Click
on each of the strategies above to enrich your questioning techniques.
If
you analyze tests you have developed in the past, you will gain some insight
into your question writing tendencies. What level of skills are you
measuring? What level do you wish to measure? Try changing the
key words in some of the recall questions and watch the level change.
Remember - it's not fair (or valid) to teach at the recall level and test at
higher levels - or vice versa. It is effective for levels of instruction
and assessment to
match.
Remember "wait time"
Provide at least three seconds of
thinking time after a question and after a response.
Utilize
"thinking-pair-share"
Allow individual thinking time,
discussion with a partner, and then open up the class discussion.
Ask "follow-ups"
Why? Do you agree? Can you elaborate?
Tell me more. Can you give an example?
Ask for summary (to promote active
listening)
"Could you please summarize
John's point?"
Survey the class
"How many people agree with the
author's point of view?"
"Thumbs up/Thumbs down"
Allow for student calling
"Richard, will you please call
on someone else to respond?"
Encourage reciprocity
Require students to defend or explain
their reasoning against different methods or approaches to a solution
Ask students to "unpack their
thinking"
"Describe how you arrived at
your answer"
"Think aloud"
Call on students randomly
Let the students develop their own
questions
Cue students responses
"There is no single correct
answer or method of solving this question. I want you to consider
alternatives"
Recall - Identification
and recall of information
Who,
what, where, how
?
Describe,
define, identify
?
Process - Organization
and selection of facts and ideas, separation of a whoe into component parts.
Retell
in your own words.
What
is the main idea of ?
What
are the parts or features of
?
Classify
according to ?
How
does compare/contrast
with ?
What
evidence can you list for
?
Application - Use of
facts, rules, principles, combination of ideas, development of opinions,
judgments or decisions.
How
is and example of
?
How
is related to
?
Why
is significant?
What
would you predict/infer from
?
What
ideas can you add to ?
How
would you create/design a new
?
What
might happen if you combined
with ?
What
solutions would you suggest for
?
What
do you think about
?
What
is the most important ?
Prioritize
.
How
would you decide ?
What
criteria would you use to address
?
| Level of Cognition |
Key Words |
Example Use |
| Information Recall |
List
Describe
Define
Label
Repeat
Name
Fill in
Identify
What
When
Who
Where |
List the properties of real numbers |
| Comprehension |
Paraphrase
Explain
Review
Match
Discuss
Translate
Interpret
How
Why |
Explain the importance of the order of operations |
| Application |
Apply
Construct
Draw
Simulate
Sketch
Employ
Restructure
Predict
How |
How do we apply what we know about similar triangles, so
that we can determine the height of a boy in a shadow problem. |
| Analysis |
Classify
Dissect
Distinguish
Differentiate
Compare
Contrast
Categorize
Separate
Breakdown
Subdivide |
Classify the quadrilaterals (Rhombus, square, parallelogram,
trapezoid, rectangle, etc.).
Compare and contrast the properties you used to distinguish which
category each quadrilateral belonged in.
Can any of these categories be subdivided? |
| Synthesis |
Combine
Relate
Put together
Integrate
Assemble
Collect |
Combine what you know about the law of sine and the law
of cosine. What given information in the problem determines
which law should be used to find a solution. |
| Evaluation |
Judge
Argue
Assess
Appraise
Decide
Defend
Rate
Debate
Evaluate
Choose
Should |
Evaluate this "fictional" student's
response.
Decide if the response is accurate and complete.
Defend your assessment of this student's work. |
