10 Types of Questions for Diversifying Classroom Discussions

Questions can be used to gauge knowledge and understanding. They may also be used to challenge students to think in new ways. Below are several types of questions that you can ask your students in order to stimulate thought, engage students, and foster discussion.

  1. Exploratory: Discover basic knowledge and facts.

·  What is the meaning of ______?

·  What research supports ______?

  1. Challenge: Analyze assumptions, perceptions, conclusions, and interpretations.

·  What assumptions underlie ______?

·  How else could we interpret ______?

  1. Relational: Identify common themes, ideas, and issues.

·  How does ______relate to ______?

·  How are ______and ______similar and different?

  1. Diagnostic: Uncover motives or causes.

·  Why did ______do what they did?

·  What was their motivation for doing ______?

  1. Action: Develop a conclusion, next step, or an appropriate action.

·  In response to ______, what should ______do?

·  Based on your analysis of ______, what actions would you advise?

  1. Cause-and-effect: Determine causal relationships.

·  What caused ______to occur?

·  If the government stopped doing ______, what would happen to ______?

  1. Extension: Elaborate on a previous point.

·  How does ______relate to what we studied earlier?

·  How is this similar and different to what we studied earlier?

  1. Hypothetical: Consider alternative or speculative issues or ideas.

·  If ______had happened instead of ______, what would the outcome be?

·  How would ______change if ______occurred?

  1. Priority: Decide what is most important.

·  What is the most important cause of ______?

·  What should we do first?

  1. Summary: Synthesize discussions, lessons, and ideas.

·  What are the key points that we have discussed?

·  What themes are starting to emerge?

Reference:

Davis, B. G. (2009). Tools for teaching (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

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