IQ115

 –  Questioning  Strategies    

Strategy/approach   Process   Gains  and  benefits  

Thinking  Time:   Provide  time  between  setting  the   Prompts  depth  of  thought  and  increases  
Consciously  waiting  for  a  pupil  or   question  and  requiring  an  answer.     levels  of  challenge.    Ensures  all  pupils  have  
class  to  think  through  an  answer   Sometimes  alerting  pupils  to  the   a  view  or  opinion  to  share  before  an  answer  
(before  you  break  the  silence)  e.g   approach  and  the  time  available  to   is  sought.  
15-­‐30secs   develop  an  answer.          
No  Hands  Questioning:   Pupils  aware  that  those  required  to  give   Improves  engagement  and  challenges  all  
Using  the  ‘no  hands  up’  rule   an  answer,  will  be  selected  by  the   pupils  to  think.    When  linked  to  Thinking  
  teacher.    Teachers  alert  them  to  this  as   Time,  pupils  share  ideas  and  ‘position’  their  
questions  are  asked.   own  views  in  relation  to  others.  
Linked  to  ‘thinking  time’.    
Basketball  questioning:   Teacher  establishes  movement  of  ideas   Engages  more  pupils.    Stops  teacher  being  
Move  questions  and  discussions   and  responses  around  the  class.    Builds   focus  for  all  questioning.    Develops  
between  pupils   on  other  pupils’  ideas  and  comments.     connected  thinking  and  development  of  
Accepts  ‘half-­‐formed’  ideas.    NB  not   ideas.  
‘ping-­‐pong’  
 
Conscripts  and  Volunteers:   Teacher  selects  answers  from  those  who   Enhances  engagement  and  challenge  for  all.  
Using  a  planned  mix  of   volunteer  an  answer  and  an  equal  
‘conscripts’  and  ‘volunteers’   amount  of  those  who  do  not.  
 
Phone  a  friend:   Those  who  cannot  answer  are  allowed  to   Encourages  whole-­‐class  listening  and  
Removes  stress  to  enable  those   nominate  a  fellow  pupil  to  suggest  an   participation.    Removes  stress  and  builds  
who  cannot  answer  to  participate   answer  on  their  behalf,  but  they  still   self-­‐esteem.  
have  to  provide  their  own  answer,  
perhaps  building  on  this.  
 
Hot-­‐seating:   A  pupil  is  placed  in  the  ‘hot-­‐seat’  to  take   Encourages  listening  for  detail  and  provides  
several  questions  from  the  class  and   challenge  
teacher.  
 
Mantle  of  the  expert:   A  wears  the  cloak  of  the  expert  to   Builds  self-­‐esteem  through  opportunity  to  
answer  questions  from  the  class.   share  detailed  knowledge.  
 
Preview:   Questions  are  shared/displayed  before   Signals  the  big  concepts  and  learning  of  the  
Previewing  questions  in  advance   being  asked,  or  the  start  of  the  lesson.   lesson  
 
Pair  rehearsal:   Pairs  of  pupils  are  able  to  discuss  and   Encourages  interaction,  engagement  and  
of  an  answer  or  a  question   agree  responses  to  questions  together.   depth  
 
Eavesdropping:   Listen  in  to  group  discussions  and  target   Facilitates  informed  differentiation.  
Deploying  specific  targeted   specific  questions  to  groups  and  
questions   individuals.  
 
5Ws:   Teacher  models  the  use  of  Who,  What,   Encourages  students  to  rehearse  enquiry  
Modeling  simple  exploratory   Where,  When  and  Why  to  set  out  a   and  comprehension,  can  extend  into  
questions  to  gather  information   simple  information  gathering  response   reasoning  and  hypothesis.  
based  on  the  information  provided.   Creates  an  inquisitive  disposition  and  a  
  thinking/self  reflective  approach  to  
learning.  

IQ115  Principles  and  Practices  of  Online  Teaching  –  Module:  Promoting  Online  Interaction:  Questions  are  key.  
IQ115  –  Questioning  Strategies    

Strategy/approach Process Gains and benefits

High Challenge: Questions must be pre-planned, as Provides high challenge thinking,
Phrasing questions carefully to very difficult to invent during a lesson. requiring more careful thought, perhaps
concentrate on Bloom’s Focus questions to address analysis, collaborative thinking and certainly
Taxonomy higher challenge synthesis, evaluation and creativity, longer more detailed answers. For
areas based on Bloom’s Taxonomy. Able, Gifted and Talented.

Staging or sequencing: Increasing the level of challenge with Helps pupils to recognise the range of
questions with increasing each question, moving from low to possible responses and to select
levels of challenge higher-order questioning appropriately.

Big questions: Big questions cannot be easily These questions develop deeper and
The setting of a substantial answered by students when the more profound thinking. Big Questions
and thought provoking question is posed. They are often set are often moral issues or speculative
question at the beginning of the lesson and can questions such as, Where are we from?
only be answered by the end of the How big is the universe? What is the
lesson, using all of the thinking based meaning of life?
on all of the contributions to the
lesson. They require extended answers and
usually rely on collaborative thinking
and a personal interpretation of the
information provided.

Focus questioning: When students struggle to answer Develops confidence and the
This will help students to bigger or more complex questioning, sequencing of small steps in thinking
answer bigger questions the teacher can model or lead the and response. Allows students to
thinking by asking Focus questions to reveal the stages in their thinking.
lead the student through the steps of
the thinking.

Fat questions: Pupils are not allowed to answer a Develops speaking and reasoning skills,
Seeking a minimum answer question using less than e.g. 15 the correct use of critical and technical
words or using a particular word or language .
phrase. They must give an extended
answer or make a complete
sentence/phrase.

Skinny questions In its simplest form, students can Challenge level is low in skinny
A traditional approach to Q&A answer yes or no to a skinny questions that do not seek and
asking everyday questions with question, or give a number or extended answer or reasons for the
a fixed or specific answer knowledge based response. answer. Mostly knowledge and
comprehension based. Does not
develop thinking or reasoning.

Signal questions: Providing signals to pupils about the The essence of purposeful questioning,
kind of answer that would best fit the moving pupils from existing knowledge
question being asked. Teacher or experience (often unsorted or
responds to pupils attempt to answer, unordered knowledge) to organized
by signaling and guiding the answers. understanding, where patterns and
meaning have been established.

Seek a partial answer: In the context of asking difficult whole Excellent for building understanding
class questions, deliberately ask a from pupil-based language. Can be
pupil who will provide only a partly used to lead into ‘Basketball
formed answer, to promote collective questioning’. Develops self-esteem.
engagement.

Many of these teaching approaches are taken from the National Secondary Strategy for School
Improvement ‘Questioning’ Unit of the Foundation Strand materials and Assessment, and Questioning
from the work of members of the AfL team including Paul Black and Christine Harrison (PDF download).

IQ115  Principles  and  Practices  of  Online  Teaching  –  Module:  Promoting  Online  Interaction:  Questions  are  key.