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)