Asking Big Enough Questions Teaching questioning strategies to build 21st century skills

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Asking Big Enough QuestionsTeaching questioning
strategies to build 21st century skills

• Shelor Smith
• Hattie Smart
• Deep Run High School 2007

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Its not just a high school issue

• College and university librarians report that the
  biggest barrier to freshman research projects is
  the inability of many freshmen to generate
  meaningful questions about their topic.

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TA DA! Enter the KSUS Standards

• KSUS Knowledge and Skills for University
  Success
• Created out of 3 years of research by top 20
  Universities
• Designed to identify key knowledge and skills
  expected of incoming freshmen

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Habits of Mind

• Inquisitive nature
• Critical thinking
• Analytical thinking
• Discernment
• Drawing inferences
• Reaching conclusions independently
• Proficient written and oral communication
• Using technology as a tool
• Accepting critical feedback and adjusting
  accordingly
• Openness to possible failures

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What does this have to do with us?

• Henricos emphasis on 21st Century Skills
• Principals walkthroughs

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Sound Familiar?

• Critical Thinking in the Classroom Indicators
• The teacher uses questioning strategies that
  develop critical thinking
• There is evidence of authentic problem solving
• Different perspectives are being evaluated
• Students are encouraged to make inferences or
  predictions
• Students are encouraged to think creatively

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Sound Familiar?

• Implementing 21st skills in the classroom
  Indicators
• Innovation in problem solving is sought/praised
• Creativity is incorporated into the learning
  process
• Information literacy skills are utilized and
  assessed

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Habits of Mind

• Inquisitive nature
• Critical thinking
• Analytical thinking
• Discernment
• Drawing inferences
• Reaching conclusions independently
• Proficient written and oral communication
• Using technology as a tool
• Accepting critical feedback and adjusting
  accordingly
• Openness to possible failures

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Making it happen teaching students to ask good
questions

• Identify the stake holders
• Ask critical questions from the stakeholders
  perspective
• Different perspectives are being evaluated
• Ask subsidiary questions
• Students are encouraged to make inferences or
  predictions
• Brainstorm for possible information sources
• Students are encouraged to think creatively

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Separate restaurant seating should be mandatory
for families with children under five years of
age.

• Stake holders
• The restaurant owner, staff, stock holders, etc.
• Families with children under five
• Customers without children under five
• Critical questions from the perspective of each
  stakeholder
• What will be the effect on restaurant revenue?
• (restaurant owner)
• Why should well-behaved children and their
  families be segregated? (Families w/ children
  under five)
• How will this affect current staffing? (waiters
  and waitresses)

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Separate restaurant seating should be mandatory
for families with children under five years of
age.

• Subsidiary question for What will be the effect
  on restaurant revenue?
• What is the current customer demographic?
• Possible information source
• Record of the number of families with children
  under five who frequent the establishment

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What if?

• Due to restraints on the school budget all LCD
  projector bulbs will be purchased with library
  funds.
• In an effort to avoid scheduling an additional
  lunch period to meet to the demands of increased
  enrollment, the secondary schools are planning to
  utilize the library for overflow lunch seating.

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Due to restraints on the school budget all LCD
projector bulbs will be purchased with library
funds.

• Stakeholders
• Teachers, librarians, students, library services
• Critical questions
• Librarians Where is the money coming from?
• Teachers What happens if my bulb blows?
• Students Why doesnt my class have a projector?
• Subsidiary questions
• Librarians Will there be an increase in library
  budget?
• Teachers What alternative will I have to present
  information?
• Possible information sources
• Library services
• PTSA for fundraising

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In an effort to avoid scheduling an additional
lunch period to meet to the demands of increased
enrollment, the secondary schools are planning to
utilize the library for overflow lunch seating.

• Stakeholders
• Library staff, eaters, researchers, custodians
• Critical questions
• Librarian Who will supervise
• Eaters Will the lunch period be extended
• Custodians How will cleanup be facilitated
• Subsidiary questions
• How will scheduling be affected?
• Possible information sources
• Research lunch situations in other schools
• Survey staff and students