Questioning... Who? What? Why? When?

Kia ora koutou! Halfway or so through the term and I imagine many of you are busy with school reports, camps and production practice! I've come across a few schools that are already swimming, and some of these are in outdoors pools! There are some tough kids out there!

I get asked to model science in many classes to support teachers with seeing what science lessons could look like. It's really difficult walking into a random class with not much idea of what science has been happening or where the children are in terms of their science thinking and understanding and then expected to run a quality 45 minute lesson! Students get really excited when I do turn up in a classroom and I'm always a bit intrigued with this. In fact, when we used to record student voice as part of the PLD (seems to be less wanted these days), most children would say the two lessons with me were the highlight -even if it was looking at shells or rocks or investigating sugar cubes. It used to embarrass me a little when sharing the data back to staff and leaders but it seems to be expected -apparently, I'm a mad man with a box (to quote one of my favourite TV shows, Doctor Who) that gets the class engaged and enthusiastic!

This isn't a 'Isn't Paul an amazing person' blog -I'll leave that for you all to write! Rather, after the lesson and during the teacher discussions, the topic of how I question comes up. I've had teachers recording this component of my lessons and I'm sometimes at a loss to explain what I do. I really don't think I do anything in particular. I just listen to the student and then challenge with a question based on what they've said. I try hard to let them say all that they want to say (which can sometimes be really hard!) and then ask them a question or two from what they've said. I try not to have preconceived questions set up and I also try really hard to not ask a question that I can guess what the student will say. Sometimes I will if I'm leading somewhere with the conversation but I really want the student to own the conversation too!

Here's the PDF link (although the new version is a
little more boring! And the reader is here!

A few places that I've gone to over the years has also been of benefit. Google "nine talk moves" and you'll come across a PDF with the questions on as well as a PDF called Talk Science Primer. Both have been invaluable! The talk moves move through a progression and the Primer unpacks these. As I write this, I'm thinking that it would be worth a read again for me! It's a good read and not too technical. My dream is working in a classroom where the fourth goal is happening: students thinking with others. If this floats your boat, there are videos and PLD on the TERC website to support the talk moves. As I'm reading through the talk moves right now, I'm aware that they have really impacted my questioning skills! 

I know I go on a bit about the TKI website but my first stop was recording the questions the website suggests asking with each capability. My colleague, Anne Barker, wrote these all up onto one side of an A4 piece of paper and I always suggest teachers laminate them. I worked on turning them into questions that would be suitable for juniors. Of course, you are very welcome to a copy, just ask!

From the TKI website... and yes, that's my own colouring in!

One of the other big keys is I don't ask every child. I don't even try. Part of it is that I want to model good questioning so try to focus on a couple of children so that teachers can observe me without chasing me around the room. When I've had more freedom (for example, the teacher isn't watching me or has headed out the door to do something else which does happen!), I tend to ask a group of 3 or 4 students the questions and pose to individuals to attempt to get them working together and learning off of one another. I'll also grab individuals too but again, I don't try to work with every child -it'd be crazy! I think I've talked about this before... Pick one group per science lesson (or two if you're extra keen) and ensure that everyone knows that whilst you're working with those two groups, try to not disturb the teacher! In between you could wander around and talk to other children.

If I think back to when I was a shiny new facilitator, Ally Bull, who did work with the NZCER and helped write the science capabilities, was someone I looked up to in terms of her own questioning techniques, usually during hui and usually directed at me! Well, that's what it felt like! She now works for a different crowd and wrote a blogpost about the capabilities that's a great read. She challenges the reader that the questions you ask show what's valued. Is it about recall? Is it about deeper thinking? Is it about behaviour (I'm asking a question to prove you weren't listening...)? 

I've pinched a whole paragraph to talk about the other side... the answers:

It’s also important to be aware of what behaviours you are noticing and providing feedback on. Is your feedback to students focused on when they get an answer correct or is it when they generate new questions, question other students’ ideas, or change their minds when new evidence comes to light? Do you use, and encourage students to use, tentative language such as might, could be, perhaps, likely? Openness, suspending judgment and accepting science’s provisional nature are all at the heart of scientific inquiry and if you are using this sort of language you are modelling an aspect of what it means to engage with science.

I know that a tentative question generates a lot more guesses, informed guesses and an effort to contribute... except for the NE/Y1 classes where I find direct questions work best.It also works best when I'm talking with teachers too, which is the point -we all feel better when it's not a recall question!

Oh, almost forgot... well actually I did and had to go back! My ultimate goal is that children are doing all this stuff! Not me! I use question dice with students to support them to ask both themselves and each other good questions. And sometimes I just write the words up in two columns and challenge them to come up with questions! One has the typical 'who', 'what', 'why', etc and the other has some verbs. My version is a bit tacky but does the trick!

Anyway, have a read through those resources, ask if you'd like a copy of the capabilities questions and get out there! I reckon that practising and improving questioning will pay off in every curriculum area. 

Keep sciencing,
Paul