How To...Ask Better Questions

In my own personal effort to #ExpandMTBoS, I'm starting a new category of blog posts called 'How To' so I can share the strategies behind the resource. I hope new and veteran teachers alike can find something useful. Click on the tag to the right for more posts!

Learning is not a process of absorbing others' ideas, thoughts, or practices but involves uncovering one's own ideas, connecting new ideas to one's own thinking.

Questions that drive learning don't come from a list, they arise in response to student contributions.

But listing is my jam and I have to start somewhere!

Uncover Student Thinking

• What do you notice?
• What do you wonder?
• What do you see?
• What evidence do you have?
• What is common?
• What relationship do they have?
• Can you convince me that...?
• Can you clarify...?
• What is the best way to graph this?
• Which number would you change to change the graph the most?
• Does it make sense?
• If someone else sits down and looks at your work, will they be able to understand it?
• Did you go back into the context?
• Where is the proof?
• Can you show your thinking another way?
• What equation could you write that would represent your work?
• What does _____ have to do with ____?
• How are ____ and ____  alike? Different?
• What makes you say that?
• How did you get your answer to number,,,?
• What should you be doing right now?
• What should you be working on?

Student Voice/Reflection

• Is this working?
• What can we do better tomorrow?
• What did we like about the lesson?
• If there was one component to keep from this lesson, what would it be?
• If we could change something in the lesson, what would it be?
• Where could we have done better?

Student Conferences

• How do you think you’ve been doing in class?  
• What areas do you think need improvement? 
• Why do you think that? 
• How has your homework been going? 
• Can you explain why you haven’t been doing it? 
• What about class time—can you show your mom your notes? 
• I see very few notes—would you tell us what’s happening with that? 
• How is all of this affecting your grades? 
• What do you think will happen if your grades don’t improve? 
• What needs to change in order for you to do better? 
• How can your teachers help you be more successful? 
• How can mom and dad help? 
• What is our plan moving forward, starting today, to help you improve?

Teacher Reflection

• What can I do to make this lesson more powerful?
• How am I going to engage my students?
• What am I missing?
• How can I make this better?