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Active Questioning for Deeper Learning

Using active questioning is an important way to promote deeper comprehension of content. The document provides tips for making questioning an effective part of learning, including avoiding only closed questions and instead using more open-ended questions to encourage deeper thinking. It also suggests modeling responses, encouraging student-led questions, incorporating higher-level questions into activities, using pictures to frame questions, considering mixed-ability groups, using talk partners, and focusing questions on what the content suggests rather than just the topic. Active questioning can be used for both informal feedback and formative assessments.

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Linh Nguyen
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61 views1 page

Active Questioning for Deeper Learning

Using active questioning is an important way to promote deeper comprehension of content. The document provides tips for making questioning an effective part of learning, including avoiding only closed questions and instead using more open-ended questions to encourage deeper thinking. It also suggests modeling responses, encouraging student-led questions, incorporating higher-level questions into activities, using pictures to frame questions, considering mixed-ability groups, using talk partners, and focusing questions on what the content suggests rather than just the topic. Active questioning can be used for both informal feedback and formative assessments.

Uploaded by

Linh Nguyen
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Active Questioning

Using active questioning to promote engaged understanding

Using questions to elicit responses and encourage higher order thinking skills is an important
way to establish deeper comprehension of content. Here are some tips for making this an
effective and central part of learning:

 Try to avoid only closed questions that have a right or wrong answer. Open-ended
questions will encourage children to think more deeply.
 Model good responding, as well as good questioning. You can verbally model part of a
response or use text – as some children may need help with this. Make sure your own
responses are correct.
 Encourage children to ask questions of you and of each other too. This ensures that
it is a classroom discussion, rather than simply a question and answer session. You could
model a question and have students ask it to one another or ask a series of questions.
 Build higher-level questions into activities. When it is necessary for students to answer
a higher-level question to complete an activity, the task becomes more active. This makes
assessment of students’ understand easier.
 Remember that children should ‘read’ the pictures as well as the words. The
pictures inform their knowledge about content just as much as text. Use pictures to frame
questions.
 Consider mixed-ability groups for questioning activities. Mixed-ability groups may be
more appropriate in order to encourage a level of challenge and to allow those children who
may have limited oral language skills to benefit from listening and responding to wider
vocabulary.
 Use talk partners. Pairs can then swap roles so each person has a turn of questioning and
responding.
 Remember that it is not just about what the topic/content is, but about what the
topic/content suggests. Encourage the children to deduce, infer and predict what the
content means through questions.
 Active questioning can be used during both informal feedback and formative
assessments. Building both higher-level and active questioning into assessments allows
students to test their own understanding at a deeper level.
 You can use Bloom’s Taxonomy to help you focus your questioning. There are
different forms of the taxonomy available for different subjects as well as topics. Familiarize
yourself with it and find a version that suits your class.

© 2020 SAGE Publications

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