Questioning Stems for Deeper Understanding

Excellence in Education: Some great questioning stems...

Great questioning is integral to student learning. Questions allow us to formatively assess what a student does/doesn’t know. But many questions fall short.  The I-R-E (Initiate-Response-Evaluate) model of questioning is best used to check for factual understanding. In this model teachers tend to do most of the talking and the question becomes more rapid fire. McRel/Marzano found that 71% of the questions asked in classes are at the lower three levels of Bloom’s taxonomy. While these types of questions have a place in the classroom, higher-order thinking questions offer much more.

Deeper learning questions go further and allow teachers to understand how students are applying their knowledge and what problems they are encountering. Higher-order thinking questions make learning more personalized and visible and teach students how to think. These skills are transferable to real-life scenarios where we are challenged to apply our knowledge and think.

Four thought-provoking question stems any teacher can use:

What is a way/How would you...I saw this stem used in multiple ways. In a science class students were asked, What is a way we can determine how much sugar is in a piece of gum? In an IEP meeting it was asked, What are some ways you can show proficiency on these things if it’s not by doing this? Finally in an English class, students were prompted with How would you put this in your own words?

Tell me more/Why do you think that? I’ve seen this one used in many classes as a follow-up that pushes students to expand their thinking and often makes learning more visible to the other students in class. In a math class, I saw Ms. Eisenhauer use it as follows:

After asking student 1 what the answer was, she followed up with, Tell me why you think that’s the right answer. After answering the question, she followed up with another student, You had the same answer, tell me about how you came to your answer?

What’s wrong with…I’ve seen this stem used in two ways. One way was in a corrective action. In Math Analysis Pre-Calculus, after a wrong answer was provided, students were encouraged to discuss the question and answer. Similarly, in an English class a small group of students were asked by their teacher to identify what was wrong with one of their group’s answers. In both cases the teacher stepped back and required students to think it out on their own. The other way I saw this question used was in a history class, where the students were asked, “What’s wrong with this?”

How is this similar/different to...Is there a connection to...Anytime students are required to connect their learning with background knowledge it enables them to make neural and other connections that make learning more permanent.

Keep in mind:

1. Asking higher-order questions requires more think time.
2. You may want to include the question stems you want to use in your lesson plans.
3. Keep it simple meaning simply worded questions are often the best.

Need to Knows

We’ve got something new! Want something included on the Monticello Outlook Calendar, the Monticello website or in the PowerSchool Daily Bulletin (viewed by parents, students and staff)? Please use this link https://goo.gl/forms/bIjfJLKokWPcEHx33 

Friday is an anchor day with club periods. Some clubs will be taking pictures during club period. Be on the lookout for information from Ms. McCaskill.

Open Enrollment through November 16.

County surveys on Budget and Calendar: open through November 16

• Take the budget survey
• Review the Calendar Committee’s first draft of the 2019-20 calendar
• Take the calendar survey

Important Dates

Nov 15: Leadership Meeting

Field Trips and SOLs

Nov 12: Last Chance Senior Portraits

Nov 13: ASVAB test

Nov 14: Health and Construction Expos

Nov 15: HMSA Open House

Nov 16: Choose or Lose PVCC Senior

Stat of the Week: Bathrooms

In our peer support survey, students were asked to write any comments or suggestions on school safety. The most common answer was to do a better job of watching the bathrooms. These ranged from check the bathrooms more often to teachers should reduce the number of students they let go to the bathrooms. I know many students have told many of you about problems in the bathrooms, especially Juuling.

So what can we do:

1. Ensure we are in the hallways between classes and keep an eye out on groups entering bathrooms, high-noise levels in bathrooms, people spending extended time in bathrooms.
2. Administration can check bathrooms more often during class periods (thanks Rita for helping us out already). When on planning periods, teachers can just pop into a bathroom to make sure there are no problems.
3. Look for trends and student abuses of break privileges during class. This would include students needing to take breaks every day during class, extended breaks, breaks at the same time, etc. and discuss your concerns with the student from a classroom perspective.
4. Teachers who have class meetings, this would be a great item for discussion.

What ideas can you add to the list?

Birthdays

None

Shout Outs

Pass the word: If you didn’t know it our drama students rocked the One Acts. Good luck to the cast/crew in of #WhileBlack in Nashville. Great job Ms. Michel and thank you to all of you who came to Friday or Saturday’s shows.

Shout out to our girls cross country team for their 8th place finish at the state championship.They were led by Lilly Linneweber with a time of 20.00, which is the the 4th fastest in school history, followed by Caroline Wilson, Maria Vizcaino, Sam Lange and Josie Leavell. On the boys side, Will Krehmeyer became the 2nd runner in Monticello history to be named all-state. His time of 16.28 was the 3rd fastest in Monticello history.

Natalya Koppenhoefer recently participated in the Senior Regional Orchestra Event.

Useful Information

Bell Schedules : http://bit.ly/MOHSbells

Morning Announcement Stream: http://streaming.k12albemarle.org/ACPS/links.htm

Announcement Request

Teacher Handbook 

Athletic team schedules, rosters, etc.

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Transfer Learning

Excellence in Education: Transfer Learning

Later this week, Ms. Rowanhill’s physics students will see if their pumpkins survive the drop from a bucket truck. In talking to students about the drop, it’s great to hear how they apply their learning and problem solve. While it’s unrealistic and unnecessary to have students perform higher-order thinking for all learning intentions, for the most important concepts and learning objectives, we should strive to have our students transfer their learning into real-life situations.

What are some ways we can achieve transfer learning?

• Persuasive writing can be used in variety of formats beyond current events, social issues or the standard writing prompt. After learning about curves in Algebra II, the student may be asked to persuasively write why a table or graph is most practical. In a tech ed class, the student might write about what tool is best for a given task.
• Proposals are in essence persuasive writing but presented in a different way through a presentation or other means, for example. But this could also include a marketing campaign complete with advertisements
• Invention tasks where students take what they learn and invent or create something of their own. In an English class, this might be writing a sonnet after reading Shakespeare. While in a history class, after reading the Emancipation Proclamation, students might write their own speech on a current issue.
• Decision-making are where students are assessed on their ability to analyze options and reach a conclusion. In science, this might mean choosing the ideal environment for growing corn, and in a health class this might mean defending which health products should or shouldn’t be purchased at GNC. For a math lesson, it might be as simple as having students debate the best way to answer a question with many different paths to the correct answer.
• Self-analysis can be accomplished in a variety of ways from writing to vlogging to portfolios. Throughout their learning students should demonstrate their own learning and progress and how they overcame challenges as they relate to the learning objectives. Throughout the unit, students could take pictures, samples/examples, etc. of their learning and select exemplars to justify their grade.

While the above are examples of deeper learning intentions and culminating assignments, I felt it was important to start with the end in mind by providing some examples. Of course, the corresponding lessons must be aligned with the goal of students transferring their learning. By establishing high expectations for students and connecting learning with the real world we can foster true learning and increase student engagement.

I love this quote from Grant Wiggins, Mastery is effective transfer of learning in authentic and worthy performance. Students have mastered a subject when they are fluent, even creative, in using their knowledge, skills, and understanding in key performance challenges and contexts at the heart of that subject, as measured against valid and high standards.

What are some ways you accomplish this in your classes?

PS It’s worth the trip down to the lower parking lot to watch some of the pumpkins drop.

Need to Knows

We have added two ‘reserved’ parking signs installed in our back parking lot for our two athletic trainers (near the crosswalk).  They are often among the last persons to leave our campus each night, save the custodians, and this provides them with a safer walk to their cars.

Google Chat/Hangout: After feedback from teachers and others, LEAD has disabled Google Chat and Hangout from school computers.

Students with D’s and F’s Please remember that the family of any student with a D or F should be contacted-preferably by phone call. You’re also encouraged to reach out to school counselors and case managers (ELL/Special Ed/504) as well as discuss struggling students as part of your PLC, if applicable.

Peer Nomination and Computer Check

Directions for peer nomination survey are here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iRuniN9L3NwAsnmY45hCkHEgx7DCOF2i/view?usp=sharing 

Form for students to complete: https://goo.gl/forms/LAUaZArZpUUxWFGL2 

While students are completing the peer nomination process, you can begin the laptop check process. The purpose of this laptop check is to ensure that students have working laptops and chargers. We are trying to cut down on lost laptops. We will also do our best to use this information to contact families so that we can ensure students are coming to school with working devices. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_y1ITrsCMGAQH1AzpuKV4I7gaXJRzhhd/view?usp=sharing 

Important Dates

November 5: Green Teacher Work Day

November 6:  Election Day

Grades due November 8 at 9am

November 9: Anchor Day, Extended 1st block for Peer Survey and Computer Check

Open Enrollment through November 16.

Field Trips and SOLs

Nov 8: Pumpkin Drop

Nov 12: Last Chance Senior Portraits

Nov 15: Leadership Meeting

Stats of the Week: At Least One Adult Who...

There is at least one teacher or other adult at this school who really wants me to do well.

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree
School	1%	6%	61%	32%
State	2%	4%	46%	49%

Birthdays

November 6: Hannah Bailey & Yulanda Hatchett

November 8: Trey Roberts

Useful Information

Bell Schedules : http://bit.ly/MOHSbells

Morning Announcement Stream: http://streaming.k12albemarle.org/ACPS/links.htm

Announcement Request

Teacher Handbook 

Athletic team schedules, rosters, etc.

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