Teachers are often referred to as "professional question-askers”. The act of asking questions and its role in the teaching and learning process has deep roots that can be traced back to the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates.
Socrates believed that through the art of questioning we encourage reflection and provoke deeper thinking. In his view, questions were not just a means of obtaining answers but a tool for guiding learners on a journey from surface-level understanding to profound insights.
So far in this trilogy of articles I have considered how we can build a culture of questioning and encourage student participation before then looking at using questions to enable responsive teaching.
This article delves into the importance of designing powerful questions, emphasising that when we spend time getting them right, their impact on student achievement and the learning culture can be great.
A vehicle for learning
Socrates believed that through thoughtful and purposeful questioning teachers could stimulate critical thinking, encourage self-discovery, and foster a deeper understanding of the subject matter.
Socratic dialogues revolved around a continual loop of dialogue between the asker (the teacher) and the receiver (the learner). The aim was to guide learners from superficial knowledge to a profound comprehension of the topic.
However, while Socrates believed this was the main purpose of asking questions, all too often the questions teachers ask in the classroom don’t move beyond the surface knowledge.
Therefore, the art of asking questions is often overshadowed by the intent behind the questions, creating a gap between the delivery of a question and its actual impact on student achievement.
Over the course of their careers, teachers may ask more than one million questions, ranging from lower-order to higher-order questions.
These questions are designed to promote both surface-level and deeper thinking, depending on their type and purpose. Striking the right balance between these question types can be challenging.
A tower of knowledge
A strategic approach that combines different question types in a linear progression can provide a foundation for developing and deepening student understanding.
Consider the process of designing questions as constructing a tower. To build a sturdy and stable tower of knowledge, you need a strong base from which to construct the columns that support its height and floors.
In the context of asking questions, this means starting with questions that elicit initial recall and then progressing to questions that prompt deeper thinking.
This progression encourages students to excavate stored information from their schema in long-term memory and use this to articulate their understanding in new or familiar contexts. The more strategic we are as classroom practitioners with our use of questions, the more likely we are to support our students to learn.
Lessons from research
In a study focusing on mathematics teachers (Suydam, 1985), it was observed that these educators dedicated as much as one-third of their class time to asking questions.
However, a striking revelation was that a significant 80% of these questions primarily operated at the lowest cognitive level, mainly involving the recall of knowledge and comprehension.
For instance, these questions typically included inquiries such as: "What is the formula used to calculate the area of a rectangle?"
In contrast, Suydam's research also revealed that a relatively smaller number of teachers in maths classrooms posed questions demanding higher cognitive engagement, encouraging students to engage in deeper problem-solving and critical thinking.
The power of a question lies in its quality, not the quantity. The planning of questions is a key component of getting them right. Leaders should therefore create opportunities for teachers to discuss and generate the most effective questions that are linked to the powerful knowledge being taught in the curriculum.
When designing powerful questions, Vogt et al (2003) suggest there are three dimensions to these questions: Architecture, scope, and assumptions.
- Architecture: Is the question aimed to generate lower or higher order thinking?
- Scope: To what extent does the question provide freedom for the respondent?
- Assumptions: What can be inferred from the context/meaning of the question being asked?
Let’s consider a question that a teacher might ask in a geography classroom:
Q: What is globalisation? The architecture of this question is that it will generate lower order thinking because the teacher in this instance is looking for an overarching definition of the term. Asking this type of question would be most beneficial after teaching the term to check knowledge recall. If this was the first time the teacher was teaching the concept, the question could be asked slightly differently to provide greater scope to check prior knowledge.
Q: What do we know about globalisation? But, if the teacher was looking to reflect on the reasons and impacts of globalisation, the scope of this question is limited. To open up the scope and generate high order thinking the teacher would plan to ask a series of questions after teaching core knowledge to check for understanding. An example of a higher order question with greater scope would be…
Q: To what extent has globalisation impacted on the environment? A minor change to the question asked allows for the teacher to prompt a deeper level of thinking for students. This is what Barrell (2003) refers to as “moving beyond the immediate data or experience”. When you plan questions for lessons, create a sequence where the architecture and scope changes to layer knowledge over time so that deeper level thinking can take place, which encourages pupils to use their knowledge and understanding.
Final thoughts
Asking powerful questions in the classroom is not just a pedagogical technique; it is an art. When we take the time to plan, the impact of well-crafted questions extends far beyond receiving and establishing correct answers; it engages students, encourages critical thinking, and fosters a culture of learning.
To be an effective question-asker we should aim to ask them strategically, aligning them with our learning intentions and our curriculum’s powerful knowledge and adjust them to meet the needs of students.
By mastering the art of asking powerful questions we can create a more engaging, interactive, and desirable learning environment, ultimately supporting our students to become knowledge experts.
- An experienced school leader and principal examiner, Michael Chiles has been teaching for more than 15 years. His latest book Powerful Questioning: Strategies for improving learning and retention in the classroom (Crown House Publishing, 2023) is out now, Visit www.crownhouse.co.uk/powerful-questioning
Further information & resources
- Barrell: Developing More Curious Minds, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2003.
- Suydam: Research report: Questions? Arithmetic Teacher (32,6), 1985.
- Vogt, Brown & Isaacs: The art of powerful questions: Catalyzing insight, innovation, and action, Whole Systems Associates, 2003.