Upload
tutorlish
View
83
Download
1
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Citation preview
Let the Cat out of the Bag
Questions and Thinking in Teaching
Developing Critical Thinking Skills
A boy’s story
‘This is an English language Classroom. So, no questions.’
Some Questions for Teachers
Who asks most of the questions in your classroom?
To how many of your classroom questions do you already know the answer?
How do you ‘receive’ your learners’ answers?
How do you react if you don’t know the answer to a question asked by a learner?
Some Questions for Teachers
What is the relationship between:
- questions and knowledge? - questions and
authority/discipline? - questions and thinking?
Research Data
There are from 15 to 70 questions in a lesson
90% of questions in the lessons are from teachers
80% of questions are answered by learners
20% of questions are answered by teachers
Research Data
Teachers know the answers to 92% of their questions
5% of teachers’ questions are ruetorical (‘Why don’t you read your textbook at home?’)
3% of teachers’ questions are ‘real’or communicative, i.e. they want to know the answer to
LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG
LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG Here are some tasks for the picture above. Work in pairs and choose three
tasks you would like to do and three you wouldn’t. Explain your choice.
1. Make a list of the things you can see in the picture. 2. Say what each cat in the picture is doing. 3. Look at the picture for a minute, then cover it and name the things you can recall. 4. Compare the cat jumping to the one sitting on the roof. 5. Describe what kind of animals cats are judging by the picture. 6. Say where each cat is. 7. Justify the idea that cats make good friends for people. 8. Give the picture a title. 9. Identify yourself with one of the cats in the picture. Explain your choice. 10. Hypothesise what difference it would make to the picture if there were a dog among the
cats. 11. Decide why one of the cats is hiding under the pot. 12. Supply the picture with a soundtrack. 13. Add three more cats to the picture. 14. The neighbours of the cats’ owner keep complaining about their behaviour. Defend her. 15. Why do you think so many cats are together? 16. Compare a cat’s behaviour to a dog’s behaviour. 17. Is it worth keeping cats as pets? 18. Say how many cats there are in the picture.
LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG
Which tasks looked the easiest to do? Why?
Which tasks seemed the most difficult to do? Why?
What may you learn from the activity? Compare the tasks 5 and 17. How are
they different? What mental processes go in your mind when you do these tasks?
Higher and Lower Order Thinking
(Bloom,B.S. 1984 – Taxonomy of Educational
Objectives)
KnowledgeComprehensionApplication
Lower order
Higher order
AnalysisSynthethis Evaluation
Higher and Lower Order ThinkingLower Order
Knowledge
(informationgathering)
observation and recall of information
knowledge of dates, events, places
knowledge of major ideas
mastery of subject matter
Higher and Lower Order ThinkingLower Order
Comprehension
(confirming)
understanding information grasping meaning
translating knowledge into new context
interpreting facts, comparing, contrasting
ordering, grouping, inferring causes
predicting consequences
Higher and Lower Order ThinkingLower Order
Application
(making use of knowledge)
using information
using methods, concepts, theories in new situations
solving problems using required skills or knowledge
Higher and Lower Order ThinkingHigher Order
Analysis
(taking apart)
seeing patterns
organization of parts
recognition of hidden meanings
identification of components
Higher and Lower Order ThinkingHigher Order
Synthesis
(puttingtogether)
using old ideas to create new ones
generalizing from given facts
relating knowledge from several areas
predicting, drawing conclusions
Higher and Lower Order ThinkingHigher Order
Evaluation
(judging the outcome)
assessing value of theories, presentations
making choices based on reasoned argument
verifying value of evidence
comparing and discriminating between ideas
recognizing subjectivity
Task
in the activity ‘Let the catout of the bag’ with the levels of thinking:1 Knowledge ______2 Comprehension ______3 Application ______4 Analysis ______5 Synthesis ______6 Evaluation ______
Conceptualising Such tasks are suitable only for advanced
learners. The outcome of such tasks is too distant,
vague and impossible to measure. Developing thinking skills is the most
important thing in education. Challenging tasks are fun for students. Such tasks do not help prepare learners
for exams. Raising self-awareness can be frustrating.
Helpful Hints DO:
...ask questions clearly and simply
...ask lower order questions to check learning and knowledge
...probe, encourage further thinking
...ask your questions openly
...allow time for thinking and answering
...allow your learners to shape your own thinking
...listen to and affirm your learners answers
...ask fewer, better questions
Helpful Hints DON’T:
...ask ‘multiple’ questions
...stop at that point!
...accept all responses at face value
...ask ‘loaded’ question which may trap or threaten learners
...shoot questions like bullets
...be afraid of silence
...insist on the answers you expect according to your agenda
...hog the talking time
...ask too many lower-order questions (adapted from Van Ments, 1990)
Quotations
‘Let us make the study of the art of question asking one of the central disciplines in language education.’
(Postman, 1979)‘There are more questions than
answersThe more I find out, the less I know’
(Johnny Nash, Reggae Song)