Questions Revisted

Oct. 2nd, 2008.

After having, what I consider a breakthrough in teaching, I begin to do a little research into using open and closed ended questions and the role they both have in teaching and learning. As a teacher, questioning is something we do everyday. The reasoning for doing this may include to assess student thinking or to stimulate it. Knowing how teaching through problem solving works, I want to present students with problems that are challenging and involve situations that make them use their complex thinking skills, as I know this will cause them to understand the math better. For this reason, I want to ask the right types of questions that will allow each child in my class, the bright students and the weaker students, the same opportunities to learn.

Small (2008) suggests open tasks can be used a differentiation management strategy. Small (2008) defines an open tasks as ‘a task that can be approached very differently, but meaningfully, by students at different developmental levels” (p.642). She goes on to suggest that one of the key features of open tasks that can allow for this differentiation is the fact that there are many different possible answers and many ways to get these answers. If using open tasks and open questioning can allow all students access to the problem, and learning, why are teachers not doing it? Small (February 2008) notes that many times during our day, as we are questioning students, we don’t pre-plan our questions and we often use questions as a way to over-scaffold. She suggests that because of all of this, we don’t always make sure the questions are broad enough to allow multiple entry points.

The last sentence is of great importance to me and where I am with my teaching. I believe this is where the problem lies for me right now. I am not always using questions that are open enough to let all students ‘in’. There are different abilities in my classroom; some are more abled than others. How can I pose my investigations so that all ends of the spectrum are being challenged but yet find success and learning? Why is this important?