Teacher questioning in science classrooms: Approaches that stimulate productive thinking

This constructive-challenge strategy resembles a neutral evaluation that avoids a triadic dialogue and favors a collaborative construction of knowledge.

“This strategy resembles a neutral evaluation that avoids a triadic dialogue (teacher's judgment on whether it is correct or not) and favors a collaborative construction of knowledge”

By tossing back questions, the teachers validate the students' ideas and establish them as a baseline on which to build, shift the responsibility for knowledge construction back to the student, and promote student-student collaboration.

“By doing this, the teachers not only validate the students' ideas and establish them as a baseline on which to build, but they shift the responsibility for knowledge construction back to the student and promote student-student collaboration”

Responsive questioning techniques both help students progressively make sense of the conceptual ideas and require them to engage in more higher-order thinking.

“Therefore, these kinds of “responsive questioning” techniques both help students progressively make sense of the conceptual ideas (Chin 2006) and also require them to engage in more higher-order thinking (Chin 2007).”

Sequencing questions helps students to move up a 'cognitive ladder' through levels of increasingly complex reasoning.

“sequencing questions helps students to move up a “cognitive ladder” through levels of increasingly complex reasoning”

Almost half, 46.83%, of teacher questions were higher-order thinking questions by Chin's definition.

“Almost half, 46.83%, were higher-order thinking questions by Chin's (2007) definition.”

Teacher questions that encourage students to elaborate, discuss various points of view, and promote higher-order thinking can elicit more substantial student responses in full sentences, benefiting science learning.

“Such questions can elicit more substantial student responses in full sentences, benefiting science learning (Chin, 2006(Chin, , 2007;;van Zee & Minstrell, 1997).”

Each questioning approach possesses a special and meaningful function in contributing to constructivist teaching.

“As Chin (2007) discussed, each of the questioning approaches possesses a special and meaningful function in contributing to constructivist teaching.”

Pumping, the most commonly used type, is a more straightforward form of constructivist questions.

“One reason could be that pumping, the most commonly used type, by Chin's (2007) definition, is a more straightforward form of constructivist questions.”

Together with the overall low average time percentage of student talk, unfavorable conditions for science learning and language learning were revealed.

“Together with the overall low average time percentage of student talk, unfavorable conditions for science learning and language learning were revealed (Chin, 2007;Long, 1996).”