Effective Questioning Is Essential For Teachers For Effective Learning Within The Classroom

Oral questioning can also assess how they are learning, rephrasing questions if learners are finding it difficult to answer

In 1989 a group of voluntary researchers named the Assessment Reform group (ARG) were formed by the British Educational Research Association (BERA). The group had the task to take account of relevant research and evidence in regards to assessment for policy and practice. In 1996 BERA’s support ceased and was taken over by the Nuffield Foundation till the ARG dissolved in 2010. It was in 1996 that the foundation funded Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam members of the ARG to review literature on the use of assessment to help with learning. As a result, evidence was found that ‘formative assessment’ could help to improve learning and the findings were published under the title ‘Inside the black box’. The ARG was one of significant influences on the design of Scotland’s Assessment is for Learning (AfiL) initiative which aimed to develop assessment in learning in Scottish schools. This essay will discuss and explore how effective formative assessment of pupils’ progression can be carried out.

Effective assessment will identify individual educational needs of all children as well as informing them about their specific performances and achievements, this will then allow teachers to use approaches that are personalised to the needs of a child. Assessment can be used not only to measure learning but also to promote learning by teaching pupils how to ask questions as well as answering them, by emphasising to a child that it is acceptable to ‘have a go’ and that by giving the wrong answer is still an opportunity to learn. It further provides the student with an understanding of what levels they are working at, what level they would like to working towards, and plan on how they are going to reach that level.

Scotland re-evaluated assessment strategies which saw the Assessment is for learning (Aifl) initiative implemented in 2002 which aimed to improve children’s life chances through a more coherent system (Gov.scot, 2005). The revised system, A Framework for Assessment (BtC5), incorporates principles of Curriculum for Excellence (CFE) and the values of Aifl, which collectively aim to support pupil progression. Furthermore, they aim to build confident individuals and successful learners (Educationscotland.gov.uk, 2008) who are active participants in their own learning and set their own targets. However, ‘for this to be effective teachers need to build an intimate and detailed knowledge of their pupils’ thinking and assist them, with fairly specific advice and scaffolding, in achieving the next stage’ (Harris, 2007). Therefore, for formative assessment to effectively support learner attainment, teachers must have a detailed knowledge of pupil capability and support them progressively in developing their own metacognition.

“Assessments should be a regular process; it might not always be formalised, but you should be observing what your learners are doing, asking questions and reviewing their progress throughout their time with you”.

“The way teacher questions are worded does make a difference in student response.” (Herman, 2008 pp. 16) Herman (2008) found that teachers were more likely to elicit extended answers through the use of more open-ended questions. After reading these articles, I was convinced that I needed to improve my own questioning skills, which lead me to use the SATIC model for a self-evaluation of my use of questioning in the classroom.

The Chinese Proverb, “Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand”, applies to the 21st century skills that students need to have to meet the global challenges. Inquiry is a process of active learning that is driven by questioning and critical thinking. The understandings that students develop through inquiry are deeper and longer lasting than any pre-packaged knowledge delivered by teachers to students. Inquiry-based learning follows a process that progresses through phases, but is recursive and reflective throughout (Library of Congress n.d). Furthermore,

“The more typical view of learning resembles the mental equivalent of consumerism: the more knowledge we acquire, the better 'educated' we think we are. But as some of the leading researchers and practitioners in the field have observed, such education 'focuses more on memorization and static answers rather than on the art of seeking new possibilities through dynamic questioning.' Instead of teaching students 'how to ask powerful

As children grow and mature they pass through several stages of development. Consequently it is important that teachers understand these developmental stages in order to be an effective teacher. This paper will analyze answers from five open ended questions asked of five children of varying ages to clarify changes in development at various ages. According to Robert E. Slavin “as children improve their cognitive skills, they are also developing self-concepts, ways of interacting with others, and attitudes toward the world” (Slavin, 2012). The five questions used for the interview

I developed my systemic questions based on what my linear questions were about. I wanted to make sure some of the questions were the same type of question as my linear question but worded in a circular way that would get me more detailed answers and more depth behind her answers. Systemic questions are both circular and reflexive. They are behavioral effect questions, difference questions, hypothetical future questions, and observer perspective questions. The reflexive questions are intended to indirectly influence the family and are predominantly facilitative. The circular questions are more exploratory as the counselor tries to discover the way everything is connected together. Because the

When supporting children that need more challenge, it is important to focus on asking them questions that allow them to think about a topic on a deeper level. When working with T, it was evident he knew what was being asked of him on this worksheet. I know I challenged him because he really had to think about what I was asking him, and give him a nudge in the right direction. According to Reys, Lindquist, Lambdin, and Smith (2015), “People who are good problem solvers are generally good at thinking about their own thinking—that is, they are good at metacognition. As a teacher, I need to remember to find ways to allow my students to think about their thinking in order to challenge them. I need to scaffold my students into asking themselves their own questions after they complete a problem.

Questioning strategies is the main focus of the article. Mr. Reinhart wanted to implement questioning strategies into his teaching style. He found that children did not feel comfortable sharing their ideas and engaging with peers. It is important that a teacher teaches a couple new skills before moving forward, allowing students to accept and adjust to the next expectations being established. “Improving questioning skills is difficult and takes time, practice, and planning” (Reinhart, 2000). Mr. Reinhart explains making a list of strategies and practice different techniques in daily

Justification:There are a lot of sample questions for teachers to give students. Yet, there’s only one type of question, where there should be a few questions for each concept to ensure students’ understanding.

First of all, I had initially deemed question six to be a bad question, when I assessed my pretest because only two of my students answered it correctly. However on the post test, this category saw significant growth moving from two correct answers to eight, and the girls went from a average score of one out of six to a three out of six, and the boys went from an average score of zero out of six to two out of six. Even though I was not able to teach this topic successfully the way I had anticipated, it showed me that I was still successful to a small handful of students.

When defining the term “critical thinking” it can seem overwhelming and daunting, especially for young learners. In laments terms, you are teaching your student how to think for him or herself when it comes to problem solving. Instead of giving the student the answer, you give them the tools to discover the answer him/herself. Critical thinking is an important component of any classroom. No matter the age group, these skills stay with a child for the rest of his or her life. As a teacher, it is important to understand what critical thinking pertains to and how to structure part of your lesson plan around developing critical thinking skills.