Questions

toc = = = = =Discussion Types=


 * Individual
 * Group


 * One question
 * Many questions

= = =Question Design=
 * Digital image
 * Podcast, audio clip, TV Clip
 * Video - YouTube, TeacherTube

Avoid

 * Questions that can be answered yes or no
 * Asking, "What do you think?" No interaction with the material/concepts required
 * Multiple questions - divide them up into separate posts

Engage students with

 * Open-ended questions
 * If you were ..., what would you see?
 * What do you think is better, x or y? Why?
 * Sentence completion
 * What most struck me about the reading was ..., because ...
 * A debate
 * Devil’s advocate roll playing
 * Socratic questioning - from [|Does Your Dog Bite?]
 * Teach students to use this approach to increase the level of critical thinking
 * Clarification questions
 * Let me see if I understand you; do you mean ... or ... ?
 * How does this relate to our problem/discussion/issue?
 * Would this be an example?
 * Would you say more about that?
 * Revealing assumptions
 * What is being assumed? What might we assume instead?
 * You seem to be assuming ... . Is that a correct interpretation?
 * All of your reasoning depends on the idea that ... . What could you have based your reasoning on instead?
 * Is that always the case? Why do you think that assumption holds here?
 * Providing reasons and evidence
 * Provide an example?
 * What evidence is there for that?
 * What other information is needed?
 * Who is in a position to judge the validity of that statement/stance?
 * Viewpoints and perspectives
 * Does ... imply ... ?
 * If that happened, what else would happen as a result? Why?
 * What is an alternative?
 * If ... and ... are the case, then what might also be true?
 * Implications and consequences
 * How can we find out?
 * Can we break this question down at all?
 * To answer this question, what other questions must we answer first?
 * Is this the most relevant question, or is there an underlying question which might take precedence?

=Bottom Line=
 * Encourage students to be active learners
 * Design questions that require higher level critical thinking skills
 * Trying designing a lesson or unit around a question or set of questions that begin in the online discussion forum
 * Teach students Socratic questioning skills
 * Address discussion entries in class - this is the real caffeine