Questions, Questions, Questions....Chapter 5

Chapter five jam-packed full of different types of questions- good and bad ones, different types, and how to use them in the classroom.


I was a bit confused when I was reading the beginning of the chapter.  The first section talks about how IRE questions were over-used and a bad way of asking questions.  I thought that it was saying that simply asking questions made a classroom a "passive learning environment" (p. 81).  So when I read further in the chapter (2 to 3 pages later), it talked about how questions were part of a "teacher's arsenal" (p. 93).  Obviously, I kept reading and thankfully, the book clarified it's self.  There are different types of questions to use in a classroom.


The ReQuest technique is the one strategy that "spoke" to me the most or rather is the one that I liked the most.  I can definitely see myself using this type of questioning in my classroom.  I think it is a very cool way of building comprehension and understanding of a topic.  When using this strategy, I could pair a low level student with an average level student; an average level student with a higher level student; or even a low level student with a higher level student together.  The beauty of this technique is that I can see it being used in just about every subject and every grade; it's universal.


One thing that I did not like OR understand in Chapter 5 was the section about SQ3R, 4R, or SQRQ....It talked earlier in the chapter about how using (only) IRE questions can lead a student to simply rely on teacher modeling to understand something rather than reading and understanding.  I suppose I would qualify as this type of student.  BUT, I think if we did these in class, I would have an understanding of these strategies.


One quote that stuck out to me was at the very beginning of the chapter on page 80.  "Traditionally, teachers use questioning more than any other method for developing comprehension."  Even though I know that this is a fact, it makes me a little sad.  Let me explain.  There are so many ways to assess a student's comprehension besides questioning.  Concept maps, venn diagrams, illustrations, journal writing, and labeling pictures are all ways that teachers can assess students if different subject areas.


One question that I have about Chapter 5 is about Blooms Taxonomy.  In all of our education classes, professors have taught us about the 4 DOK levels; the MS Frameworks only list DOK levels 1-4.  My question is why does the chapter list 6 levels?  I reread that section twice and still am confused.


Comparing the chapters 5 implementation tips to the TED 5 suggestions is pretty simple.  I like TED's 'use multimedia' and 'courage student intuition' suggestions, the rest don't make much sense to me.  The 'ask the shortest question you can' contradicts this entire chapter.  I know that the TED suggestions pertained to teaching Math, but I still do not agree with it.  The implementations in the book are more realistic to the elementary classroom and I just like them better.  Just being honest  :)    

Chapter 7 Critique

I can't remember ever being taught how to take notes, which is something that I used to struggle with.  Now I can take clear and effective notes, but I think if I were taught how to, I would have done better in content area classes.


The way that I take notes is just by writing what the teacher says, rather paraphrasing what he/she says.  I have tried taking notes using the split-page format, but I just don't like it.  I end up using twice as much paper and still trying to write everything the teacher says.  I have also used the outline or quadrant format for different classes.  In my experience, it depends on the subject in using this format.  I can see how it would be beneficial in a math class, but it could also be used in an English class while discussing the different parts of speech.


The way that I review/study my notes is either by rereading them and/or rewriting them.  It's like the more I write the information, the better I retain the information.  I have made index cards for certain subjects (mainly for important vocabulary or people), but I very rarely make/use them.


I liked how the text talked about teaching ELL's to note-take helps them understand and learn vocabulary.  If you haven't noticed from my previous posts, I am a bit scared of having ELL's in my classroom.  I'm not scared OF them, I'm just worried that having a language barrier between us will keep them from learning in my class.  And as a teacher, that is my worst fear.  So I can definitely say that I will teach my ELL's the importance of note-taking and the best way for them to take notes.


One question I have about teaching my students about note-taking: For ADHD students, is there a "preferred" way of note-taking that has been researched that works well?  Also, what are some strategies that I could use to help my ADHD students to get focused on taking notes besides saying, "write this down" every five minutes?