Last time, I explored a dialogic teaching strategy called Socratic questioning which encourages students to take an active role in their learning, develop analytical skills, and engage in meaningful discussions.
Socratic questioning also fosters a student-centred classroom where curiosity, inquiry, and critical thinking are at the forefront of the learning process. But all this requires a classroom culture that is conducive to discussion and debate…
Establishing clear rules and routines for classroom discussions is therefore crucial to creating a productive and respectful learning environment where students feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and engaging in meaningful dialogue.
Here are key rules and routines to consider implementing in your questioning classroom and ideas for what we might encourage students to do:
Rule 1: Be respectful
- Listen actively when others are speaking.
- Speak politely and avoid interrupting.
- Disagree respectfully and focus on ideas, not individuals. Use phrases like "I see your point, but I think..." or "Another way to look at it is..."
Rule 2: Take turns
- Raise your hand to indicate you want to speak.
- Wait for the teacher to acknowledge you before speaking.
- Give others a chance to contribute before speaking again.
Rule 3: Stay on task
- Keep the discussion focused on the topic at hand.
- Avoid going off on tangents or discussing unrelated matters.
Rule 4: Develop the ideas of others
- Respond to and expand upon their peers' contributions.
- Use phrases like "I agree with..." or "Adding to what (student) said..."
Rule 5: Provide supporting evidence
- Support your ideas with evidence from the text, class materials, or personal experiences.
- Use phrases like "In the text, it says..." or "I noticed that..."
Rule 6: Take part
- Participate willingly and without fear – take a risk and make a mistake.
- Share their thoughts before opening up to the whole class.
Rule 7: Allow sufficient wait time
- Allow a few moments of silence after a question is asked before responding in order to afford time to think.
- Give thoughtful responses by taking time to process their thoughts before speaking.
You may need to guide and moderate discussions to ensure students stay on track and that everyone has opportunity to participate. To help, ask follow-up questions to promote deeper thinking and guide the conversation. After a discussion, ask students to summarise the main points or ideas discussed and encourage students to synthesise multiple viewpoints and draw conclusions.
You also need to hold students accountable for adhering to the established rules and routines. To achieve this, praise and acknowledge students who consistently contribute positively to discussions. Also, periodically revisit class rules and routines to ensure they are working effectively, and perhaps ask students for their input on how discussions can be improved and adjusted.
Further, you may need to create a comfortable and welcoming physical environment that encourages open dialogue. In particular, visual reminders of the rules can be displayed on walls in order to reinforce expectations.
As with all learning habits, it is important that the teacher models the behaviours they expect students to adopt and use. For example, you could model appropriate discussion, demonstrating active listening, respectful communication, and thoughtful contributions.
Some students, particularly younger children, may need a graduated approach whereby they begin with smaller guided discussions and gradually increase the complexity of debates as students establish greater levels of autonomy over time.
Creating a questioning classroom: A five-part SecEd series
- Part 1: 13 techniques for teachers: Published November 1
- Part 2: 38 Socratic questions for your teaching: Published November 8
- Part 3: Encouraging debate and discussion: This article
- Part 4: The purpose and timing of questions: Published November 21
- Part 5: Practical questioning techniques: Published November 28.
Matt Bromley has also appeared on an episode of the SecEd Podcast focused on great teacher questioning in the secondary school classroom. Find this episode here.
Student grouping
As well as establishing the right culture and articulating and reinforcing rules and expectations, it is important to consider how students will be grouped for discussions in our questioning classrooms.
Grouping students for classroom debates requires thoughtful consideration in order to ensure a balanced and productive learning experience. The choice of grouping is, of course, contextual: it depends on the learning objectives, the nature of the topic, and the dynamics of the class. But here are some grouping strategies you may wish to consider:
- Heterogeneous groups: Create groups with a mix of abilities, learning styles, and perspectives. This approach promotes collaboration, as students can learn from one another's diverse viewpoints and skills.
- Homogeneous groups: Group students with similar knowledge levels or skills. This strategy can be effective for targeted discussions or debates focused on specific concepts.
- Mixed-ability pairs: Pair a high-performing student with a student who’s struggling in the task at hand. This promotes peer support and helps students learn from one another.
- Interest-based groups: Group students based on their interests or areas of expertise. This approach can enhance engagement and motivation, as students are discussing topics that they are passionate about.
- Random groups: Assign groups randomly to promote interaction among students who might not usually work together. This can be effective for fostering a sense of classroom community.
- Assigned roles: Assign specific roles within each group, such as a facilitator, a timekeeper, a note-taker, and a spokesperson. This ensures that responsibilities are distributed and that discussions are well-organised.
- Pre-selected groups: Form groups in advance based on your observations of student dynamics. This allows you to create balanced groups and anticipate potential challenges.
- Choice-based groups: Allow students to choose their group members based on shared interests or working relationships. This empowers students and encourages collaboration. However, this approach is best left until students are older and more experienced at holding class discussions.
- Debating teams: For debates, consider using a format whereby students are divided into two teams with assigned roles (e.g., speakers, researchers, rebuttalists, etc). Alternatively, you can have students choose their positions randomly to promote critical thinking and persuasive skills.
- Rotation: Rotate group members periodically to ensure that students collaborate with different peers over time. This helps students build a variety of interpersonal skills.
- Flexible grouping: Adapt your grouping strategy based on the specific activity or learning objective. This approach allows you to tailor the grouping to the task at hand.
When deciding on a grouping strategy that suits the context, consider factors such as the goals of the discussion or debate, the size of the class, individual student needs, and the classroom dynamics. Be prepared to adapt your approach based on feedback you observe and the progress made during the discussions. Ultimately, the goal is to create an environment that encourages active participation, collaboration, and critical thinking among all students. Whatever works, works.
Eliciting responses to questions
Knowing who should answer a question is almost as important as the question itself. The general rule of thumb is this: avoid the “hands-up” approach which invariably elicits responses from the higher performing and more garrulous students, thus skewing the data and allowing quieter students to hide in the shadows.
Targeting questions at specific students can have several advantages:
- First, it increases the level of engagement. Why? Because, when questions are directed at specific students, everyone in the class is more likely to stay attentive and engaged. Students know that they might be called on, so they are more likely to actively participate in discussions.
- Second, it ensures more equitable participation. Why? Because allowing hands-up responses can – indeed, often does – result in the same few students volunteering while others remain quiet. Targeting questions ensures that a broader range of students can contribute their thoughts and ideas. Further, it improves accountability because, when students know they might be called upon to answer a question, they are more likely to come prepared and be attentive to the material being discussed. This accountability can improve overall participation and learning outcomes.
- Third, it improves students’ listening skills because, when students know they might be called upon to answer, they need to actively listen to the question being posed to them or their peers. This can translate into better comprehension of the material. Further, being called upon to answer encourages students to think on their feet and articulate their thoughts in real-time. This, in turn, helps develop their communication skills and their ability to express ideas clearly and confidently.
- Fourth, it can lead to more diverse perspectives being shared. Why? Because targeted questioning allows the class to hear from a variety of students, each with their unique viewpoints and insights. This enriches classroom discussions by bringing in diverse perspectives. By targeting questions, teachers can also assess students' understanding of the material more effectively. This enables teachers to identify misconceptions and adjust their instruction accordingly.
- Fifth, it can improve classroom dynamics because directed questions create a classroom environment where every student feels valued and included. Students see that their contributions matter, fostering a positive and supportive atmosphere.
Ultimately, targeting questions promotes active participation rather than passive observation. Students are more likely to be mentally engaged and ready to contribute when they know they might be called upon.
It is important, however, to use targeted questioning in a way that is respectful and supportive. Teachers need to be sensitive to students' comfort levels and readiness to respond. If they notice a student struggling to answer, they should offer guidance or provide the student with opportunities to think and respond at their own pace.
Reducing teacher talk
One of the advantages of creating a questioning classroom is that it avoids too much teacher talk. Here are some other ways of reducing teacher talk in order to create a questioning classroom:
- Chunk information: Break-down content into smaller chunks to prevent information overload. Provide opportunities for students to process and discuss the information after each chunk.
- Use visuals: Incorporate visuals, diagrams, videos, and interactive materials to convey information visually and engage multiple senses. Ensure you dual code – combining images with verbal commentary or explanations.
- Incorporate active learning: Integrate active learning strategies such as group discussions, problem-solving activities, debates, and hands-on projects. These strategies keep students engaged and encourage them to apply their learning.
- Use “think-pair-share”: Ask a question, have students think individually, pair up to discuss their thoughts, and then share with the class. This strategy encourages peer interaction and reduces the need for prolonged teacher lectures.
- Provide guided practice: After introducing a concept, provide guided practice activities that allow students to apply new information. This ensures active engagement and reinforcement of learning. While so doing, set time limits for teacher-led instruction. Use a timer to remind yourself to transition to more interactive activities. You could also leverage technology like interactive whiteboards, polling apps, and online discussion platforms. These tools can further facilitate engagement and active participation.
- Use peer teaching: Design opportunities for students to teach their peers about a specific topic or concept. This promotes active involvement and reinforces learning through teaching.
Next time
Next time, we will examine the purpose and timing of questions.
- Matt Bromley is an education journalist, author, and advisor with 25 years’ experience in teaching and leadership including as a secondary school headteacher and academy principal and multi-academy trust director. Matt is the lead lecturer on a national initial teacher training programme as well as a school improvement advisor. He remains a practising teacher. Matt is the author of numerous books on education and co-host of the award-winning SecEd Podcast. Find him on X (Twitter) @mj_bromley. Read his previous articles for SecEd via www.sec-ed.co.uk/authors/matt-bromley