3 Asking questions effectively

Teachers ask a lot of questions in their work – some research suggests that teachers ask up to 400 questions every day when they are teaching! The better the questions that teachers ask, the better their teaching will be.

Much research has been undertaken about good questions, for example by Wragg and Brown (2001) and Hattie (2008).The research concludes that effective questions:

  • are firmly linked to the learning of the lesson
  • build on students’ previous knowledge
  • involve, interest and motivate the students
  • are sequenced to encourage higher-order thinking (but not too soon!)
  • enable the students to build their own knowledge
  • reveal misconceptions and misdirections
  • prompt and challenge thinking and reasoning

Pause for thought

Reflect on the questions you asked in the last lesson you taught.

  • Did they challenge the students to think?
  • Could a small change have uncovered more about the students’ current learning?
  • Could your questions have encouraged the students to build their own learning more?

Activity 3 asks you to first prepare for asking effective questions, and then to try out these questions when teaching your students.

Activity 3: Asking effective questions about fractions

Part 1: Preparing to ask effective questions

If you can do this part of the activity with another teacher, you may find that it is easier.

Think about the next lesson in which you will teach on fractions. What is it you want the students to know? Write some notes about that now.

What previous knowledge do you think they will need in order to understand the ideas you want them to learn? Write a question which will enable you to know whether or not they have that prior knowledge. For example, you could ask your students: ‘Can you give me an example of …? And another? And another? And another? And another?’ Asking for more examples could help you to find out the extent of their knowledge and some of the students’ misconceptions.

Think about some of the ways that fractions are used in the real world. Write a question that might interest or engage the students because it is based on something they know about and use.

Now write an easy question for the particular topic you have to teach and then write a hard question. Write a sequence of questions that will challenge your students – but not too much!

Think about all the ways that misconceptions can happen in fractions. Write two or three questions that will help you check whether or not your students have these misconceptions. You can find some examples of such questions in Case Study 2. It is also important to think ahead about how you might respond to your students’ answers in the best way to reinforce learning and extend their thinking. You can use Resource 2 to help you think about some ideas for how to receive your students’ responses.

Now write a question that will encourage your students to reason their way to a solution. For example, ‘Your big sister never believes what you say. How will you convince her that your method works?’

Part 2: Using your effective questions in the classroom

Now you have written these questions, use them with a class.

Did you think that the class learned more because they used these questions?

Don’t forget to use real objects to allow your students to work with ideas on fractions and to approach challenging questions through a process of reasoning.

Video: Planning lessons

Case Study 2: Mrs Mohanty questions the students to check their understanding of fractions

When thinking about Part 1 of Activity 3, I decided I would use my normal introduction to fractions by demonstrating fractions on the blackboard as usual, but to be very precise and repetitive in the questions and instructions I was going to use. I wrote them down on a piece of paper, and put them on my desk so I would not forget them.

These are the questions and prompts I prepared:

  • Show me how you divide this circle into halves/quarters/eighths.
    • How do you know this is correct?
    • Please describe your method clearly.
    • Would anyone do it another way?
  • Show me on this circle one half/one quarter/one eighth.
    • How do you know this is correct?
    • Please describe your method clearly.
    • Would anyone do it another way?
  • Show me on this circle one third/one sixth/one twelfth.
    • How do you know this is correct?
    • Please describe your method clearly.
    • Would anyone do it another way?
  • Show me on this circle one third/one fifth/one seventh.
    • How do you know this is correct?
    • Please describe your method clearly.
    • Would anyone do it another way?
  • Show me on this circle three quarters/six eights.
    • How do you know this is correct?
    • Please describe your method clearly.
    • Would anyone do it another way?

I drew the circle using chalk. I then invited students to come to the blackboard, and asked them the questions. Having the questions written down really helped me to focus and helped to avoid diversions from what I had intended to do. I also noticed that as a result there was less ‘teacher talk’ and more student talk and student work.

Pause for thought

  • What questions did you use to probe your students’ understanding?
  • Did you feel you had to change your planned questions at any time? Why?
  • How effective did you feel your responses to the students’ answers were in reinforcing learning and helping you to understand the way your students think?

2 Developing an understanding of fractions

4 Effective questioners give students time to think