Questioning Strategies and Discussion Strategies

Golden Lines

Golden Lines provide evidence-based thinking. Students collect quotations (also known as “golden lines”) as they read, considering and responding to the following questions as they record them:

I thought…

I liked…

I wondered…

I felt…

Students can use these to discuss as a class. They can compare which “golden lines” they chose, and note which ones were chosen the most. They can also compare and contrast the way the same “golden line” may have affected the ways in which readers responded to the above prompts in different ways, and consider why this might be.

Activity

Using the following “golden line” from Elie Wiesel’s Night, respond to the above four prompts as a journal entry:

“I have more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He alone has kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people” (Wiesel, 1958, p.81) (said the man in the hospital bed beside Elie Wiesel.)

Response Log

Students use a response log to respond to their reading as they read. They consider the following prompts:

I would like to discuss …

I would like to ask them what they think of….

I wonder why?...

It was interesting that…

These prompts prepare students for class discussion. Sometimes, even when students complete the assigned reading, they do not know how to discuss what they have read. This technique allows students to take time prior to class discussion to consider ways to reflect upon what they have read, and package these thoughts in a way that makes class discussion less intimidating. This method can boost confidence for reluctant participators and make them feel prepared for class discussions. This technique is excellent for those students who are prepared but are slow-to-warm-up to discussions and take more time to answer questions than class discussions allows. This provides a way for them to have the time to prepare and gain confidence without slowing down the rest of the class.

Activity

The following quotation in Elie Wiesel’s Night makes a direct connection to the role faith plays in survival, “If only he could have kept his faith in God, if only he could have considered this suffering a divine test, he would not have been swept away by the selection. But as soon as he felt the first chinks in his faith, he lost all incentive to fight and opened the door to death” (Wiesel, 1958, p.77). Write in your response log answering the above prompts, preparing to discuss the meaning of this quotation in class tomorrow.

The Question Wall

This is an anonymous way for students to communicate questions about their leaning as they read. This is a way for teachers not only to gauge class comprehension and understanding as well as for the entire class to consider trends, but it is also an opportunity to study the questions themselves. Students can rate the quality of the questions and offer input on how to improve questions. Small “workshops” like this allows students to appreciate questioning as an art, and to improve their own questions as the year goes on (Bent, 2017, Essential Questions Week 4).

Vislocky, E. (2017). Engaging learners through the power of questioning. Retrieved by <https://www.nwea.org/blog/2014/engaging-learners-power-questioning-teacher-professional-development/>.

Socratic Questioning

Inquiry-based learning is on the rise, but it all began with Socrates who believed that all learning begins and ends with questioning. Socratic Questioning is a structured way to create a critical atmosphere to investigate student thinking and comprehension. Students studying these questions are likely to benefit in the development of their own question crafting, which is an important side-benefit of this technique.

There are six main categories:

1.       Clarification: Why do you say that?

2.       Probing Assumptions: How can you verify or disprove those assumptions?

3.       Probing Rationale (providing evidence): Why do you say that?

4.       Questioning Viewpoints: What is the counter argument?

5.       Probing Consequences: What are the consequences of this assumption?

6.       Questions on the Questions: What was the point of that question?

Use below visual for more questions under each category:

Lee, M., Kim, H., & Kim, M. (2014). The effects of socratic questioning on critical thinking in web-based collaborative learning. Education as Change. 18.2. pp.285-302.

Activity

After reading Night by Elie Wiesel:

Consider the concept of stereotype. Look up the definition. Now look up the definition of genocide. Think about how you might stereotype in your world. Consider how stereotyping is used in governmental/systematic programs such as “racial profiling.” Can you see how stereotyping could lead to genocide? Write a well-crafted argument in the form of an essay. Use evidence when necessary. Be sure the essay considers the six Socratic Questions and holds up to them.