1st Edition
Better Questioning for Better Learning Strategies for Engaged Thinking
Learn how to ask deeper questions and develop better questioning habits with this important resource. Author Benjamin Stewart Johnson takes you step by step through the key considerations and brain- based research to keep in mind when developing questions. He begins with an overview of why it’s important to understand participants’ thought process when being asked questions. He then shows how to set expectations for virtual questions and face- to- face questions; how to plan authentic, higher- order questions; how to scaffold and differentiate questions; and how to avoid zombie questions. In addition, he debunks myths such as wait time and points out the best ways to help learners support their answers, use questions to check for understanding, and more. Each section concludes by helping you create an action plan to improve your skills in a given area. Appropriate for teachers, instructional coaches, training facilitators, and specialists, the book can be used independently or in schoolwide book studies to help educators of all subjects and grades improve the depth and quality of their questioning.
Section I: Questioning Foundation 1. Questions: Why ask questions? 2. Questioning Perspective: What really happens inside a participant’s head when an instructor asks questions? 3. Whole Brain Questions: What types of questions are compatible with brain-based learning? 4. Virtual Questioning Distinctions: How does that differ from in-person questions? 5. Substantiveness: How can question promote deep thinking? Section II: Planning Learning 6. Wild Hog Questions: How do you prepare effective questions before instruction? 7. A Question for Every Brain: How do you differentiate questions according to needs? 8. Questions 101: What are effective ways to write questions? 9. How to Scaffold Questions: How does scaffolding questions build on participant success? 10. Knowledge and Comprehension Questions: How can questions prepare participants to learn? Section III: Learning 11. The Role of Repetition in Questions: How can questions help participants remember better? 12. Avoiding Zombie Questions: How do you avoid asking ineffective questions? 13. Misconceptions About Asking Questions: How can questions engage all learners? 14. Accountable Talk: How do you help participants to support their answers? 15. Controlling Questions: How do you use questions to manage the class? Section IV: Assessing Learning 16. Checking for Understanding: How do you know all of your participants are learning? 17. Formative Questioning: Constant checking for understanding that doesn’t annoy 18. Pre-Post Test Mindset: How to use Wild Hog Questions as evaluations? 19. Review and Retrench Questions: What do you do when all of your participants are not learning? 20. Formal Evaluations: How do you construct accurate assessment questions?
Biography
Benjamin Stewart Johnson is an educational leader and change agent with a mission to help learners learn more by increasing teacher and administrator effectiveness. As Assistant Superintendent, he turned around a school district from being rated Unacceptable to being rated Recognized by the Texas Education Agency in only three years. He has mentored and coached multitudes of school instructional leaders to increase student learning throughout the state of Texas.
