The Power of Questioning

Opening up the World of Student Inquiry

By (author) Starr Sackstein

Publication date:

18 December 2015

Length of book:

74 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781475821420

Teaching and learning cannot happen without questions. Inquiry is the offspring of curiosity and creativity. Questions are incredibly powerful tools that open the world up. In the age of Google, the way we teach needs to change and students need to be reconnected with their early childhood curiosity. Let’s put that control back into kids’ hands by teaching them to question better. The Power of Questioning will help you to make students partners in their own learning.

Dedication
Foreword-Mark Barnes
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: Setting the Stage for Inquiry and Self-Exploration
Letting Go of Control
Creating a Culture of Learning
Learning is More than Being Right
Empowering Students Through Learning Conversations
Chapter 2: Understanding Bloom’s Taxonomy When Teaching Questioning Skills
What is Bloom’s Taxonomy?
How can Bloom’s Taxonomy be used as a Framework for Teaching Questioning?
Chapter 2 Additional Resources
Chapter 3: Dissecting Questions
How Can We Break Apart Questions for a Deeper Understanding of What is Being Asked?
Why Should Students be Able to Dissect Questions to Further Learning?
How Can These Skills be Applied to Classes Across Content to Deepen Learning?
Chapter 4: Building Questions
Conceiving Questions to Map Authentic Learning
Opened/Closed Questions for Surveying Material vs. Acquiring Depth of Knowledge
Building Questions for Investigative Reporting - Fishbowl Activity
Journalism in Context
Chapter 5: Applying Questioning Skills to Content Learning
Deeper Learning Happens When Students are Questioning Content
Using Search Engines to Apply Questioning for Content
Socratic Seminars as a Classroom Study
Using Google Classroom to Elicit Discussion
Chapter 6: Discovering Self Through Questioning
The Questions People Ask About Themselves and Their Environments
What Do the Questions We Ask Say About Who We Are?
How Can We Harness Interest to Engage Students?
Using Reflection Questions to Dig Deeper into Ourselves and Learning
Chapter 7: Encouraging Continued Exploration and Conversation
Where Does the Research Generate?
Teaching Students to Question the Sources They Find
Chapter 7 Additional Resources
Final Thoughts
About the Author

The Power of Questioning is an important book that I enthusiastically recommend to all teachers. This short and highly readable book tackles one of the most pressing topics related to teaching and learning and is written by a practicing teacher who is simply one of our nation's foremost thinkers on the topic.

In this excellent book, Starr Sackstein examines why we need to focus with intention on the questions we ask of students and—more importantly—how we inspire them to become curious learners with a questioning mindset. Starr's book is filled with practical strategies and anecdotes showing how we can transform our practice in this core area of instruction, moving from traditional, rote questions and answers to rigorous, engaging, interactive inquiry.

I can think of no book on this topic more compelling than The Power of Questioning nor an author/practitioner more equipped to share her insights with educators wishing to enhance their teaching—and their students' learning—through the use of intentional questioning techniques. This book is a must read for all educators.