1. Any Questions?
How Asking the Right Questions Can Promote
Critical Thinking
Nancy Burkhalter, PhD
Senior English Language Fellow
LIPETSK, RUSSIA
APRIL 11-12
2. Effect of ‘dead’ questions
• Students’ thinking turns off.
• They give up responsibility for thinking.
• No more investigation is needed.
• Questioning stops.
• Curiosity dies.
3. Lower Order vs. Higher Order
At what temperature does
water freeze at sea level?
What year did Mexico
obtain its independence
from Spain?
Why does water near bridges
and in cities freeze later in
the winter than water in
lakes in rural areas?
How did Mexico’s movement
for independence from
Spain affect people in
neighboring countries?
4. How do higher level questions
help learning?
Students learn how to
inquire, question, seek, and
examine information.
5. Thinking is driven by questions,
not answers.
Richard Paul
Foundation for Critical Thinking
17. Application Questions:
Use in new context
• use methods, concepts, theories in new
situations
• solve problems using skills or knowledge
Question Cues:
apply, demonstrate, calculate, show, solve,
examine, relate, change, classify, experiment,
assess, chart, construct
18. Examples of Application Questions
1.Draw a map showing Goldilock's house, the
path in the forest, the bear's house, etc.
2. Show through action how
Goldilocks sat in the chairs,
ate the porridge, etc.
3. How were the bears like real people?
19. Analysis Questions:
Apply to other questions or areas
• see patterns
• organize parts
• identify components
Question Cues:
analyze, order, explain, compare, infer,
discriminate, illustrate, outline, distinguish,
why
20. Examples of Analysis Questions
1. How did each bear
react to what Goldilocks
did?
2. How would you react?
3. Compare Goldilocks
to any of your friends.
21. Evaluation Questions:
Judge, measure, compare
• compare and discriminate between ideas
• assess value of theories, presentations
• predict, draw conclusions
Question Cues:
assess, decide, rank, grade, test, measure,
recommend, convince, select, justify, explain,
discriminate, support, conclude, compare
22. Examples of Evaluation Questions
1. Why were the bears angry with Goldilocks?
2. What do you think she
learned by going into that
house?
3. Would you have gone in the
bear's house? Why/why not?
23. Create Questions:
Generate new ideas or insights
• use old ideas to create new ones
• generalize from given facts
• relate knowledge from several areas
Question Cues:
combine, integrate, modify, rearrange, plan,
create, design, invent, what if?, compose,
formulate, generalize, revise, synthesize
24. Examples of Creation Questions
1. Do all bears act like humans?
2. Do you know any other stories
about little girls or boys who escaped
from danger?
3. Make a puppet, then
act out its part in the story.
25.
26. A lesson using Bloom’s taxonomy
of questions
“The Global Child”
International adoption and parental
responsibility
27. Remember
list, define, tell, describe, identify, show, label, collect,
examine, tabulate, quote, name
1. What country is Raquel from?
2. What does the word indigenous
mean?
28. Comprehension
summarize, describe, contrast, associate, distinguish, diffe
rentiate, discuss, paraphrase, explain
1. Why did Raquel’s mother give her
up for adoption?
2. Summarize the commentator's main
idea.
29. Application
apply, demonstrate, calculate, show, solve, examine, relate
, change, classify, experiment, assess, chart, construct
1. What would you ask Raquel’s birth
mother about giving her daughter up for
adoption?
2. Can you relate any of Raquel’s feelings to
your own life?
30. Analysis
analyze, order, explain, compare, explain, infer,
discriminate, illustrate, outline, distinguish
1. Why do you think Raquel dropped
her camera?
2. Why does Raquel spend so much
time in bed when she gets home?
31. Evaluation
assess, decide, rank, grade, test, measure, recommend,
convince, select, judge, explain, discriminate, support,
conclude, compare
1. Do you think adopted children should visit
their country of birth? Why or why not?
2. What problems do you think they might
have as a result of being adopted?
32. Create
combine, integrate, modify, rearrange, plan, create, design, inven
t, what if?, compose, formulate, generalize, revise
1. Statistics show that Russians want Russian
orphans to be adopted by Russians. If that is
so, why are so few adopted by them?
2. Imagine you are Raquel. Write a diary entry
from her perspective on the day she went to
her old house.
35. Assessment of
open-ended questions
1. Grade on
originality, completeness, organization, logic,
connection to task, etc.
2. Grade each other’s answers.
3. Write questions they have about the issue.
4. Research their questions and write an
essay/give a talk.
5. Never grade higher level questions “right or
wrong.”
36. To summarize
• Foster critical thinking with questions
requiring higher order skills: analyze, and
evaluate, and create.
• Empower your students. Ask them to think for
themselves.
38. References
Bartel, M. (2004). Encouraging creative thinking with
awareness and discovery questions. Retrieved Nov. 1, 2012,
from http://www.bartelart.com/arted/questions.html#tests
Bloom's taxonomy. Retrieved Oct. 24, 2012, from
http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learning/exams/blooms-taxonomy.html
Bloom’s taxonomy of six different levels. Retrieved Dec. 5, 2012,
from http://courseweb.unt.edu/gmayes/documents/Blooms_Taxonomy.html
Dalton, J. & Smith, D. (1986). Extending children’s special abilities
– Strategies for primary classrooms, pp 36-7. Retrieved Nov. 1,
2012, from http://www.aisa.or.ke/uploaded/downloads/aisa2010conference/
Judy_Wooster_Workshop_Handout_Applying_Blooms_Taxonomy.pdf
Numrich, C. (Ed.) (2010). The global child. Raise the issues (pp.
42-63). White Plains, NY: Pearson.
Hinweis der Redaktion
Water freezes at 0 degrees C. and 32 degrees F.Mexico independence - 1821
It may be important for students to know these facts, but simply knowing them does not ensure that they will be able to use the facts to solve problems or make important decisions
Socrates 399 BC killed because he was corrupting the youth by fostering their intellectual development and encouraging them to question the status quo.
Grasping (understanding) the meaning of informational materials.
The War and Peace question may be a bit harder because the answer cannot really be found in the text but must be a result of thinking about the entire book.
The use of previously learned information in new and concrete situations to solve problems that have single or best answers.
The breaking down of informational materials into their component parts, examining (and trying to understand the organizational structure of) such information to develop divergent conclusions by identifying motives or causes, making inferences, and/or finding evidence to support generalizations.
Creatively or divergently applies prior knowledge and skills to produce a new or original whole.
Creatively or divergently applys prior knowledge and skills to produce a new or original whole.
Grasping (understanding) the meaning of informational materialsIt is important to take an adopted child to his country of origin so the child can understand his heritage.
The use of previously learned information in new and concrete situations to solve problems that have single or best answers.
The breaking down of informational materials into their component parts, examining (and trying to understand the organizational structure of) such information to develop divergent conclusions by identifying motives or causes, making inferences, and/or finding evidence to support generalizations.
Judging the value of material based on personal values/opinions, resulting in an end product, with a given purpose, without real right or wrong answers. Answers to questions can be judged on originality, completeness, organization, and other factors.
Creatively or divergently applying prior knowledge and skills to produce a new or original whole.
