initiating topics and making unsolicited contributions. Student themselves ensure that all voices are heard in the discussion.

Think About It How might I use student-led discussion to facilitate text-based questions and response in my classroom?

True Discussion is when a teacher 41 poses a question. invites all students views to be heard. enables students to engage in discussion directly with one another. does not always mediate. steps out of the central mediating role.

Discussion Considerations Get to know your students Create a comfortable, non-threatening environment Communicate to students the importance of discussion to their success in the class Plan & prepare the discussion Accommodate different learning preferences Provide structure Clarify the rules and expectations for discussions at the outset 42

43 Creating Classroom Community Meaningful discussion requires an environment where students are enabled to safely engage. free to offer opinions, thoughts, and experiences without fear of ridicule. Pay attention to the shape of arrangements, spacing (very important!), and the instructors position within configurations. As the leader of the class, it is critical that the teacher earns the trust of the student to foster this safe environment.

Successful discussions should be planned and conducted with a purpose that is aligned with course objectives. begin with questions that are inviting. move from material that is quite familiar to students personally, and then progress toward ideas central to course content. 44

Task Demands Consider the following demands placed students 45 Linguistic Complexity Vocabulary Grammar Text Communicative Stress Face-threatening topic or task Number of people involved Relationships of those involved Cognitive Demands - familiarity with topic - memory requirements - processing demands

Structures Scaffold Behaviors Each session should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Write an outline or list of guiding questions on the board before you begin the discussion. Organize students to work in cooperative groups. Consider individual students strengths and personal qualities as you assign them to work together in pairs or groups of four. Know that cooperative response strategies are powerful ways to engage all students in thinking, talking, and making meaning of concepts under study. Incorporate signaled responses (e.g., thumbs up/thumbs down) and work samples (e.g., use of small dry-erase boards for individual responses/index cards)especially to check for student understanding. Respond to student contributions in ways that move the discussion forward and keep it focused on the topic at hand. 46

Scaffolding Breaking up the learning into chunks and then providing a tool, or structure, with each chunk. 47

Linguistic Supports 48

Linguistic Supports 49 Manageable Vocabulary Lists Guided Practice/Practice Sentence Starters Guided Practice/Practice Communicative Skill Builders Guided Practice/Practice

50 Communicative Skill Builder

Accommodate different learning preferences Combine verbal and visual explanations Explain concepts using both a big-picture and a detail-oriented approach Give students opportunities for active learning and reflection 52

Throughout the Discussion Integrate student responses into the discussion without making the discussion merely a student-teacher interaction. Ask students to respond directly to one anothers ideas. At appropriate points in the session, summarize the major ideas and write them on the board. The use of small-group discussions will allow students to become better acquainted and thus facilitate their communication with one another. Use verbal and non-verbal cues to encourage participation. Make eye contact and move around the room to engage the attention of all the students and to communicate that you expect each of them to participate. 53

Follow-up Questions Expand the conversation and require students to: Clarify their answers Tell me more about that. Support their answers: What about the reading made you think that ___? Argue Convince us that __. Examine their responses more fully In what other context does that idea play out? Consider different perspectives What would you say to someone who thought ___? 54

Correct answers Never accept a correct answer without some explanation or reasoning. This checks understanding, stimulates discussion and helps other students understand the topic.

Wrong answers Use wrong or partially correct answers to stimulate discussion and challenge misconceptions. Feed additional information to students who make mistakes and then encourage them to rethink their ideas.

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Now the FUN Stuff! Structured Discussion Formats 59

Facilitating Discussions Talking Chips Teammates place Talking Chips in the center of the table to make sure everyone contributes to the team discussion. Setup: Teams have talking chips (maximum: two chips each.) 1.Teacher provides a discussion topic and provides think time. 2.Any student begins the discussion, placing one of his/her chips in the center of the table. 3.Any student with a chip continues discussing, using his/her chip. 4.When all chips are used, teammates each collect their chips and continue the discussion using their talking chips. 60

Facilitating Discussions Talking Stick Only the person with the stick gets to speak. This includes the teacher! Discussion tickets Hand out one or two "tickets" to each student before a discussion starts. Once the discussion is underway, then every student who wishes to speak must first "pay" for the privilege by giving up a ticket. 61

Discussion Formats Divide into 2 groups Each side takes a position in opposition to the other. Advantage: Can help students clarify the boundaries of a polarized issue. Disadvantage: Polarized discussion can plunge both sides into a bottomless chasm. Divide into 3 or 4 groups. Each side takes a position or represents the interests of a particular group of persons. Each side makes opening comments. Talking stick is put in the center of circle/square. The person with the stick gets to speak. The stick must move from group to group rather than within group. No blood. Advantages: Discussions are more complex than with polarized groupings. Allegiances shift. Students can run the discussion largely themselves with minimal instructor intervention. Disadvantages: Some groups may have difficulty charting out their positions. Without skillful direction at times, the point of the discussion can get lost. 62

Discussion Formats Position Seating Assign different areas of the classroom for students to sit according to their position on a topic. As the discussion progresses, ask students to change their position as their own views shift. If new positions emerge, encourage students to find an entirely different place in the class to sit. 63

Think (Write)-Pair-Share (Private-Partner-Public) Question/Task: Teacher poses a question or a task. Quiet Time: Individually students think/write about the answer. Partners: Students are cued to pair with a neighbor. Student Roles / Time Frame: Structured Roles - first speaker, first listener Designated Time Frames - "First speakers, you have 90 seconds to share your answers with your partner "). Discussion: Students discuss their responses, noting similarities and differences. Students encourage their partners to clarify and justify responses using appropriate language strategies How did you decide that? / In other words, you think that Share Out: Students share out their own ideas and/or those of their partner. Record: Teacher records students answers. 64

Whip Around Question/Task - Teacher poses a question or a task. Quiet Time: Students consider what they know about the topic and record a number of possible responses. (list of words and phrases or a focused quick-write) Response Prompts: Students complete prior to sharing aloud. Benefit: a linguistic scaffold to bolster students linguistic output along with their confidence in sharing aloud I predict that .because or Based on., I think. because . Share Out: students share an idea in 15 seconds or less Repetitive Responses: Students point out similarities in responses using appropriate language strategies This fosters active listening and validation of ideas. Teacher as Recorder: Teacher can record these ideas for subsequent review, or have students do a quick-write summarizing some of the more interesting contributions they heard during the discussion. 65

Chalk Talk A silent conversation in writing that allows students to have an equal opportunity to participate. Explains VERY BRIEFLY that Chalk Talk is a silent activity. No one may talk at all and anyone may add to the Chalk Talk as they please. The facilitator writes a relevant question in a circle on the board or chart paper The facilitator either hands a piece of chalk or marker to every student, or places many pieces of chalk or markers at the board. Students can comment on the initial questionand subsequent commentsby simply drawing a connecting line to the question or comment. People write as they feel moved. They can read and respond to the comments of others. There are likely to be moments where not much seems to be happeningthat is natural, so allow plenty of wait time before deciding it is over. How the facilitator chooses to interact with the Chalk Talk influences its outcome. The facilitator can stand back and let it unfold or expand thinking by: circling other interesting ideas, thereby inviting comments writing questions about a participants comment adding his/her own reflections or ideas connecting two interesting ideas/comments together with a line and adding a question mark Being an active participant encourages students to do the same kinds of expansions. 66

Tug of War: Post it notes Make Thinking Visible 68 A sketch of a tug-of-war rope is drawn on the board or on chart paper as a way to represent a dilemma considered primarily from two perspectives which represent the two ends of the rope. Students generate "tugs," the thoughts, ideas, and information that pull-toward one viewpoint and record each on a sticky note. Ask students to generate "tugs" that pull-toward the opposite viewpoint and record each on a sticky note. Students determine the weight of each "tug" using a suitable justification with the strongest tug serving as an anchor at the end of the rope and the weakest one placed close to the center place. Place the sticky notes corresponding in a suitable location below the tug-of-war rope. Generate "what if?" questions to explore the topic further.

Nominal Group Technique Anonymous Cards Solicits anonymous contributions from everyone Use of "anonymous cards or 3 x 5 index cards To generate contributions to a discussion, pass out these cards to students. Think Time: Students have a minute or two to write down questions, issues, or ideas. Collect and redistribute the cards randomly. Students read what is written on the cards. Presto -- everyone in class has contributed to the discussion and no one looks less proficient! Record Answers Write the responses on the board, and cluster them according to topic/opinion. Everyone has a visual display of what opinions and priorities are held by the class as a whole. Advantage: It solicits contributions from everyone, no matter what the class climate is like. Whether your class is shy or over-active, the use of anonymous cards gets everyones contribution! 69

Last Word Individually students read the article/passage/story on their table. Identify three aspects of the article that they believe are really on target. Highlight each aspect of the article in the reading. Group Roles: In your group, select a timekeeper, a facilitator, and a person to begin. Timekeeper - keeps time carefully. Facilitator makes sure the following process is followed. Beginning speaker. One person in the group will begin the process by selecting one of the aspects of the article that he or she found of interest and directing others in the group to the place in the reading where the idea is referenced. For up to two minutes, this first speaker talks about this idea. Others in the group listen without talking. When the first person is finished (or when time is called, whichever happens first) the person to the left has one minute to talk about this same ideabuilding on ideas proposed by the first speaker. In turn, around the table, each member of the group will speak for up to one minute on the same topic. Others in the group listen as each member speaks. When all have had a chance to speak, the original speaker has one more minute to speak; to give the final word. Second speaker. A second person selects a different aspect of the assignment, directs other group members to the place in the assignment where the task is referenced, and (following the process above) talks about this idea for up to two minutes. Others listen, and then, in turn, respond for one minute. The second person has a minute for the final word. Continue around the group until all have had the opportunity to talk about one of the ideas they gleaned from reviewing the assignment. 70

Body Voting 1.Students physically take a stand on an issue 2.Move to a corner/side of the room to indicate their position on a topic 3.Each group of students discusses its position and shares with the other groups 4.Individuals my elect to change their stand on the issue by moving to another group

Conversational Moves Each student in a group is given a 3x5 card on which a conversational move is listed. During the groups conversation, the student must make his move. For example: Types of Moves: follow-up, disagree, affirm, offer a suggestion, predict, ask for clarification, express an opinion, paraphrase, solicit a response, individual reporting

Snowballing 1.Students begin by responding individually to a question or issue 2.They then create larger conversational groups by doubling the size of their groups every few minutes 3.In the end, everyone is reconvened in the larger group

Fishbowl Tap-out 4 chairs placed in the middle of the room, while all students form an outside circle around the center group, thus forming a fishbowl effect. The 4 students sitting in the middle = speakers. They are having a discussion with each other about topics at hand or what they read. *If an outside circle student wishes to speak they must tap- out (on the shoulder) one of the 4 people. That person must stand and move to the outside circle. There is no refusing to leave once tapped-out. *Students on the outside can be listening, back channeling on an organizer. TIPS Students should try to be in the hot seat at least once during the discussion, allow students 2 min. minimum before being tapped out, Teacher may have to ask a question if discussion is stalling (otherwise they are a silent observer as well) TIPS Students should try to be in the hot seat at least once during the discussion, allow students 2 min. minimum before being tapped out, Teacher may have to ask a question if discussion is stalling (otherwise they are a silent observer as well) 74

Jigsaw Groups Members break into subgroups to discuss various parts of a topic and then are responsible for presenting or teaching the information to the other members in their home group. 75

76 Pinwheel Discussions: Texts in Conversation

1.Students are put into groups. (Preferably six to each group) Can be done with odd numbers as well. 2.Four students sit in the middle of the group with their back to the center and all four desks connected at the edges. 3. The other students sit facing one of the students in the middle. 4.Each of the four students in the middle is assigned a different discussion question. The questions can be formulated by the teacher or student. (Students seated in a pinwheel formation take turns answering questions as authors of one of three texts.) 5.A student designated as "provocateur" makes sure the conversation keeps flowing.

Pinwheel Discussions: Texts in Conversation 6. Students on the outside proceed clockwise to each member of the center to discuss that members question. Prior to these pinwheel discussions, students receive a mini-lesson on how to construct the text-dependent questions that will fuel their discussions. 7. A recorder summarizes on butcher paper the various solutions for each question. 8. As students rotate through the pinwheel. The teacher keeps a tally of instances of certain discussion skills she's looking for (posing follow-up questions, making connections, citing textual evidence, and generating new ideas). 9. Summaries are posted and the various groups of six circulate to read what other groups have suggested. https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/high-school-literature-lesson-plan

SSC (Small Silent Collaboration) Divide students into small groups 4 per group works best. One student from group creates a document on GAFE and shares with the remaining group members and the teacher. Students silently type important topics from their reading, questions they had, surprises from the passage, etc. Teacher monitors all group writing noting important discussion topics found in each. After a designated time, students discuss as a large group. 79

Using Technology to Enhance Discussions Electronic discussion boards Thoughtfully post guiding questions for the discussion boards. P osted content may be detailed and highly interactive, providing rich content to design and direct a live discussion. Options for student interaction: - Invite students to comment freely to the discussion board during a lecture - Pose several engaging questions at the end of a lecture, opening the discussion board for comment. - After reviewing the posted material, the teacher might initiate the in-class discussion by restating the main question, summarizing key points made in the discussion board, pointing out opposing views, and identifying key issues for further discussion in class. 80

Using Technology to Enhance Discussions Classroom Response Software (e.g. clickers, etc.) Powerful tools for engaging students in classroom discussion. Provide anonymous collective information about class opinions, enabling students to compare their own responses to those of the class without fear. Teacher can develop an initial poll of 2-4 questions to highlight some key issues that will be addressed during the discussion. Intermittent and final polling might be useful to illustrate the changing opinion or growing ability of the class. 81

Discussions One of the most challenging teaching methods, leading discussions can also be one of the most rewarding. Using discussions as a primary teaching method allows you to stimulate critical thinking. As you establish a rapport with your students, you can demonstrate that you appreciate their contributions at the same time that you challenge them to think more deeply and to articulate their ideas more clearly. Frequent questions, whether asked by you or by the students, provide a means of measuring learning and exploring in-depth the key concepts of the course. 82

Your Teacher Tool Box Questioning StrategiesDiscussion StrategiesManagement Strategies 1.Questions stems to use on assessments 2.Convergent Questions 3.Divergent Questions 4.Text-Dependent Questions 5.Close Reading 6.PARCC 1.Talking Chips 2.Talking Stick 3.Discussion Tickets 4.Small Groups 5.Position Seating 6.Whip Around 7.Chalk Talk 8.Tug of War 9.Anonymous Cards 10.Last Word 11.Body Voting 12.Conversational Moves 13.Snowballing 14.Fishbowl 15.Jigsaw 16.Pinwheel 17.Small Silent Collaboration 18.Technology 1.Start smallallow student to discuss with teacher, then with selected peer, additional peers, etc. 2.Provide student with opportunities to practice scripted contributions before the actual discussion. 3.Establish cueing system between teacher and student. 4.Record student ideas 5.Plan threaded discussions using Google Docs, Edmodo, etc. 6.Conduct real time, online discussions. 7.Priority checks

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Quality Questioning to Support Learning and Thinking 1