POWERFUL QUESTIONS

Please find your group and read the one page appendix located in your folder.

Underline a sentence, a phrase, and a word that you think is significant.

Text Rendering Protocol

Steps (3 min)

First Round: Each person shares a sentence from the document that he/she thinks/feels is particularly significant.

Second Round: Each person shares a phrase that he/she thinks/feels is particularly significant.

Third Round: Each person shares the word that he/she thinks/feels is particularly significant.

The group discusses what they heard and what they want to remember about asking questions.

The Art and Architecture of Powerful Questions

Questions are a prerequisite to learning

Questions challenge outdated assumptions and lead us to the future.

Questions stimulate reflective thinking.

“Open-ended" questions are much more powerful for stimulating dialogue than "closed-ended" questions.

Ex. Are you ok? “vs” How are you feeling?

*There are exceptions to every rule. When the context changes to closing a sale, a question like, "Can I write up your order now?" is clearly an important closed-ended question. The same applies when we ask a kindergartner, “Do you need to take a break?”

Sorting QuestionsHypothetical Dilemma: A student is experiencing difficulty while engaged in collaborate group work.

Guiding Question: How can I help students be more successful in collaborative work, when their lack of skills in this area frustrates other students, and brings down the quality of the group’s work?

Sort the questions into:

Clarifying (simple questions of fact; yes or no)

Probing Questions (indented to help presenter think more deeply about the issue at hand)

Advice Giving

Do you need a break?

Something to keep in mind:

Later on we will have one person from each group share a dilemma relevant to our work together. Start thinking about something you might want to share—you’ll get great feedback!

Increase the power of each

question by changing first its

architecture, then its scope, and

finally its meaning/context:

• What is the pattern?

• Is one’s culture affected by one’s surroundings?

• Am I supporting students’ understanding of the text?

What if feedback only came in the form of

questions? One person in each group will share a dilemma relevant to our work together. (Select one person to be a time keeper.)

• Presenter explains dilemma and shares a Guiding Question (3 min.)

• Group members write “High Power” questions on post-its (5 min.)

• Presenter reads questions and selects 1-2 questions that made them reflect most deeply. Presenter explains why these questions were profound for them (5 min.)

Exit TicketPlease write the following on an index card:

Name

Plus (what worked)/Delta (it would have been even better if…)

What’s one thing you learned that has changed how you think about your teaching and/or your practice?

What’s one concrete thing you will do differently, no matter what?