Effective Questioning

Why develop "Effective Questions"?

Thinking about and preparing different types of questions prior to lessons often leads to more effective classroom discussions. Anticipating the types of questions that you might need as a teacher allows you to respond immediately to student needs for deeper, more conceptual understanding of the content you teach. Using multiple types of questions improves student engagement with content and increases the complexity of responses. Effective questioning can be used in conjunction with "The Equalizer" from Carol A. Tomlinson to stretch student thinking. If students are answering concretely, teachers should ask abstract questions. If students are focused on the specific, generalizing questions prompt students to situate their specifics into general principles.

Possible Connections to APPR Rubrics

NYSUT Pearson

Standard II, Elements 1, 2, 3, 5

Standard V, Elements 1, 2

*Standard VII, Elements 1, 2, 3

*If this is an individual professional development goal

Domain I, PI 5

Domain II, PI 8, 10

Domain III, PI 17, 18
Domain V, PI 33, 35

Domain VI, PI 46, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53

Domain X, PI 84, 85, 87

Question Stems for Critical and Creative Thinking

The document uses Kagan question stems to generate effective questions in 36 types of critical and creative thinking.

Website by SchoolMessenger Presence. © 2023 Intrado Corporation. All rights reserved.