Classroom Questioning by Teachers: An Investigation of How Teachers Formulate, Select and Present Questions to Guide Student Learning

One year project 2006
Linda Bonne & Ruth Pritchard, Redwood School and Victoria University of Wellington College of Education
  

Project aims

The aims of this project are twofold:

• to develop the research capability of a group of teachers
• to investigate their use of questioning to facilitate students' learning in the context of mathematics.

A group of teacher-researchers will work in partnership with the research team leaders to analyse their own practice to identify

• aspects of questioning behaviour
• conditions which support effective use of questioning
• barriers that inhibit the use of certain kinds of questioning.

By adding the teacher’s voice to the existing body of research, it is intended that this research project will develop a deeper understanding of the teacher’s unique perspective of teaching and learning.

  
Project plan

The methodology will be trialed early in Term 1 of 2006.

In Term 2, the teacher-researchers will make video and audio recordings of two maths lessons. They will then choose one lesson to be the focus of analysis. The audiotape of this lesson will be transcribed for the teacher-researchers to analyse, looking at the questions they have asked students, as well as the reasons underlying their decisions about questions. Question types will be identified. The research team leaders will also view the videos and transcripts, and carry out their own analysis of the questioning that is apparent. After one-to-one interviews with each of the teachers about their lessons, the group will meet to discuss the findings so far.

In Term 3, this cycle will be repeated.
  

Partnerships involved

This research is being jointly led by a teacher and a researcher, both of whom have experience as teachers and researchers. A key strength of this project is that it relies heavily on the participating teachers being actively involved as teacher-researchers, rather than being the subjects of research carried out by researchers. It is envisaged that all participants will contribute fully to the research process and interpretation of findings. By adding the teacher’s voice to the existing body of research, it is intended that this research project will develop a deeper understanding of the teacher’s unique perspective of teaching and learning.
  

Expected outcomes

Expected outcomes focused on teaching and learning are to:

1. identify the various kinds of questions teachers use in mathematics
2. explicate teachers’ thinking about the use of questioning during lessons.
     

Selected Publications

Download the summary report [pdf, 52 KB]
Download the full text of the project report [pdf, 1044 KB]

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