Questioning Strategies Resources
LIASCD Presentation - October 9, 2015
Questioning
-Fusco (2012), Pg. 13
Pose Purposeful Questions in Mathematics Classes
Planning Effective Questions
Questioning Pattern: Funneling
S1: The mean is about 12.9 years, and the median is about 9 years.
T: What does the box plot tell us about the variability of the data?
S2: It has a long tail on one side.
T: That may be true, but what about the interquartile range - the IQR? What does it tell us?
S3: Where most of the pennies occur.
T: Is that really what the IQR tells us? What does each part of the box plot stand for?
S4: Each part is 25 percent.
T: Yes, so what else?
S5: The middle is 50 percent of the pennies and is from 3 to 19 years old.
T: Good. What can we say about pennies on the basis of this information?
S6: That most of them are about 10 years old.
T: But since these are pennies, what does that tell us about all coins?
S7: That coins will be about 10 years old.
T: Well, 10 years is for pennies, but this wouldn't necessarily be the same for, say, quarters. Why not?
- Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success For All (2014)
Questioning Pattern: Focusing
S1: It doesn't seem like many of them are very old.
T:What about the graph makes you say that?
S1: There's a big mound for newer pennies.
T: Is there anything else that you notice?
S2: I found the interquartile range and saw that most pennies are from 3 to 19 years old.
T: Explain to us what the interquartile range tells us.
S2: It is where most of the pennies occur.
T: What do you mean by "most of the pennies?"