Asking Questions
Purpose of Questions and Levels of Questions
Brandi Tallmage
Purpose of questions
Questions that seek information:
I think that questions that seek information are very helpful. I feel that in a classroom setting you would try and ask questions to see what your students know. This is how you are seeking that they know the information that you are teaching them. In a special education classroom I may have to ask my questions to seek information in other ways than just questions. I may have to do hands on or verbal question and answers for my special education students to make sure they are understanding because of their different learning styles. In an elementary education classroom I could ask most of my students questions written or verbal and they would be able to answer them and that is how I would access how much information they retained.
Getting interest and attention:
I think that asking question that get the students attention are more than likely going to get them interested in what they are going to learn about, because otherwise if they don't find it interesting then i feel they are going to zone out and not pay as much attention. For a special education classroom i would use this kind of questions to get the students excited about the new topic we were going to learn about or be using. If the students are interested learning will be easier. In an elementary classroom i would use this type of question to see what the students already know as well as get them excited about what we are going to learn about in the classroom.
Purpose of Questioning
Diagnosing and Checking:
I think that these types of questions should be used to diagnose what the students know or have learned, as well as to check their understanding along the way as you are continuing to learn. I would use this in a special education classroom to diagnose what the students were struggling with and check how they are understanding or not understanding to better decide how to help them better learn and understand. In an elementary education classroom i would use these kinds of questions to see where my students were struggling and also where we need to review as well as checking for understanding.
Purpose of Questioning
Recalling Specific Facts or Information:
Recalling facts or information should be used after a lesson has been taught to see what facts and information that the students have learned and remember. As a teacher you want your students to take information that they have learned and remember it and be able to use in later on. In a special education classroom i would use this kind of questioning, but i would differ it so that the students were showing me, and or demonstrating facts they learned if they were unable to tell me specific things they learned. Sometimes activities can help with this as well. In an elementary education classroom i would use this to see what the students have remembered from the lesson, as well as the facts. Being able to recall and retell information is very important in the education world and school.
Purpose of Questioning
Encouraging Higher Level Thought Processing:
I would use questions that required a higher level of thinking to test my students and get them to think outside of the box in what they normally think in. In a special education classroom you would have to be careful doing this because it might be to hard for some students and you might have to lower it down to a lower level of thinking, but it will still be making them think about things differently. In an elementary classroom you could use this to get the higher level students engaged in thinking more on their level, and it would also make the average or lower level students really think about it and try getting them to think on another level.
Purpose of Questioning
Structuring and redirecting
learning:
I would use these kind of question to structure what the students are learning as well as to redirect the students learning if they are going off on the wrong path or track that we are learning about. In a special education classroom i would use these question to redirect what the students are learning about in the classroom in another way so they are better able to understand what they are suppose to be learning. In a regular education classroom i would use this to enhance learning and make sure they are on the right path in understanding the information and if not try explaining it in a different way.
Allowing Expression of Affect:
I would use these kinds of question to allow the students to express what they are feeling, or express their thoughts and ideas about what they have learned. In a special education classroom i would use this to allow the students to demonstrate or tell how they feel about what is going on in the classroom with their learning and how else they feel would help them learn it. In an elementary classroom i would use this for the students input about how they feel about the lesson or what they feel could be changed to make the lesson better so they could get more out of it.
Levels of Questions
Blooms Taxonomy
Levels of Questions
Knowledge
Knowledge is the lowest level of questions and requires students to recall information. Knowledge questions usually require students to identify information in basically the same form it was presented. This level of question could be used in a special education classroom to tell basic information they have learned in the lesson, but you might have to have the students explain this in another way than question and answer to really see what they learned. In an elementary classroom you could use this with lower level learners to recall the information they are learning as well as with higher level learners to tell information they learned and the way they learned it.
Levels of Questions
Comprehension:
Comprehension is the way in which ideas are organized into categories. Comprehension questions are those that ask students to take information and it into a single category or grouping. These questions go beyond simple recall and require students to combine data together. I would use this level of thinking in a special education classroom when working with a student to retain information that they have read. This is a big process for students that a lot of students struggle with. In an elementary classroom you would use this level to do the same thing. You as a teacher would want to see what the students remember as well as see what big ideas they are taking and comprehending.
Levels of Questions
Application:
At this level, teachers ask students to take information they already know and apply it to a new situation. They must use their knowledge to determine a correct response. This level of thinking can be used in a special education classroom by working with the students to solve a problem or question using things or strategies they already know and are comfortable with. In an elementary classroom you could use this level to have the students use what they know to try and think about or solve a problem before they ask the teacher for help. Trying to do it on their own is a big process in problem solving.
LEvel of Questions
Analysis:
An analysis question is one that asks a student to break down something into its parts. To analyze requires students to identify reasons, causes, or motives and reach conclusions or generalizations. I would use this level of thinking in a special education classroom to breakdown what we are learning into parts so they have a better understanding and not getting everything at one time. In an elementary classroom i would use this level of question to see how the students would break down and solve a problem on their own and identify the important parts and information in the question.
Levels of QuestionS
Synthesis:
Synthesis questions challenge students to engage in creative and original thinking. These questions invite students to produce original ideas and solve problems. There's always a variety of potential responses to synthesis questions. I would use this level of question in a special education classroom to do thinking on their own to see what they know. I would use this in an elementary classroom to let the students think on their own how to solve a problem without being told. They can be both creative and original with this level of thinking.
Levels of Questions
Evaluation:
Evaluation requires an individual to make a judgment about something. We are asked to judge the value of an idea, a candidate, a work of art, or a solution to a problem. When students are engaged in decision-making and problem-solving, they should be thinking at this level. Evaluation questions do not have single right answers. I will use this level of thinking in a special education classroom to evaluate what the students are learning about because this gets them involved. I would also use this in an elementary classroom to get them involved and thinking.
Asking Questions
By Brandi Tallmage
Asking Questions
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