The DOI matches its Crossref record; 50 of the 53 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Using Questioning to Guide Student Thinking
Abstract
This case study analyzes ways in which an experienced physics teacher uses questioning to guide student thinking during a benchmark discussion about measurement. Interactional issues involve ways of speaking: Why the teacher decided to ask what he did, when he did, of whom, in what way, and for what purpose. Conceptual issues involves ways of thinking: How students seemed to understand measurement concepts such as calculating an average value. We define a particular kind of question, a reflective toss, that the teacher uses to try to give students responsibility for thinking. A reflective toss sequence typically consists of a student statement, teacher question, and additional student statements. This unit of analysis directs attention to ways in which a teacher question influences student thinking. We analyze reflective tosses in terms of the immediate action plans they instantiated, the emergent goals they served, anal underlying beliefs they embodied during an episode that involved the public refinement of a student's ideas. We propose that teachers may shift toward more reflective discourse by asking questions that help students to make their meanings clear, to consider various points of view in a neutral manner, and to monitor the discussion and their own thinking.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“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”
From Young Children's Epistemic Operations and Emergent Argumentation in Inquiry‐Based Discussions: The Role of Teacher Questioning and Collaborative Interactions (2025) · cites this paper as van Zee and Minstrell 1997
Citations
Cites
Those Who Understand: Knowledge Growth in Teaching
SHULMAN, L. S. (1986) · Educational Researcher · doi:10.3102/0013189x015002004 · Cited by 18,546
National Science Education Standards
Shea, J. H. (1995) · Journal of Geological Education · doi:10.5408/0022-1368-43.2.102 · Cited by 7,888
Handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning
(1992) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.30-2122 · Cited by 6,131
Accommodation of a scientific conception: Toward a theory of conceptual change
Posner, G. J., Strike, K. A., Hewson, P. W., & Gertzog, W. A. (1982) · Science Education · doi:10.1002/sce.3730660207 · Cited by 5,187
Reciprocal Teaching of Comprehension-Fostering and Comprehension-Monitoring Activities
Palinscar, A. S., & Brown, A. L. (1984) · Cognition and Instruction · doi:10.1207/s1532690xci0102_1 · Cited by 5,186
Talking science: language, learning, and values
Lemke, J. L. (1991) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.28-5211 · Cited by 4,001
The Journal of College Science Teaching
(1971) · Journal of Chemical Education · doi:10.1021/ed048p284 · Cited by 3,314
Directions in Sociolinguistics: The Ethnography of Communication
Bosco, J., Gumperz, J. J., & Hymes, D. H. (1973) · TESOL Quarterly · doi:10.2307/3585682 · Cited by 2,965
Learning Lessons: Social Organization in the Classroom
Mehan, H. (1979) · doi:10.4159/harvard.9780674420106 · Cited by 2,872
Learning to Think Mathematically: Problem Solving, Metacognition, and Sense Making in Mathematics
Schoenfeld, A. H. (2006) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/978-1-60752-874-620251019 · Cited by 2,792
Advances in Instructional Psychology
(2019) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9781315864341 · Cited by 2,538
Book Reviews: Learning Lessons: Social Organization in the Classroom by Hugh Mehan
Hawkins, D. F., & Mehan, H. (1979) · Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis · doi:10.2307/1164149 · Cited by 2,101
Towards an analysis of discourse : the English used by teachers and pupils
Sinclair, J. M., & Coulthard, R. M. (1975) · Oxford University Press eBooks · Cited by 1,954
Misconceptions Reconceived: A Constructivist Analysis of Knowledge in Transition
Smith, J. P., diSessa, A. A., & Roschelle, J. (1994) · Journal of the Learning Sciences · doi:10.1207/s15327809jls0302_1 · Cited by 1,718
The Reflective turn : case studies in and on educational practice
Schön, D. A. (1991) · Teachers College Press eBooks · Cited by 1,047
Hymes, D. H. (1962) · De Gruyter eBooks · doi:10.1037/e596342011-002 · Cited by 914
Question Asking During Tutoring
Graesser, A. C., & Person, N. K. (1994) · American Educational Research Journal · doi:10.3102/00028312031001104 · Cited by 900
Text and Discourse in Education: An Introduction to Critical Discourse Analysis
Luke, A. (1995) · Review of Research in Education · doi:10.2307/1167278 · Cited by 578
diSessa, A. A. (2017) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9781315467139-3 · Cited by 573
Wells, G. A. (1993) · Linguistics and Education · doi:10.1016/s0898-5898(05)80001-4 · Cited by 557
Image Theory: Decision Making in Personal and Organizational Contexts.
Boothroyd, H., & Beach, L. R. (1991) · Journal of the Operational Research Society · doi:10.1057/jors.1991.87 · Cited by 523
Schools for thought: a science of learning in the classroom
(1993) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.31-1642 · Cited by 454
Qualitative Research Traditions: A Review
Jacob, E. (1987) · Review of Educational Research · doi:10.3102/00346543057001001 · Cited by 442
Clement, J. J., Brown, D. E., & Zietsman, A. (1989) · International Journal of Science Education · doi:10.1080/0950069890110507 · Cited by 402
Speaking Culturally: Explorations in Social Communication
Philipsen, G. F. (1992) · Cited by 329
A guide to introductory physics teaching
Arons, A. B., & Miner, T. D. (1990) · The Physics Teacher · doi:10.1119/1.2343097 · Cited by 321
Effective Tutoring Techniques: A Comparison of Human Tutors and Intelligent Tutoring Systems
Merrill, D. C., Reiser, B. J., Ranney, M., & Trafton, J. G. (1992) · Journal of the Learning Sciences · doi:10.1207/s15327809jls0203_2 · Cited by 298
Explaining the ’’at rest’’ condition of an object
Minstrell, J. (1982) · The Physics Teacher · doi:10.1119/1.2340924 · Cited by 297
Self-citationLearning from the PEEL experience
Baird, J. R., & Northfield, J. R. (1992) · Cited by 272
Children's Concepts of Average and Representativeness
Mokros, J., & Russell, S. J. (1995) · Journal for Research in Mathematics Education · doi:10.5951/jresematheduc.26.1.0020 · Cited by 269
Anthropology and Human Behavior.
Tomars, A. S., Gladwin, T., & Sturtevant, W. C. (1963) · American Sociological Review · doi:10.2307/2090381 · Cited by 263
Bruer, J. T. (1993) · The MIT Press eBooks · doi:10.7551/mitpress/6052.001.0001 · Cited by 255
Text-Based and Knowledge Based Questioning by Children
Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (1992) · Cognition and Instruction · doi:10.1207/s1532690xci0903_1 · Cited by 246
Questioning in Classrooms: A Sociolinguistic Perspective
Carlsen, W. S. (1991) · Review of Educational Research · doi:10.3102/00346543061002157 · Cited by 245
Discourse, Learning, and Teaching
Hicks, D. (1995) · Review of Research in Education · doi:10.2307/1167279 · Cited by 240
Synthesis of Research on Teachers' Questioning.
Gall, M. D. (1984) · Educational leadership · Cited by 176
Concept or computation: Students' understanding of the mean
Pollatsek, A., Lima, S., & Well, A. D. (1981) · Educational Studies in Mathematics · doi:10.1007/bf00305621 · Cited by 171
McDermott, L. C. (1990) · American Journal of Physics · doi:10.1119/1.16395 · Cited by 168
Reflective discourse: developing shared understandings in a physics classroom
Zee, E. H. V., & Minstrell, J. (1997) · International Journal of Science Education · doi:10.1080/0950069970190206 · Cited by 152
Self-citationA deep structure model of students' statistical misconceptions
Mevarech, Z. R. (1983) · Educational Studies in Mathematics · doi:10.1007/bf00368237 · Cited by 131
The Development of Children's Concepts of the Arithmetic Average
Strauss, S., & Bichler, E. (1988) · Journal for Research in Mathematics Education · doi:10.2307/749111 · Cited by 131
Episodes and Executive Decisions in Mathematical Problem Solving.
Schoenfeld, A. H. (1981) · Cited by 116
Russell, T. L. (1983) · Journal of Research in Science Teaching · doi:10.1002/tea.3660200104 · Cited by 93
CULTIVATING CONCEPTUAL CHANGE WITH BENCHMARK LESSONS
Lynch, M., & Macbeth, D. H. (2013) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9780203053119-14 · Cited by 88
Student Inquiry in a Physics Class Discussion
Hammer, D. (1995) · Cognition and Instruction · doi:10.1207/s1532690xci1303_3 · Cited by 84
(1984) · Typological studies in language · doi:10.1075/tsl.4 · Cited by 64
A Cognitive Approach to the Teaching of Physics
Hunt, E. B., & Minstrell, J. (1994) · The MIT Press eBooks · doi:10.7551/mitpress/1861.003.0008 · Cited by 40
Self-citationThe role of the conceptual change model in the interpretation of classroom interactions
Thorley, N. (1990) · UMI Dissertation Information Service eBooks · Cited by 38
Toward a Comprehensive Model of Human Tutoring in Complex Subject Matter Domains.
Or‐Bach, R., & Arcavi, A. (1992) · The Journal of Mathematical Behavior · Cited by 24
Ba, J. R. M. (1990) · Cited by 18
Research works printed but not linked: 13
- Arons A., 1983, Duedalus, 2, 91
- Beach, L. R., Mitchell, T. R., Paluchowski, T. F. & van Zee, E. H. (1989). Image theory: Decision framing and decision deliberation. In F. Heller (Ed.), Decision making and leadership (pp. 172-188). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
- Dillon, J. T. (1988). Questioning andteaching: A manual ofpractice. New York: Teachers College Press.
- Mevarech Z., 1983, Educational Studies in Mathematiacs, 14, 4
- Minstrell, J. (1978). An evaluation ofthe Universiry of Washington program in physical science and science teaching for elementary school teachers. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Washington, Seattle.
- Minstrell, J. (1982a). Conceptual development research in the natural setting of a secondary school science classroom. In M. B. Rowe & W. S. Higuchi (Eds.), Education in the 80s: Science (pp. 129-143). Washington, DC: National Education Association.
- Minstrell, J . (1984). Teaching for the development of understanding of ideas: Forces on moving objects. In C. W. Anderson (Ed.), Observing science classrooms: Observing science perspectives from research andpractice (1984 Yearbook of the Association for Educators of Teachers of Science, pp. 53-72). Columbus: Ohio State University.
- Minstrell, J. (1989). Teaching science for understanding. In L. B. Resnick & L. E. Klopfer (Eds.), Toward the thinking curriculum: Current cognitive research (1989 Yearbook of the Association for Supervision and Cuniculum Development, pp. 131-149). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Cuniculum Development.
- Minstrell, J. (1992a). Facets of students' knowledge and relevant instruction. In R. Duit, F. Goldberg, & H. Niedderer (Eds.), Research in physics learning: Theoretical issues and empirical studies (pp. 110-128). Kiel, Germany: Institute for Science Education.
- Mokros J., 1995, Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 26, 20, 10.2307/749226 · DOI
- Philipsen G., 1982, The Communicator, 12, 4
- S c h h , D. A. (1988). Coachingreflective teaching. In P. P. Grimmett &G. L. Erickson(Eds.), Reflection in teacher education (pp. 19-29). New York: Teachers College Press.
- Shaughnessy, J. M. (1992).~esearch on probability and statistics: Reflections and directions. In D. A. Grouws (Ed.), Handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning (pp. 465-494). New York: Macmillan.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Learning to Notice: Scaffolding New Teachers’ Interpretations of Classroom Interactions
van Es, E. A., & Sherin, M. G. (2002) · The Journal of Technology and Teacher Education · Cited by 1,117
Science Education in Three-Part Harmony: Balancing Conceptual, Epistemic, and Social Learning Goals
Duschl, R. A. (2008) · Review of Research in Education · doi:10.3102/0091732x07309371 · Cited by 1,078
Handbook of Research on Learning and Instruction
Mayer, R. E., & Alexander, P. A. (2011) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9780203839089 · Cited by 969
Addressing the Challenges of Inquiry-Based Learning Through Technology and Curriculum Design
Edelson, D. C., Gordin, D. N., & Pea, R. D. (1999) · HAL · doi:10.1207/s15327809jls0803 · Cited by 875
Video viewing in teacher education and professional development: A literature review
Gaudin, C., & Chaliès, S. (2015) · Educational Research Review · doi:10.1016/j.edurev.2015.06.001 · Cited by 687
Metadata
- Authors
- van Zee, E., & Minstrell, J.
- Affiliations
- University of Maryland, College Park (US)
- Venue
- Journal of the Learning Sciences
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 1997-04
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 227-269
- ISSN
- 1050-8406 (ISSN-L)
- 1532-7809
- OpenAlex
- W2091292358
- Cited by
- 342
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 27 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 19
- FWCI
- 42.44
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of the Learning Sciences (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- American Educational Research Association
- University of Washington
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Science Education and Pedagogy
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods
- Social Sciences › Education › Mathematics Education and Teaching Techniques
- Keywords
- teacher questioning, student thinking, physics education, measurement concepts, classroom discourse, teacher beliefs, action plan
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review