DTC central training on using effective questioning and starting lessons

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DTC central training on using effective
questioning and starting lessons

• Using questioning at Key Stage 3 to get pupils to
  think harder and for longer

Phil Smith Foundation Strand Consultant Bury LEA
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Before 5.30pm we will

• Are we fully aware of the range of questions we
  use in our classrooms?

• Whats good questioning?

Planning for successful questioning?

• What practical things can we do after this
  training?

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Before 5.30pm we will

• See how more purposeful lessons are linked to the
  way they actually start
• Develop an understanding of many different and
  varied ways of starting lessons to encourage
  greater motivation, engagement and challenge.

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Why have training in which we just focus on
questioning?

• What do you think the reasons are?

• the most common form of interaction between
  teacher and pupil

• b. an element of virtually every type and model
  of lesson

• c. a key method of providing appropriate
  challenge for all pupils

d. an important influence on the extent of
progress made

1. the most immediate and accessible way for a
   teacher to assess learning.

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Can you spot the dodgy questions?

• They must capture interest
• Focus on real worthwhile aspects of that
  subjects thinking, concepts or processes
• Result in a tangible, lively, substantial and
  enjoyable outcome activity through which pupils
  can genuinely answer the key question

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Can we spot the dodgy questions?

• Electricity
• Weather patterns over Europe
• Do different people in different countries
  respond the same to natural disasters?
• Telling the time in French
• How would you cope if you were lost in Paris
  after missing the school coach?
• What structures do musicians use to organise
  sounds?
• Tempo
• School trip to the art gallery
• How effective is the art gallery in portraying
  different styles of painting from the 20th
  century?
• When did the French Revolution happen?
• Why do we still bother to study the French
  Revolution?

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Whats the purpose of good questioning in a
classroom?

• To interest, engage and challenge pupils
• To check on prior knowledge
• To stimulate recall and use of existing knowledge
  and experience in order to create new
  understanding and meaning
• To focus thinking on key concepts and issues
• To extend pupils thinking from the concrete and
  factual to the analytical and evaluative
• To lead pupils through a planned sequence which
  progressively establishes key understandings
• To promote reasoning, problem solving, evaluation
  and the formulation of hypotheses
• To promote pupils thinking about the way they
  have learned

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Pitfalls of questioning
It is easy to fall into the trap of

• asking too many closed questions
• asking pupils questions to which they can respond
  with a simple yes or no answer

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Pitfalls of questioning
It is easy to fall into the trap of

• asking too many short-answer, recall-based
  questions
• asking bogus guess what Im thinking questions
• starting all questions with the same stem

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More pitfalls of questioning
It is easy to fall into the trap of

• pursuing red herrings
• dealing ineffectively with incorrect answers or
  misconceptions
• focusing on a small number of pupils and not
  involving the whole class

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And some more

• making the sequence of questions too rigid
• not giving pupils time to reflect, or to pose
  their own questions
• asking questions when another strategy might be
  more appropriateSee Handout 4.2

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Using questions to promote thinking.Theres
nothing so practical as a good theory!
Achievement at NC Level 5 require such
higher-order thinking
Bloom researched thousands of questions that
teachers asked and categorised them
And yet pupils level of achievement can be
increased by regular practice of higher-order
thinking
The majority of questions asked (95) by teachers
were factual recall and comprehension
Few questions developed higher-order thinking
skills
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Goldilocks and Bloom

• KnowledgeWhose porridge was too sweet?
• ComprehensionWhy did Goldilocks like Little
  Bears bed best?
• ApplicationWhat would have happened if
  Goldilocks had come to your house?
• AnalysisWhich parts of the story could not be
  true?
• SynthesisCan you think of a different ending?
• EvaluationWhat do you think of the story?
• Was Goldilocks good or bad? Why?

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What did Bloom discover?

• Evaluation being able to judge the worth of
  material against stated criteria. Sees pupils
  judging, assessing comparing and contrasting

• Synthesis being able to put together separate
  ideas to form new wholes, or to establish new
  links

• Analysis being able to explain how the various
  parts fit together, infer and analyse

• Application using learnt information, ideas and
  skills in new topics/situations.

• Comprehension where pupils start to understand
  the basic information so that they can explain it

• Knowledge or recall of bits of stuff..can be
  the foundation for higher levels of thinking

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How much of Bloom is in your classroom?

• In groups of 3 or 4 can you identify what range
  and styles of questions are being asked to these
  pupilsHandout 4.4
• Use Blooms list to classify and sort these
  questions.
• This is pretty tricky to do since we are taking
  these questions out of context.

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Some suggested answers
Blooms taxonomy Questions
Knowledge 2,3,11
Comprehension 10, 15
Application 5,9,13,16,18
Analysis 4,14,17
Synthesis 6,12
Evaluation 1,7,8
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How much more of Bloom can you get into your
classroom?
Knowledge

• Questions for learning
• What three things are the most important?
• Describe them to me
• List for me the key characters in the book
• Write your list, turn it over, repeat it
• Where in the book would you find
• Name as many characters as you can, go for 5

• Activities
• Tell
• Recite
• List
• Memorise
• Remember
• Find
• Name

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How much more of Bloom can you get into your
classroom?
Comprehension

• Questions for learning
• What do you think is happening here?
• Can you think of any other examples?
• What might this mean?
• What 3 things are the most important?

• Activities
• Explain
• Give examples of
• Summarise
• draw

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How much more of Bloom can you get into your
classroom?
Application

• Questions for learning
• Plan and deliver a presentation to
• What is most significant for your chosen
  audience?
• How can you best demonstrate your understanding?

• Activities
• Demonstrate
• Based on what you know
• Model

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How much more of Bloom can you get into your
classroom?
Analysis

• Questions for learning
• What information is needed? Where will you get
  it?
• Organise the data using a flow chart/concept map
• List arguments for and against, compare them
• Separate into fact and opinion using a Venn
  diagram

• Activities
• Investigate
• Classify
• Categorise
• Facts and opinions

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How much more of Bloom can you get into your
classroom?
Synthesis

• Questions for learning
• Provide a portfolio for evidence showing your
  case for
• Taking the theme of stillness produce three
  pieces for piano
• Using all the evidence available
• Based on the evidence and your own feelings, what
  do you think is likely to?

• Activities
• Create
• Compose
• Forecast
• Formulate
• Argue the case for
• Predict
• Imagine

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How much more of Bloom can you get into your
classroom?
Evaluation

• Questions for learning
• Re-order with a justification
• Design a mechanism to evaluate the performance
• Discuss the relative merits in relation to
• Following your critique, say which is better and
  why
• What is the bst option? Why? List five reasons.

• Activities
• Prioritise
• Rate
• Grade
• Critique
• Judge
• Recommend

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Tactics used in a real classroom

• Use Handout 4.5 to record some positive features
  of the questioning

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Ms. History

• Stimulated thinking by
• Having an unhurried pace
• Allowed wait times.(the average wait time is
  less than 1 second and below average pupils are
  given even LESS wait time).
• Open ended questions
• Pupils asked speculative What if questions

• Extended/sustained responses by
• Requesting explanations
• Posed challenging Why questions
• Pupils answers are valued by the teacher

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Ms. History

• Encouraged active listening by
• Poising questions to conscripts as well as
  volunteers
• Using a variety of questions
• Encouraging pupils to generate their own questions

• Created an interaction between pupils by
• Carefully structuring think, pair, share
  sessions
• Encouraging to ask each other questions
• Requesting pupils to add to and challenge the
  answers provided by others

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Handouts 4.6 and 4.7

• Great use of departmental timespend 25 minutes
  as a department using 4.6 to identify possible
  benefits and contexts for using each tactic with
  a particular class in mind.
• Whilst 4.7 provides the basis for further
  discussion

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Ready for more?

• Begin to build key questions into your medium as
  well as short-term planning.
• In a departmental meeting discuss how you might
  plan sequences of questions that build up pupils
  understanding of important concepts.

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Pacey starts can be crucial
Per lesson Over the Key Stage 3
1 minute saved 2 hours saved
2 minutes saved 4 hours saved
3 minutes saved 6 hours saved
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Common ways of starting a lesson

• Sit down and get your books out
• Copy the date and title then listen to teacher
• Quick recap on the previous lesson
• Take the register
• Answer a few brief questions before the lesson
  fully develops
• Stand behind your chair
• Hand books out
• Waiting for silence

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The ideal learning state


High
Challenge
Low
High
Low
Stress
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Activitythe High Challenge-Low Challenge game

• High challenge refers to the extent to which
  high-order thinking is demanded by the starter
  activity

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Activitythe High Challenge-Low Challenge game

• Challenge is not the only factor in an effective
  start to the lesson
• (i) Pacewith focus on thinking and learning
  rather than on the business of the activity.
• (ii) Interactionessentially the pupils are
  active.
• (iii) Involvementbe wary of the Put your hand
  up and tell me what we did last week syndrome
  setting in.

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Activitythe High Challenge-Low Challenge game

• Challenge is not the only factor in an effective
  start to the lesson
• (iv) Connecting with prior learning..
  Do you remember when?
• (v) Arouse pupil curiosity and intrigueare
  they thought provoking?
• (vi) Can include brief, small-group activities.
  
• Id like you to think about what you think
  were the three most important things which you
  can remember about.which we did last week. Turn
  to your partner and explain what you have chosen
  and why?

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But what is the BIG picture youre trying to
create?

• Starter activities work best when they are placed
  within challenging and fun sequences of lessons
  (See art/geography examples)

Main enquiry covering a series of lessons over a
period of weeks perhaps
Starter
Starter
Starter
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Multiple Intelligences and starting lessons
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What this really means

• Logical/Mathematical
• Puzzles
• Charts
• Graphs
• Analysis
• Forecasts
• Predictions

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Imaginative use of this model

• Logical/Mathematical in English
• M-KD (KM)
• Macbeth minus King Duncan equals King
  Macbeth-but not for long, so put it in brackets

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What this really means

• Interpersonal
• Group work
• Team work
• Interviewing
• Chat shows
• Drama
• Teaching others
• Group leading
• Group co-ordinating

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Imaginative use of this model

• Interpersonal
• This can free yourself up to work with those who
  really need your support.
• Buddy-up systems

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What this really means

• Intrapersonal
• WIIFMs?
• Empathy
• Emotional
• Metacognition
• Target setting
• HypotheticalWhat if?

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Imaginative use of this model

• Intrapersonal
• Encourage reflectionWell donehow did you do
  it?
• Which bits did you learn quickest and why?
• How would you feel if.? (Geography and the rain
  cycle)
• Science experiments

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What this really means

• Visual/spatial
• Learning maps
• Posters
• Highlighter pens
• Symbols
• Icons
• Instructive display work

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Imaginative use of this model

• Visual/spatial
• We have a better memory for pictures than we do
  for words (see From the land of the gods)
• Using colour improves our memory
• Mind-mapping

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What this really means

• Body/physical
• Role play
• Making models
• Movement
• Acting
• Practical
• Walking through the learning

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Imaginative use of this model

• Body/physical
• English Dept used Go high and Go low when
  developing a new area of learning.
• Happy-sad continuums.
• Moving around the classroom (Trenches-table
  example)
• Science lesson (solar system in the hall-moving
  to Holsts The Planets)
• MathsJumping from column to column

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What this really means

• Musical
• Rhymes
• Raps
• Jingles
• Songs
• Background music

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Imaginative use of this model

• Musical
• Creates the right kind of atmosphere for learning
• Examples (Bachs Goldberg Variations/Pachelbel)

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What this really means

• Verbal linguistic
• Debates
• Stories
• Discussions
• Poems
• Word games
• Speeches
• Diary entries

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Imaginative use of this model

• Verbal/linguistic
• Class discussions (think carefully about your
  enquiry question)
• Radio commercials
• Poems to help with remembering key concepts

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What this really means

• Naturalistic
• Going out of the classroom to learn
• Classifying into family groups

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What this really means

• Naturalistic
• Varying your classroom environment (Battle of
  Hastings out doors?)
• Which animals would Disney use in a cartoon
  version of Macbeth?
• Persecution of other groups through Darwins
  eyes?
• Emily Davison throwing herself in front of the
  horse from the horses point of view
• Amazonian rainforest through the eyes of the
  creatures living there and dying there

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Be aware

• We tend to teach and start lessons according to
  the way WE prefer to learn.
• Wear your creative thinking hat

1. How can we incorporate music into Art lessons?
2. Can we use these models to evaluate our current
   schemes of work?
3. Would Mozart have been happy just doing Music one
   hour a week?

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WARNINGWatch out for the potential problems!
1. Take too long or even take over the whole
lesson!
2. They can lose pace and direction and lack
clear learning outcomes
3. Too quick a pace can lose pupils who need
extra thinking or speaking time
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WARNINGWatch out for the potential problems!
4. Can bore the more able if you are not careful!
5. Become a fixed routine that bores
6. Can be derailed by the arrival of latecomers
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So if those are the problems, what are the
solutions?

• They need careful planning and preparation so
  that everyone (teacher and pupils) see the
  purpose of the activity
• Remain focussed on the purpose of the starting
  activity
• Use a variety of activities to get the lessons
  started

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So if those are the problems, what are the
solutions?

• Skilful teacher questioning, coupled with
  thinking time. (Blooms ideas are really useful
  here)
• Effective use of classroom support
• Adding extra challenge for some by increasing the
  complexity or sophistication of the activity

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The keys to successful starters

• To avoid over running plan this as a discrete
  element of the lesson.
• Ensure that your starter activities contribute
  directly to the overall lesson objectives
• Choose starters that best fit your BIG picture
  planning
• Make sure that your starter activities show
  progression over time!

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Second to last slidethe keys to successful
starters

• Use varied and unusual routines to create
  motivation. (Think of Alistair Smith and
  Multiple Intelligences)
• Plan for a brief conclusion at the end of the
  starter to consolidate the gains made

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Ready for more?

• Why not trial three different types of starter
  that you have not used before with the one class
  over the enquiry/lesson sequence?
• Follow this up with a departmental discussion
  about how these might be incorporated into a Year
  7 scheme of work for next year
• Also during this meeting discuss what other
  colleagues have been trying out.