Questioning mat

2. Facts about questioning in classrooms
The majority of questions asked during
lessons are:
• Asked by teachers
• Answered by teachers
• Are closed questions
• For review and to assess understanding,
rather than to challenge thinking and
develop understanding.
Apparently as teachers we
ask…
• 1-2 questions every minute.
• Over 70,000 questions in a
year… Most of which we
know the answer to.
• Over 1 million questions in 15
years!
In Primary Schools…
• 57 % of all questions asked are managerial questions – ‘where is your dinner
money?’
• 35% - lower order / recall type questions.
• 8% - Higher order questions.
In Secondary Schools
• Only 4% of all questions asked are higher order questions.
A teacher’s reflection of their practice – does this ring true?
‘I’d become dissatisfied with the closed question & answer style that my unthinking
teaching had fallen into, I would frequently be lazy in my acceptance of right answers and
sometimes even tacit complicity with a class to make sure that none of us had to work too
hard…. They and I knew that if the question and answer wasn’t going too smoothly, I’d
change the question, answer it myself or only seek answers from the ‘brighter students’.
There must have been times (still are?) where an outside observer would see my lessons as
a small discussion group surrounded by many sleepy onlookers.’
‘It is not until you analyse your own questioning do you realise how poor it can be. I found
myself using questions to fill time and asking questions which require little thought from
the students’
The average teacher:
• Waits less than a second for a response to a question.
• Asks on average 3-5 questions a minute
• Sometimes asks as many as 400 questions in a short class session
• Repeats students responses
• Uses such words as very good and wonderful indiscriminately
• Looks for ‘the answer’.

3. Withhold judgements and ask..Withhold judgements and ask..
• What do you think?
• Why do you think that?
• How do you know?
• Do you have a reason?
• Is there another way?
• Do you agree?
• What if… would it be the same?
Remember to give
wait time / thinking
time / pair share/ no
hands up

5. Wait - time
• The average teacher:
• Waits less than a second for a response to a question.
• Asks on average 3-5 questions a minute
• Sometimes asks as many as 400 questions in a short class session
• Repeats students responses
• Uses such words as very good and wonderful indiscriminately
• Looks for the answer.
•
•
• How to use wait – time:
• Wait at least 3 seconds after asking a question, to let the student think then answer.
• Wait at least 3 seconds after any response.
• Avoid verbal signals when questioning. E.g. Isn’t it true that…? Or what you mean
is….
• Eliminate mimicry.
• Eliminate judgemental sentences when students are giving their views.

6. Results of wait – time:
The length of students’ responses increases.
The number of freely offered, appropriate responses increases.
The ‘I don’t know ‘type answer decreases.
The confidence of students increases.
More speculative responses occur.
Pupils work better together.
The frequency of questions raised by pupils’ increases.
Formally ‘slow learners’ ask and answer more questions.
Teachers’ behaviour also changes;
They are more willing to listen to and explore the plausibility of answers.
They ask less questions but of greater variety and quality.
Their expectations of students, especially ‘slow learners’, are raised.
NB – effective questioning techniques and wait time need to be well established for
‘thinking skills’ strategies to be implemented effectively.
From Elaine Lockwood
Secondary Consultant. Lancashire

7. Bloom’s Taxonomy Questioning Simplified
KNOWLEDGE COMPREHENSION APPLICATION ANALYSIS SYNTHESIS EVALUATION
What do they already
know, recall facts,
basic answers, etc.
Demonstrate
understanding by
organising,
interpreting and
comparing ideas.
Solving problems by
applying acquired
knowledge, facts and
rules in a different
way.
Breaking information
down into parts by
identifying motives
and causes, finding
evidence to support
ideas.
Compiling
information, finding
new patterns and
proposing alternative
solutions or methods.
Presenting and
defending opinions
about making
judgements about
information, ideas and
quality of work based
on a set of criteria.
What is.....?
How is......?
Where is.......?
When did.......?
How did.......?
How would you......?
Why did.......?
Who was/were.......?
Which one......?
Can you select.......
Can you list......?
Name......?
Show......?
Label......?
Tel.......?
Define........?
Who were the
main...?
Collect..........
How would you
classify/compare/
contrast......?
In your own words....
What facts.....
Rephrase.......
What is the main
idea.....
Explain.....
Discuss......
Predict........
Estimate.......
Which is the best
answer.......?
Summarise.......
Interpret.......
Which statements
support........
How would you
organise.....?
Apply.......
How would you show
your
understanding....?
How would you
solve...?
What examples can
you give.....?
What approach
would you use......?
What other way....?
What questions could
you ask.....?
Which facts would
you select to
show...?
Demonstrate......
Classify......
Identify..........
Analyse.......
What are the main
parts?
How is........
What do you
think.....?
What motive is
there......?
What conclusions
can you.......?
What
relationships......
Select.......
What ideas
justify.......
List......
Categorise........
Arrange.......
Test for........
If we know......why....
Explain.......
What changes would
you make?
Create.......
Design........
How would/could you
improve/test/change/
modify/adapt.......
Can you
predict/estimate......
Compose.......
Suppose you
could....what.....
What facts could you
use.......?
How could you
order.....?
Construct a model to
show........
Do you agree with.....?
What is your opinion
of.......?
Choose........
Recommend.......
Based on what you
know, how would you
evaluate/justify/
defend/support/explain/
compare/judge.......
What would you
select...?
Measure......
Decide.......
Prioritise.......
What conclusion.......

8. One answer Many answers
From
source
Not
from
source
Who killed Tybalt?
Who was
responsible for
Tybalt’s death?
How many deaths
were there in WS
plays?
Is killing always
wrong?

9. IS DID CAN WOULD WILL MIGHT
WHAT
WHERE
WHEN
WHO
WHY
HOW

10. IS DID CAN WOULD WILL MIGHT
WHAT
WHERE
WHEN
WHO
WHY
HOW