Developing Questions

Developing Questions 

Before we generate questions , consider letting students wonder about your provocations. These wonders can then be used to develop questions. See how one teacher incorporate wonder in her class.

Wonder Wall Article

Promote wonder in your classroom

Intermediate Inquiry Circles from adp center on Vimeo.

Intermediate Inquiry Circles from adp center on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/23329676

How can we link the wonder to SSHG inquiry? 

See how this teacher models the process for developing wonder and questions that can lead to inquiry. 

This resource for this video Inquiry Circle by Harvey Daniels, Stephanie Harvey has been recommended by teachers engaged in inquiry.

Reflection: How can you model inquiry in your classroom?


Tools for Thought: Ten tweaks for your questions

Types of Questions

One approach to use it to help the students to discover that there are different kinds of questions.

How Do You Start Students Questioning?

In inquiry-based classrooms, the ultimate aim is for students to pose their own powerful questions shaped by background knowledge, curiosity, and wonder about the world. However, young children and those new to inquiry often require teacher guidance in framing a good question or problem.

Teacher Modeling

Model the language of inquiry by using and practicing accountable talk. See the Language of Inquiry page. 

Invite students to go beyond providing a casual answer and to think more deeply about the topics they are studying Asking powerful questions This is a tool to help teachers work with students to generate more  powerful questions.

A) Questioning Skills: Explore the concept of Thick and Thin Questions

These sites provide information on thick and thin questioning. Learn the difference between thick and thin questions as well as how to generate these questions. There are lesson plans, printable posters, and worksheets. Includes eThemes Resources on Reading Strategies for Elementary Students and Teaching 

Video-Thick and Thin Questions

Tips: Questioning.

Discover how one classroom teacher developed rich questions with her class moving beyond the Q-Chart. http://www.tvdsb.ca/webpages/capteins/teacher_resources.cfm?subpage=185445

When using the Q-chart with my Grade 6 students, many of them commented that the Q-chart was really limiting their thinking.  In working with the chart, they were trying to avoid using the question prompts at the top left-hand corner because they were always told that when using those prompts only shallow questions could be created.

Process:

http://ethemes.missouri.edu/themes/1409?locale=en

B) Four Types of Questions Cosburn Approach   
     Robot, Detective, Judge and Inventor

This approach helps students to sort and analyze questions. See the link below to gain a deeper understanding of this process. It is essential because the process values all types of questions. Teachers and students can then determine which questions can be solved in a few minutes and which questions require deeper inquiry.   



Process:
(TDSB Teachers Click Here to Access A Lesson Approach)

• explore the different characters with your students identify the types of questions they would ask

• practice with the class using a common artifact i.e. snowshoe, 

• discuss what you wonder about and record points

• form groups and have students identify questions based on a category. Have the groups switch categories and let them build on the ideas of others

• plot the questions on a chart

• begin to develop anchor charts for the formulation of questions for each category

Examples: See what one teacher has done with the 4 Roles approach

http://lookingfromthirdtofourth.blogspot.ca/2014/03/throwdown-thursday-questioning-and.html

• Use a trigger such as a picture, a quotation, a current event, a theme, an unusual object.

• Brainstorm areas of interest and curiousity based on the trigger. This may be done better first in small groups of four to five.

• Translate the areas of interest into questions.

• Allow students an opportunity to do some research on the questions.

• Discuss findings, and revisit the questions to improve, focus or change it as needed. Again, this may be easier done first in small groups, then reporting back to the whole class

The following video is an example of students presenting a topic using the Cosburn Approach. They were presenting to a group of teachers new to the school. 

C) The process for teaching students to develop questions

Consider the stages that involved in the process. Visit the OESSTA website to see more videos.

What makes a good inquiry question?

 from:http://cll.mcmaster.ca/resources/misc/good_inquiry_question.htmlhttps://twitter.com/MsIppolito/status/466278972222099456/photo/1

Triggered Brainstorming
See how this class is working through the development of good questions. Questions that encourage deeper thinkingHelping Students to create better questions
http://www.scholastic.ca/education/teaching_tip/includes/inc_april2013.html 

D) Developing Student Driven Questions

http://www.edutopia.org/practice/wildwood-inquiry-based-learning-developing-student-driven-questions

Through inquiry, Wildwood works to ignite passion, inspire relevance, and develop ownership in their students. Using student inquiries and questions as guidance, teachers develop lessons that engage and excite, teaching their students to be active thinkers rather than passive learners.