Question Set
Work with your class to develop a set of questions that can be used again and again when doing a specific type of task.
Learners can then use these each time a particular type of task arises.
This will help them to develop their skills in that area and to think methodically.
Here are some examples of activities with which a question set can be used:
- Analysing sources
- Interpreting texts
- Developing arguments
- Assessing evidence
- Evaluating theories
Here is an example of a question set based on the first item in the list, analysing sources:
- Who created the source?
- Why might the source have been created?
- How does it compare to other sources?
- Who might have interacted with the source and for what reasons?
- Where might the source have been found?
- Could the source be biased? Why?
A set like this gives learners a clear focus each time they engage with a source.
One of the benefits of using this method is that it trains pupils to approach material in a systematic way.
As a result, there is a high likelihood they will develop the skills required by the activity in a relatively short space of time (due to the repetition and practice involved).
Question Porters
Divide the class into groups of four.
One member of each group is designated a ‘question porter’.
They come to the front of the class where they are given a question by the teacher (you might like to attach this to a stick so that it can be held up in the air).
The porters return to their groups and share the question with their peers.
Discussion ensues. During this, the porter should make some notes on what is said.
After sufficient time has passed, the teacher asks the porters to stand up and to take their questions to another group.
Upon sitting down, the porters share some of the key points which came out of the first discussions.
If they wish, they can direct their new group to explore a particular area of the question, a supplemental question or a specific point that came up in the first discussion.
This does not have to happen – the new group could simply discuss the question freely – but it is a good option to be able to use with question porters who feel suitably confident.
The whole process is repeated as many times as the teacher feels worthwhile.
It is likely that fatigue will set in after three or four rotations. The teacher should be alive to this and be ready to send the question porters back to their original groups when the time is right.
Upon returning to their original groups, the question porters should share with their peers what other groups have said during their discussions.
A further discussion can then happen.
This can be led by the question porter, or it can be based on some of the different points that came up during the various other discussions the group had (and to which the question porter was not privy).
You can use this activity at various points, adapting the questions accordingly.
For example:
- Use the activity at the end of a unit of work. The various questions are akin to those that might come up in an exam based on the topic.
- The activity could contain questions based on concepts central to the topic. If so, it would be well used mid-way through a unit of work. This is because learners will be coming to terms with the key concepts but may not yet have thought about them in great depth.
- Use the activity at the beginning of a unit of work. The questions could be concerned with speculation, learners’ existing knowledge and their prior experiences.
