Introduction (3 min)
Welcome participants and provide a brief introduction. Explain the session’s purpose: to explore three practical questioning strategies that foster student inquiry and support teacher growth. Begin with a quick icebreaker: ask participants to share one question a student recently asked that surprised or engaged them. Participants will share with a partner for 1–2 minutes to connect their experiences to the session content.
Strategy 1 – 10x10 (8 min)
This strategy stimulates divergent thinking and broad question generation. Present several images, and have participants individually generate 5–10 questions (adjusted for time). Then, pair up to share and select top questions. Participants will discuss how this strategy could increase student ownership and engagement. The process moves from individual reflection to pairs, then to a brief whole-group share, with 4 minutes for individual question generation and 4 minutes for pair discussion.
Strategy 2 – DIG (Detail, Inference, Global) (8 min)
DIG deepens comprehension through multi-level questioning. Present a short text, and participants generate 1–2 questions per tier: Detail, Inference, and Global. They refine questions in pairs, followed by a brief reflection on how DIG scaffolds deeper thinking. The process moves from individual work to pairs, with 4 minutes for question generation and 4 minutes for refinement. Participants will also briefly share insights with the larger group.
Strategy 3 – Questioning Continuum (Cognitive Demand + Student Interest) (8 min)
This strategy develops metacognition and awareness of question quality. Participants generate 2–3 questions about a video clip and map them on a two-axis grid (X-axis: Level of Interest, Y-axis: Cognitive Demand). Small group discussions allow refinement, followed by a brief large-group share. This segment combines hands-on mapping with reflection on increasing high-interest, high-cognitive-demand questions and supports student ownership of learning.
Closing & Reflection (3 min)
Recap the three strategies and their potential classroom impact, highlighting connections to research and student agency. Engage participants with a reflective prompt: “Which strategy will you try first and how?” Participants may share one takeaway with a neighbor or in the chat. This final reflection reinforces learning and encourages application of questioning strategies in participants’ own classrooms.
1. Define the core components of student agency and understand its impact on learning outcomes.
2. Explore effective strategies to nurture student-generated questions using questioning protocols.
Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners by Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison
Explores routines and strategies that make students’ thinking explicit. Offers practical techniques for questioning, discussion, and reflection to foster deeper learning and student ownership.
The Right Question Institute Guide to Better Questions, Better Answers, Better Decisions by Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana
Focuses on metacognition and teaching students to ask high-quality questions. Provides frameworks like the Question Formulation Technique (QFT), which aligns closely with your Questioning Continuum strategy.
Purposeful Classroom Talk: Whole-Class Discussions That Foster Critical Thinking by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey
Emphasizes structured questioning to support comprehension and higher-order thinking.
Includes strategies for teacher- and student-generated questions, connecting directly to DIG and 10x10 protocols.
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