Questioning as Part of Oral Communication

Questioning as Part of Oral Communication

    Students learn how to formulate questions early on in elementary school. They usually start off by learning the "5 W's" (Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How?) that are considered when posing a question. Students then learn that there must be a question mark immediately following a question, as well as intonation used when verbally asking a question.  

(Walker, S., 2011). Questioning.

 Retrieved from http://bit.ly/1OqBwuj

     Students often times shy away from asking questions in the classroom as they feel they will be judged by others (not understanding concepts the first time around, etc.). "Edutopia" provides detailed information regarding how to encourage students to ask questions. 

How to Encourage Questioning: 

1. Make It safe (no judgment)
2. Make It "Cool" (learning process; become "smarter")
3. Make It Fun (positive) 
4. Make It Rewarding (good feeling)
5. Make It Stick (becomes routine)

(Arena, C., 2011). Blooms Taxonomy. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/21oZzii

In exploring a resource called “Practice and Research”, which can be found on the Edugains website under the “questioning” category, I found a clear and concise list of what questioning means:

• exploring, wondering and investigating
• asking questions to clarify, probe, extend thinking and challenge ideas
• collaborating with peers to pose questions and seek answers
• using different types of questions to meet learning goals
• self-questioning as a means of self-assessing
• understanding how questioning shapes thinking and learning
• seeking divergent perspectives

  Once students familiarize themselves with asking questions, the later grades transition towards formulating "good" questions and questions geared towards research. A great resource to use when introducing question formulation is from "The Science of Learning", which offers six guiding steps (students can follow individually or through collaboration when formulating questions).

Question Formulation Technique (QFT):

1. Find a focus - A prompt that serves to focus student questions so they can explore more expansive ideas (specific inquiry and thinking). With clear, direct thoughts, they focus their thinking; students begin formulating and posing questions around this idea.

2. Brainstorm -Students formulate as many questions as possible. At this point, they are asked not to judge the quality (evaluate) of the questions, nor pursue any answers. Record questions exactly as stated and rephrase any statements or comments into a question. This is much like the classic “brainstorming” process, where ideas are generated in a free, uninterrupted flow.

3. Refine -The students work with the questions they have created, reformulating them as open- and closed-ended questions. They categorize them and make them clearer, more focused and more apt to yield the desired answers. Ex. brainstorm list- closed or opened-ended questions; identify advantages and disadvantages of each type of question and rephrase at least one of each type keeping in mind to reflect how those changes affect the depth, quality, and value of information it will elicit.

4. Prioritize- The teacher helps students select their top three questions and use them to zero in on the most important aspects of the material (provide rational).

5. Determine next steps- Students and teachers together review the priority questions and make decisions about how best to use them for learning. The questions can be used to drive experimentation, further reading, research and/or discussion.

6. Reflect- The teacher and students review their questions in the context of the six steps they have worked through to produce them. “Making the QFT completely transparent helps students see what they have done and how it contributed to their thinking and learning. They can internalize the process and then apply it in many other settings.” Ex. What did you learn about the topic so far?

(Jackson, S., 2013). Ask Good Questions. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/1A0iimy

     Another great resource that can be used when teaching students how to formulate questions is the Inquiry Chart which can be further explained at "Read, Write, Think". The basic function of this inquiry chart is to organize students' thoughts and to make them aware of the question making process. 

I-Chart Strategy (3 stages):

1. Planning, in which students will:

• Identify the topic
• Form questions
• Construct the I-Chart (or use provided printout)
• Collect materials needed for inquiry

2. Interacting, in which students will:

• Explore prior knowledge
• Share interesting facts
• Read and reread

• As a class or individually, instruct students to begin forming questions about their topic(s) (this can be an extension of the “W” column on the K-W-L Chart, if you chose to use this organizer).  These questions are placed in the top row of the  I-Chart Printout, one for each column (Question 1, Question 2, etc.).

3. Integrating/Evaluating, in which student will:

• Research
• Compare
• Summarize
• Report

(Simon, C., 2011). I-Chart. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/1h9ktzD

      Understanding how to formulate questions is a key skill required for growth in learning, especially when conducting research. This video resource is quite detailed and provides students with an in-depth break down of what is involved in the creation of a "good" research question. It may be a tad wordy for a grade five class, however, depending on the class, sections of it may be suitable.

Curriculum Connections:

This resource addresses many expectations in the Ontario Curriculum. I believe that questioning addresses these overall expectations:

1. Listen in order to understand and respond appropriately in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes (after questions have been formulated, they need to be asked and answered)

2. Use speaking skills and strategies appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes (language used in the questions, intonations, pauses, etc.)

3. Reflect on and identify their strengths as listeners and speakers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful in oral communication situations (what needs to be improved in the formation and delivery of the questions)

Looking more closely at the grade five oral communication in literacy curriculum, specific strands related to this resource are 1.3 Comprehension Strategies and 1.4 Demonstrating Understanding. Questioning can be applied and used in different ways, hence it will fulfill different specific expectations. Teachers will find this resource to be helpful when providing instruction regarding questioning. It guides teachers on how to teach the concept effectively and can be used in a discussion type manner. For instance you may want to start the lesson off by referring to a topic that the students have been working on and that “now we need to formulate questions in order to find out more”. Anchor charts can be made as a class displaying what questioning means as well as the six steps outlining the process involved. You may also want to take a different approach and begin by asking the class what they think questioning is and then use the resource as a base. I think teachers will also find this resource useful in that it allows for independent as well as collaborative work. 

(Pink, D., 2015). Einstein. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/1XsBzvb

Student Connections:

   In observing the students in my grade five placement class, I have noticed that their overall language and literacy skills need improvement, however, they are reasonably successful at formulating general questions. I would use many of the resources mentioned above if we were to conduct a research project so that students would come to understand that the question they come up with is essentially the driving force (answer) to their entire project. For example if the class is researching the spread of the flu, what questions would elicit the most information packed responses. After introducing the task, if the students already have a good understanding of what questioning is and its importance, I would skip over the definition and project on the smartboard the six steps (QFT). I would then transfer them to chart paper and hang it up in the classroom for them to consult at a later time. Depending on how the students are working I would consider having them work collaboratively for steps four and five, possible even six. These six steps would not be covered through process in one lesson, rather over two days or dependent on how in-depth of an assignment you would like.