OER4Schools/Questioning

Title: Introduction to OER4Schools
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The OER4Schools Professional Learning Resource

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  Introduction to OER4Schools

  2.3 - More on questioning

Table of contents.

Introduction to OER4Schools >>>

Facilitator's version, Participants' version

Review of homework and classroom activities

1. Did you try magic microphone activity. How did the pupils respond to the activity? Share examples of easy questions that you asked with the other participants.
2. Did you try creating a story with the pupils? What were the challenges?
3. Which features of creating supportive learning environment did you try during the week. Did you notice any changes in pupils’ responses as a result of the new features? Remember that creating a supportive environment is not a one-off activity. It should be the norm in an interactive classroom!
4. Using ICT: How did the search for resources go? Were you able to download images?

2. Questioning

Objectives for this session are:

• Differentiating between types of questions: closed questions versus open questions; and surface questions versus deep questions.
• Practise generating open and deep questions.

Activity One: Reflecting on current practice

Educator note

The idea behind this activity is to make the need for this session explicit.

You will need mini-blackboards and something for display (blackboard/flipchart).

Participants choose some topics that they are teaching this week (from the curriculum), and display the topics (on blackboard or flipchart). Some examples are: water contamination, living together, uses of different parts of a plant, types of fertilizers (organic and inorganic) and their advantages or disadvantages, and health.

Work in pairs (11 min). Choose a topic from the board. Write five questions on mini-blackboards or paper that you normally ask/would ask the pupils in their class?

Educator note

Allow only about 3-5 minutes for this activity so that spontaneous questions are recorded.

After 3-5 minutes, explain the types of questions below and ask participants to suggest examples from their mini-blackboard that represent these types. Write these examples on the blackboard or flipchart or ask a volunteer participant to do so.Explain one type of question, ask participants for examples, record examples on board, and then mention second type.

Background reading

Closed versus Open questions:

• Closed questions are factual and focus on a correct response. Some examples are: Name the different parts of a plant? What are the five nutrients that must be present in a balanced diet? How many sides does a triangle have? What is the formula for calculating perimeter of a square? How many planets are there in the solar system? Name two sources of renewable energy.
• Open questions have many answers. Some examples are: What could be the consequences of water contamination? How does a balanced diet help us? How could we use flowers of plants? Suggest ways to prevent spread of malaria in your community?

Surface versus Deep questions:

• Surface questions elicit one idea or some ideas. For example, What is the difference between organic and inorganic fertilizers? What is the use if carbohydrates in a balanced diet? Which part of the sugar cane plant is used for eating? Which features of a cactus plant are useful for its survival in desert regions?
• Deep questions elicit relations between ideas and extended ideas. For example, What would happen if only inorganic fertilizers are used for growing plants? What connections do you see between climate of a region and its vegetation? Why is the water in the nearby pond not safe for drinking?

‘What if’ and ‘Why’... questions can help you delve deeper into pupils’ thinking.

Educator note

Ensure that participants do not feel less motivated if their questions are more closed or surface type. To ensure this:

• Refrain from judging questions. Record questions factually without expressing any emotion.
• Mention that all types of questions have value and can be used for different purposes. Closed and surface questions are also important to some extent.
• Maintain positive body language by listening attentively.

Before the session, prepare the workshop room by marking OPEN on one side of the room and CLOSED on the other side. To keep it simple, draw a line on the floor with a chalk and write OPEN and CLOSED!

Participants categorise their questions as closed and open questions. For each question, they move to the side of the room marked OPEN if their question is open or to the side marked CLOSED if their question is closed.

Educator note

Make this activity interesting by asking participants to run to their side (OPEN or CLOSED) at the sound of clap and ask the participant who gets there first to clap for the second question, and so on.

Summarise: Is your current practice of generating questions more open or more closed?

Activity Two: Reading

Participants read pages 2 and 3 of the VVOB handout. Discuss:

1. 1. What was your most important learning from the handout?
   2. Which points from page 3 are you already practising during your lessons?
   3. Which points can you immediately carry out?
   4. Which points might need some more preparation?
   5. What other points would you like to include in this document?

Educator note

Allow at least 15-20 minutes for the reading. Proceed from reading to discussion only if most participants are ready. This will show that you are respecting the participants’ pace, something that they could follow in their classroom. Participants who have read sooner than others can be asked to think of other points about ‘ questioning and handling responses’ that they would want to include in this handout.

Reinforce some learning from previous sessions during the discussion, such as use of props and use of rules. What about ‘no hands up’ (point 8 on p.3); is it a useful technique?

Discuss points a and c only if you think there is less time. It is important that participants do activity four during the workshop.

(Distribute resource ‘questions you can ask’)

Activity Three: [video activity]

Suggested questions for reflection:

• What did you notice about the teacher’s questions in this clip?
• Which questions elicited multiple responses or could have done?
• How did the teacher handle multiple responses?
• How would you improve the teacher’s questions?
• What would you do differently while handling multiple responses?

Activity Four: Developing my practice

In the lesson plan template, plan for questioning as part of a lesson that participants will teach in the coming week; the questions will follow the ICT pictures activity.They list some open and deep questions to ask in the class in order to challenge pupils and get them thinking! Try out some of the points mentioned in page 3 of the handout. Record specific questions on the template.

Educator note

Ask participants to focus on the questioning part of the lesson plan. Therefore ask participants to record on the lessons plan template:

• Pictures and their use- What will they be used for? What is/are the purpose(s)?
• Questions to start the lesson?
• Questions while pupils are looking at the pictures? Clear explanation of task.
• Questions after looking at the pictures? Questions about pupils thoughts that relate to objectives of the lesson? Questions that summarize pupils learning?

For example, if the topic is clean water, participants can record:

• Pictures - sources of water that show clean and unclean water.
• Questions to start such as, look at the pictures and identify sources that are safe for drinking.
• Questions while pupils are looking at pictures such as, why is water from this source safe? how does the water get contaminated?
• Questions at the end such as, what can we do in our homes to ensure that the water we drink is clean? What are the effects of drinking unclean water?

They can complete the remaining plan later.

3. Homework

• For the lesson that you have just started planning, search for pictures on the web related to the topic.
• Read p. 6 of the VVOB handout, section on “handling answers”. Think about how you will handle/respond to the multiple answers to your questions (that you just planned). Record your ideas on the lesson plan template sheet.
• Teach the lesson and try out the questions that you have planned. Record any questions that you generated without planning (as best as you can!)