Questioning Research Summary: Difference between revisions

=Summary of research=

'''Effective questioning'''

Research evidence suggests that effective teachers use a greater number of open questions than less effective teachers. The mix of open and closed questions will, of course, depend on what is being taught and the objectives of the lesson. However, teachers who ask no open questions in a lesson may be providing insufficient cognitive challenges for pupils.

Questioning is one of the most extensively researched areas of teaching and learning. This is because of its central importance in the teaching and learning process. The research falls into three broad categories

* What is effective questioning?

* How do questions develop pupils’ cognitive abilities?

'''What is effective questioning?'''

* Questions are planned and closely linked to the objectives of the lesson.

*The learning of basic skills is enhanced by frequent questions following the exposition of new content that has been broken down into small steps. Each step should be followed by guided practice that provides opportunities for pupils to consolidate what they have learned and that allows teachers to check understanding.

Overall, the research shows that effective teachers use a greater number of higher- order questions and open questions than less effective teachers. However, the research also demonstrates that most of the questions asked by both effective and less effective teachers are lower order and closed. It is estimated that 70–80 per cent of all learning-focused questions require a simple factual response, whereas only 20–30 per cent lead pupils to explain, clarify, expand, generalise or infer. In other words, only a minority of questions demand that pupils use higher-order thinking skills.

'''How do questions engage pupils and promote responses?'''

Pupil response is enhanced where

* there is a ‘no-hands’ approach to answering, where you choose the respondent rather than have them volunteer;

* ‘wait time’ is provided before an answer is required. The research suggests that 3 seconds is about right for most questions, with the proviso that more complex questions may need a longer wait time. Research shows that the average wait time in classrooms is about 1 second (Rowe 1986; Borich 1996).

'''How do questions develop pupils’ cognitive abilities?'''

Lower-level questions usually demand factual, descriptive answers that are relatively easy to give. Higher-level questions require more sophisticated thinking from pupils; they are more complex and more difficult to answer. Higher-level questions are central to pupils’ cognitive development, and research evidence suggests that pupils’ levels of achievement can be increased by regular access to higher-order thinking. (See Borich 1996; Muijs and Reynolds 2001; Morgan and Saxton 1994; Wragg and Brown 2001; Black and Harrison 2001.)

Bloom researched thousands of questions routinely asked by teachers and categorised them. His research, and that of others, suggests that most learning- focused questions asked in classrooms fall into the first two categories, with few questions falling into the other categories which relate to higher-order thinking skills.

*Black, P. and Harrison, C. (2001) ‘Feedback in questioning and marking: the science teacher’s role in formative assessment’. ''School Science Review ''82 (June) 43–49.

*Black, P. et al. (2002) ''Working inside the black box: assessment for learning in the classroom. ''King’s College, London. ISBN: 1871984394.

* Rowe, M. B. (1986) ‘Wait time: slowing down may be a way of speeding up!’ ''Journal of Teacher Education ''37 (January–February) 43–50.

* Wragg, E. C. and Brown, G. (2001) ''Questioning in the secondary school.'' Routledge. ISBN: 014524952X.