Questioning Techniques for Deeper Thinking
The questions you ask shape the quality of thinking in your classroom. Moving beyond simple recall questions to those that promote analysis, evaluation, and creation transforms student engagement and learning depth. This section provides question stems organized by thinking level and strategies for implementing effective questioning techniques that encourage all students to think more deeply about content.
Bloom's Taxonomy Question Stems
Remembering:
- What is…?
- When did…?
- List the…
Understanding:
- Explain why…
- Give an example of…
- What does this mean?
Applying:
- How would you use…?
- What would happen if…?
- Solve this problem…
- Demonstrate how…
Analyzing:
- What are the parts of…?
- How does X relate to Y?
- What is the evidence for…?
- What patterns do you see?
Evaluating:
- What is your opinion of…?
- What criteria would you use to judge…?
- What is the most important…?
- Do you agree that…?
Creating:
- Design a…
- Compose a…
- What if we combined…?
- Create a new way to…
Wait Time Strategy
- Wait Time 1: After asking a question, wait 3-5 seconds before calling on anyone
- Wait Time 2: After a student responds, wait 3-5 seconds before responding or asking another question
- Benefits: More students participate, responses are more thoughtful, higher-level thinking emerges
Question Planning Template
Lesson Topic: ________________
Question Level | Planned Questions | Expected Responses | Follow-up Questions |
Knowledge |
|
|
|
Comprehension |
|
|
|
Application |
|
|
|
Analysis |
|
|
|
Evaluation |
|
|
|
Synthesis |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
