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Strategic Questioning DVD: Stimulus material for Professional Dialogue

Are you interested in knowing how teachers translate the theory behind strategic questioning into their classroom practice? The Strategic Questioning DVD builds on the resources of the Assessment for Learning website.

Introduction

The DVD, focusing on Strategic Questioning, provides an opportunity for practitioners to engage in professional dialogue around this formative assessment tool. In 'Aspects of Strategic Questioning', ten aspects of the technique and an overview 'Linking Questioning to Assessment for Learning' can be explored. For each aspect, two forms of video clip stimulus for discussion are provided: Practicing teachers' reflection on their experience of implementing the various aspects of strategic questioning; and classroom footage that illustrate the aspects put into practice.

Aspects of strategic questioning

  1. Preparing key questions: Key questions are those that elicit students' understanding of the learning intention(s) of the lesson.
  2. Asking closed questions: Closed questions are used to elicit specific student understandings.
  3. Asking open questions: Open questions promote deeper thinking and provide more information about the student learner.
  4. Using wait time or thinking time: Wait time provides students with adequate time to consider their response before answering the question posed.
  5. Hands down: The aim of this strategy is to promote greater participation by students in the class (not just by those students who would regularly put their hand up to answer).
  6. Prompting student response: Students are encouraged to think more deeply to expand on their (correct yet incomplete) response.
  7. Building on 'wrong' answers: Students are prompted to further reconsider their (incorrect) response.
  8. Responding positively to students: By consciously providing acknowledgement of student contributions a positive classroom culture is encouraged.
  9. Distributing questions around the class: As for 'Hands down' the aim of this strategy is to promote greater participation by all students in the class.
  10. Encouraging students to ask questions: Students are encouraged to ask their own questions, both of other students and the teacher.
  11. Linking Questioning to Assessment for Learning: Teachers discuss how the use of strategic questioning assists them to know where their students are 'at' in their learning, and how this information influences their teaching and learning programs.

Additional DVD components

The Workshop materials and associated Worksheets are accessed on the DVD via the 'Professional learning' button. The Workshop materials and associated Worksheets are also available below.

The workshop materials
There is one workshop file. This file contains materials for a series of five workshops that provide a theoretical background, ideas for activities, a focus on discussion of the video content, and a reflective exercise.

The worksheets
There are three worksheet files that support the workshops.

  • A proforma to be used with Workshop 3: Web Search.
  • Discussion questions to be used with Workshop 4: Study Group
  • A proforma to be used with Workshop 1 and Workshop 5, Topics 2, 3 and 9

Technical Help for using the DVD is accessed via the Technical help button. Help is provided for viewing the DVD on a television or computer (Windows and Mac OS).

The Strategic Questioning DVD builds on the Professional learning modules . To access the Professional learning modules you will need to 'LOG IN'. This allows you to access the tasks that have been tailored to your State or Territory.

Click on the Play button below to watch a sample (approximately 3 minutes) of aspects covered on the DVD. Note that Quicktime must be installed to view the sample video.

FAQs: The Strategic Questioning DVD

Q. Why can't I access all of the DVD material directly from this site?
A. The DVD contains large video and audio files and it would be impractical to provide these directly or as downloads from the website. The smaller files: The Workshop materials, participant Worksheets and Technical Help, are available on the website (and also contained on the DVD).

Q. How can I obtain a copy of the DVD?
A. To purchase the Assessment for Learning DVDs click on the links below:

Effective feedback DVD
Peer feedback and student self-assessment DVD
Strategic questioning DVD
Putting it all together DVD

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