This week I've been thinking about teachers and questions. So often, Questioning-the-teaching-technique is the focus of professional learning and coaching. The questions we ask as teachers are, after all, the crux of what we ask students to think about, how we communicate with them, and how we listen into how they are thinking about their learning.
I have also noticed, though, that these conversations are so often limited to 1. teacher questions 2. pre-planned whole class questions and 3. "leveled" questions. We often spend most of our time using Bloom's or Webb or DOK to categorize the the cognitive depth of the question. I have learnedso much from these practices as a way to collect data and reflect on classroom practice. This is an important variable,
But. I can't help but wonder what other variables are at play. Planning one great question isn't the whole game. Its not just the question, its how you ask it. It's not just getting the students' answers, its what you do with them. Its how you listen to the students' thinking and ask the NEXT question. And its not just students asking questions, its how we honor them. Its not just the questions, its the questioning.
So how do YOU question? What decisions about and around a question in class determine the successful the subsequent discussion? Comment below and share your thoughts.
