Questioning

media type="custom" key="4441047"
 * “Always the beautiful answer, who asks a more beautiful question.”- E E Cummings

media type="youtube" key="je_WNjjTg_o" height="344" width="425" ** media type="custom" key="4105291" The [|Question Matrix] below was designed by **Chuck Weiderhold** in 1991. It contains 36 question starters asking what, where, when, which, who, why and how. Proceeding through the matrix, the questions become more complex and open-ended.

The Question Matrix can be used:
 * to help students create their own questions about a specific topic and to encourage in-depth thinking
 * as question starters for teachers to elicit further information about a student’s knowledge and understanding of a topic
 * to formulate questions for a particular purpose eg organising a camp

NB: Red headings indicate the contexts that these question starters are generally used.

How the Question Matrix could be displayed in the classroom:
 * =  ||= ** Event ** ||= ** Situation ** ||= ** Choice ** ||= ** Person ** ||= ** Reason ** ||= ** Means ** ||
 * = ** Present ** ||= **What is?** ||= **Where / When is?** ||= **Which did?** ||= **Who is?** ||= **Why is?** ||= **How is?** ||
 * = **Past** ||= **What did?** ||= **Where / When did?** ||= **Which did?** ||= **Who did?** ||= **Why did?** ||= **How did?** ||
 * = ** Possibility ** ||= **What can?** ||= **Where / When can?** ||= **Which can?** ||= **Who can?** ||= **Why can?** ||= **How can?** ||
 * = ** Probability ** ||= ** What would? ** ||= ** Where / When would? ** ||= ** Which would? ** ||= ** Who would? ** ||= ** Why would? ** ||= ** How would? ** ||
 * = ** Prediction ** ||= **What will?** ||= **Where / When will?** ||= **Which will?** ||= **Who will?** ||= **Why will?** ||= **How will?** ||
 * = ** Imagination ** ||= **What might?** ||= **Where / When might?** ||= **Which might?** ||= **Who might?** ||= **Why might?** ||= **How might?** ||



The following slideshare can be printed (as handouts) so teachers can make up their own question matrix for the classroom. **Thanks Whaea Kim for this excellent resource:)** media type="custom" key="4117755"

You may also like this idea adapted from the matrix called [|Question Cue Cards] [|Other Tools and Strategies]

media type="youtube" key="tj6eZGu8NfA" height="344" width="425"

If you want to help students learn to ask beautiful questions, try playing the following Question Game with them. With enough encouragement and practice, they will develop the ability and courage to ask high-level questions. The Question Game is also great to play as a pre-writing exercise before students compose a piece of writing as it takes the topic to new levels of depth. To start the game, write on the teacher board any topic related to your lesson ie: insects, marbles, cats, spiders etc.” Ask students to ask open-ended questions about the topic you have defined, and write them down. Any question is acceptable as long as it is open-ended and has not been asked before. The game is over when the timer beeps and/or students can no longer offer a related open-ended question without repeating one already asked.

Student 1: Why is it important to have success? Student 2: How is the definition of success different in other countries? Student 3: How can someone be happy without being successful? Student 4: What part do parents play in determining a child’s level of success? Student 5: What would happen if the word “success” was eliminated from the dictionary? Student 6: How do I know that I have been successful in this class? Student 7: Who is the most successful person that you know and why? Student 8: What might success have to do with money? Student 9: How does being successful really feel? Student 10: If you were fully successful, what would you have accomplished?
 * STUDENT GENERATED QUESTIONS**: For example, the topic could be “success”:

1. How did you feel during the game? 2. Did your emotions change during the game? If so, why? 3. How comfortable are you asking questions in this lesson? 4. What could you do to feel more comfortable asking questions in our classroom? 5. Which question in the list we made is the most “beautiful” and why? 6. What are the characteristics of a “beautiful” question? 7. What are some questions you have about this lesson? 8. What do you think are the most important questions that should be asked? 9. What questions do you anticipate require deeper thinking? 10. What did you learn or relearn while playing The Question Game?
 * INSTRUCTOR GENERATED QUESTIONS:** After students have created a long list of questions, you can begin to draw out life lessons from the experience they have just participated in. Questions for processing the Question Game:

Pick a question (either Student Generated or Instructor Generated) and ask everyone to write an answer. (2 min) Put students in pairs (pair/share) to discuss the answers they wrote. (5 min) Have each pair join another pair (pair/square) and each student tells the new pair his/her partner’s answer. (10 min) Choose students at random to share their answer with the entire group and lead a discussion of the answers. (5-30 min, depending upon the number of students you call upon to share)
 * One option for processing the Question Game:**

** __ Website Links that relate to Questioning__ **

Joan Dalton's - [|Applying Bloom's Taxonomy] **NEW** Jamie McKenzie - [|A Questioning Toolkit] **NEW** Larry Taylor - [|The Power of Kids' Own Questions] **NEW**

A common example used by **Dr. Chuck Weiderhold** that is based on the application of Bloom’s Taxonomy [] || http://question-skills.wikispaces.com/Base-line+Questioning+Assessment Base-line Questioning Assessment A new look at questioning and how to assess questioning skills. This process that has been used across a range of schools to obtain school-wide data on children's assessment skills. ** Trevor Bond - QuEST ** || [|http://www.questionize.com] Got a question? ANY question what so ever? Ask it at Questionize.com and tap into the knowledge of other visitors. || [] Questioning is critical to the teaching-learning process. When working with young children, ask lots of questions. Not sure what to ask? Try these for starters ... || [] Answers to essential questions cannot be copied and pasted from the Internet. Get an understanding of what an essential question is or should be | Look at some sample essential questions | Use the Question Brainstormer to generate essential questions | Good Question Cubes | || [] Effective Classroom Questioning Levels and Types of Questions | Bloom's Taxonomy | Planning Questions | Interaction Skills | Methods for Assessing Questioning Skills | Student Evaluation of Questioning Skills | || [] The Question Mark - An educational magazine devoted to questioning, good intelligence, strategic reading and quality teaching. Pedagogy does matter! || [] The Question is the Answer Creating Research Programs for An Age of Information Which Questions Matter? This is a Questioning Toolkit by ** Jamie McKenzie ** || [] Being able to recognize different levels of **questions** is beneficial for all - ** Art Costa ** ||
 * **HOTs - Higher Order Thinking Skills**
 * **Base-line Questioning Assessment**
 * **Questionize.com - Ask any question!**
 * **Questioning in the Classroom**
 * **Essential Questions**
 * **Effective Classroom Questioning**
 * **The Question Mark**
 * **The Question is the Answer**
 * **Costa's Level of Inquiry**