Why Ask? Questioning Strategies in the Classroom

Fisher and Frey really give a good insight on how to develop good questions, and why good questions are important in the classroom.  Since questioning is the method teachers use to check students’ understanding, teachers need to make sure they are asking good effective questions.  Developing effective questions can be a hard task for some teachers and it takes a lot of practice.  The main thing teachers need to remember when asking questions is to make sure it relates to the content.  We have all had teachers that would put questions on a test that was not related to what we had been taught. However, by developing quality questions, students are challenged to think about the lesson and give their own opinions and analysis.    

Sadly, many teachers tend to ask too many “lower-order” questions.  These questions generally elicit a “yes” or “no” response. Teachers lean to asking these types of questions when checking for students’ understanding, and to see whether students have memorized a fact.   It is okay for teachers to ask “lower-order” questions in particular situations, and sometimes it is the only type of question that may be appropriate. By no means, should a teacher only ask “lower-order” questions in the classroom.   I believe when teachers ask good questions, it improves motivation and raises the standards.  So, when teachers are developing questions, they need to really strive to ask more “higher-order” questions.  “Higher-order” questions involve students expanding on an idea or response.  I know a huge thing with Common Core, is that it really pushes asking a lot of what they call HOT questions.  By asking HOT questions, teachers are allowing their students to develop their thinking processes.

The book discussed several different questioning strategies and techniques to use.  I feel that it is important for teachers to incorporate different questioning strategies in their lessons.  Personally, I really like the QUILT technique the book talked about.  It talks about how it is important to give “wait time” after asking a question.  I feel that it is important to give students time after asking the question, because it allows them time to process the question and give a more thought out answer.  Also, it says it is important for the teacher to give feedback on accuracy of the answer, and to expand on the answer.  I feel like this is the most important part. I know I have been in classes where someone answers the question, but the teacher would never say whether it was right or not. Therefore, I was left confused and uncertain of the correct answer. I feel that it is important for teachers to expand on the correct answer, because sometimes the teacher may put it in different words that make more sense. Also, students are left with no uncertainty of the correct answer.

When reading this chapter, it reminded me of my second grade teacher.  She had a Question Box set up in her room.  When we were working on a project or had a general question, we would write it on a piece of paper and put it in the box.  At the end of the class, my teacher would get all the questions from the day and read them to the class.  The class would answer the questions as a whole.  I really liked this, because most of the time I would have the same question as the rest of the class. So, I would be able to get the information needed to finish the assignment. Just a good idea for the classroom!!

Questions:

The QUILT talks about allowing “wait time” after asking a question. How long of a “wait time” should you give students?

In my clinical experiences, I have seen some teachers tend to call on the same students to answer questions. Is there a fun way (besides the popsicle sticks) to get students more involved in the questioning and answering part of the lesson?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting It Down: Making and Taking Notes Across the Curriculum

This chapter has given me much insight into how to take notes. While reading this chapter, I too concur with the statement that "students need to be shown how to take notes- good notes- that they can use later." (121) I believe this chapter mainly focused on the difference between note taking and note making. I personally never knew that there was a difference in the two. I was never shown a way to take notes in high school. Very seldom was I given an outline or PowerPoint to guide in a review. It was more or less a feast or famine. I would have loved to have had the different methods/strategies that the book refers to for my own note taking. It would have made things so much easier. I know that I have always been OCD in my life. I'm an extremely organized person, and I love to have more than I need. I always take notes on just about everything. I would have loved for someone to have shown me how to properly take notes, so that I wouldn't have so much for me to filter through. However, my stringent note taking has lead to great review materials. It has also helped me remember exactly what was said during class. As you get older and busier in life, you find yourself forgetting things.  I constantly keep reminders to myself about important things. I think of this as my own note taking. I would be lost without them and my calendars!!! We each have our own way of taking notes that makes sense to each of us.

Until recently I was completely unaware that taking notes can be extremely easy. My friend who has a daughter in the 7th grade informed me that they get to take notes on Ipads in one of her reading classes. This teacher downloaded an app that allows for them to take notes and add pictures for better understanding. I'm very intrigued by this and am going to see if I too can find this app for my IPhone. How awesome would that be to have organized easy to read notes that I could add visuals to and print off if I wanted. Wow, wouldn't that be nice to have in future elementary school classes. With the way times are changing, using technology to take notes would make it easier and maybe less stressful for younger children and older children.

While reflecting on my reading there was several things that stuck out to me. One was the discussion that teachers need to format their lessons around easy note taking. They also need to review and check the students' notes to ensure they are done properly. This leaves me with the question......How am I suppose to find time to teach and check all students notes while I'm responsible for so many other things? How can I make note taking fun and easy while incorporating multiple strategies?

 

 

 

Effects of Teachers' Reading-Aloud Styles on Vocabulary Acquisition and Comprehension

This week’s article is about a study that was completed to show how teacher's reading-aloud styles can influence vocabulary acquisition and comprehension of students in early elementary grades.  “Just reading,” “performance,” and “interactional” are the three styles of read-alouds that contributes to success in vocabulary and comprehension for elementary students.  We are told that read-alouds are very important in the classroom; however, teachers are sometimes confused on how these read-alouds should be used to increase literacy learning and comprehension.

 There has not been one particular style that has been proven to be more effective.  Each student comprehends and learns differently.  Some students may comprehend best by the just reading style.  Other students need more discussion, such as the performance style, which encourages discussion before and after the reading, or interactional style, which simultaneously discusses the material throughout the story.  Researchers found that the interactional style worked best with students that had memory abilities below the group average.

I believe the best way to figure out which style is more effective is based on each individual child.  One style is not better than the other one.  It just depends on the type of learning style your student possesses.  We have learned that discussion and analyzing different things increases comprehension.  It only makes sense to use this in the classroom.  I agree with the authors’ conclusion that verbally mediated, interactional, and performance reading aloud styles are more effective for vocabulary acquisition than just reading aloud with no discussion or analysis.

 

 
Questions:

1. How does a teacher know what read-aloud style works best?

 
2.  How does a teacher incorporate multiple styles of read-alouds in his/her class?

Read-Alouds

I really enjoyed reading about read-alouds, and how they can be incorporated into any content area.  As a future teacher, I will definitely use this instructional tool in my classroom.  I believe read-alouds are a positive way to get students motivated and excited about reading.  If you think about it, kids are being read to at a very young age starting with their parents, grandparents and siblings.  As a young child, I always loved being read to.   I believe that is why I love to read now.  Read- alouds are just another way for teachers to expose his/her students to an assortment of reading materials. By doing read-alouds, students are able to easily make those connections that teachers like them to make when reading. 

I found the survey that the article talked about very fascinating. I have to say I was surprised to see how many teachers actually did read-alouds compared to the teachers that did not.  My husband and his friend are both history teachers, so I asked them if they did read-alouds in their classroom. Sadly, they did not even know what a read-alouds was.  I explained to them what a read-aloud was, and why they were important to incorporate them into their classes.   Both of them said they did not have time to do read-alouds in their class. However, they teach at a school where I believe the students would really benefit from read-alouds. I really encouraged them to find time to incorporate some type of read-aloud in their class.

 Shared reading and think alouds are other effective strategies teachers could incorporate into their instructional time.    It is important for teachers to know the difference between all the strategies, and when to use each one appropriately.  However, when teachers take the time to plan and use one of these strategies, students will be more engaged in the lesson. All these strategies allow the teacher to model good reading and thinking skills.  Therefore, students will take what has been modeled and apply it when reading independently. 

Questions:

How much more would students learn if they were in a classroom where the teacher did read-alouds versus a teacher that did not?

How does a teacher know when read-alouds are effective in his/her classrooms?

 

 

 

Writing to Learn

I knew writing was important, but I did not realize how crucial it was for it to be incorporated across the curriculum. However, while I was reading, it became very evident that incorporating writing in content areas can enhance a student's success. The article offers many different ideas and strategies that I believe can be very beneficial in the classroom. By integrating different writing strategies into the curriculum, I believe it will help students have a deeper understanding of the content being taught. Therefore, students will develop better critical thinking skills and a different perspective of the content.

The article and book provided many writing strategies that a teacher could integrate into his/her planning no matter what content was being taught. I found it very fascinating how Mr. Hayden incorporated writing into his geometry class. By Mr. Hayden making his class write out their thoughts, he was able to make them think critically at how they arrived at the answer to the problem. This is a great way to integrate writing into a mathematics lesson that I will use in my classroom. I do think,when a teacher assigns a writing assignment, he/she needs to make sure they give students a rubric or checklist. By providing students with these tools, students will know what is expected from their work.

As a future teacher, I will definitely integrate some type of writing into every content area. However, teachers do need to remember that every student learns differently and what works for one student may not work for another. With that being said, a teacher may have to use many writing strategies in the classroom until he or she finds one that every student could benefit from. After reading the material, I have a better understanding of how important integrating writing across the curriculum is and how I can use it to benefit my students.

Questions:
I truly wonder how many lives could be changed if they were taught how to properly filter information through writing?

How much more information could a child retain by writing to learn versus just the average studying and note taking?