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Introduction
The ability to question lies at the heart of human curiosity and is a necessary component of cognition
and therefore is essential to human thought and communication. As such forming questions is a
fundamental process that cuts across the curriculum (Stafford, 2009) and most importantly questions
are vital for continued learning. As Mackay stresses ‘there are no foolish questions and no man
Questions are also the most common form of communication between teacher and pupil and as such
have the potential to stimulate thinking and guide children productively (Harlen, 2006). It is essential
that questions are thought out, well worded and those asked by the children are given proper
consideration and answered appropriately (Harlen, 2006). In primary schools science as a subject is
very minimal in its representation and when it is taught there is a focus on activities at the expense of
concepts (Harlen & Holroyd, 1997). Due to this teachers need to use their questions to help children
with concepts, such as “What happens to ice when you take it out of the freezer?” Science itself
depends on questions, it is the way in which human knowledge is carried forwards and without
scientists and others asking questions, progress, society and the whole world would end up remaining
As science questioning let alone questioning in general, as a whole is such a big issue this report will
not attempt to cover the whole subject. Instead, it will concentrate on the main aspects of how to ask a
‘good,’ productive question that stimulates thinking. How science teachers can, and do, use questions
to not only test knowledge but also to start new areas of investigation. How children use questions in
the classroom and how teachers can deal with them in a way that does not always have to lead to a
direct answer and finally how the classroom itself can be as a stimulus for questioning.
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The main aspects of questioning
According to Harlen the three aspects of questioning that contribute to the effectiveness of learning
are form, timing and content (Harlen, 2006). Different forms of question can greatly vary the
responses and teachers need to be sure of the type of response they want before they ask a question. It
is no use for the teacher to ask a closed question, such as will this ice melt in the sun?, using an open
question, such as what do you think will happen to this ice in the sun?, will stimulate the thought the
teacher intends. If the intention of the question is to encourage children to use enquiry skills then the
Timing is an important consideration when using questioning, both when to ask questions and how
long to wait for a response before moving on, either by asking the next child or by providing the
answer. Children need time to explore and relate new experience to existing ones before they can be
expected to explain what is going on (Harlen, 2006). Teachers should give children time to answer
their questions. On average teachers only wait 1 second for an answer, however if they extended their
waiting time the children’s responses would be longer and more thoughtful (Rowe, 1974).The other
problem with shorter waiting time is that the only questions that are answered are the ones that can be
answered without thinking or understanding, those that only need facts memorised (Black et al, 2002).
The content of the question is just as important as the previous two aspects,
we should not ask questions without a reason and without interest in the answer. If the answer
is to be useful then it has to give the kind of information required (Harlen, 2006).
The careful wording of a question is crucial. If the questioner is requiring detailed information from
then the question needs to be asked in such a way it reveals the children’s thoughts and ideas (Harlen,
2006). Questions should not be used simply to reinforce existing ideas or illustrate concepts, it is
important that they provide opportunities for the class to explore and investigate the concepts which
they are not familiar with. (Roden, 2009). By only asking questions that children already know the
answers to, the children are likely to become dissatisfied and start asking why they are doing that
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work. However by only asking questions that lead to investigations, it can result in the lesson going in
an unexpected direction and the outcome of the lesson may become unclear to the class and the
teacher.
New teachers face many challenges in the classroom, especially those brought about by trying to meet
the increasingly high expectations laid down upon them (Davis et al, 2006). A good teacher is one
who is knowledgeable, inquisitive, flexible, caring, has a sense of humour and above all knows how
to ask the right question at the right time (Fairbairn, 1987) and the ability of using the right question at
the right time to the best effect is just one of the challenges that all teachers face.
Another challenge is the inclusion of science in the curriculum; it is argued that science needs to be
the central focus of a curriculum unit rather than being embedded within integrated topics where it has
the potential of becoming lost. Curiosity and questioning are deeply entrenched in science and at its
most interesting and investigative, it provides children with opportunities for both (Tytler et al, 2009),
Teachers need to be aware of the importance of ensuring pupils progress from describing the
phenomena and events to explaining them (Department for Education and Employment 1998) by
People generally think of questioning in the context of finding out what children already know, either
what they have remembered or through recalling facts (Harlen, 2006). It is frequently mentioned
when discussing the teacher’s role and is perhaps the most useful tool they have, as it can be used to
encourage thinking and promote inquiry skills in the classroom (Harlen & Qualter, 2009). In general
• Factual questions – ones that ask for the simple recall of information.
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• Complex questions – ones that have a variety of levels of complexity in the possible answers.
However, closer inspection of questions in the classroom reveals that a high proportion of talk by
teachers takes the form of questions which have nothing to do with any of the four categories. These
include, those used for either class control or to give instructions, which are generally rhetorical
(Harlen, 2006). Teachers already ask lots of questions in the classroom, what they need to do is not
change the number of questions they ask, but change their form and content (Harlen & Qualter, 2004).
Of the ones that do fall into the categories above (the effective questions), they are used in class as the
The intended uses result in many different kinds of questions and the varying effect on children is
striking, so a distinction has to be made between those that are productive and effective and those that
are unproductive. Questions need to be framed so that their form matches their purpose (Harlen &
Qualter, 2009), that is to say, the question needs to be thought about and planned in order for it to be
What is an effective question? Asking the right question at the right time is a very hard thing to do
(Feasey, 1998) and requires the questioner to know the subject and the audience in order to get the
question right. Can all teachers ask productive questions? If this ability is something that teachers can
develop and learn then it needs to be thought of as a scientific process (Fairbairn, 1987). That is to
say, the teacher has the theory of how to ask productive questions and then needs to experiment in
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By using questions effectively in the classroom it can change the whole way of teaching, making it
more interactive and engaging, allowing the teacher to ask any child rather than the ones with their
hands up as the children know they are all expected to think about the answer and even if they get the
answer wrong. It should still be used in the class to discuss misconceptions, if one child has them then
there is a good chance another child does as well (Black, 2002). If the teacher can use the class’
questions, it gives them a sense of ownership of their own learning and as a consequence can improve
their motivation to learn. Questioning can also be used by the teacher as a tool for formative
assessment of the class and for assessment for learning (Ward, 2009).
The problem is that many teachers ask the ‘wrong’ questions which do not encourage children’s
learning (Elstgeest, 2001). The simplest way to think of a ‘wrong’ question is to think of it as a
‘wordy’ question, one that simply requires the answer to be a verbal phrase that could have been
learnt straight from a text book. These sorts of questions do have their uses in assessment, however, in
the class when a child is asked and doesn’t know the answer it leaves them at a total loss (Elstgeest,
2001). A ‘good’ or ‘right’ question is much harder for the teacher to use as it needs to not only lead to
an answer, but also needs to be stimulating and give the children a clear invitation to experiment to
find the answer. It would probably be more accurate to call ‘such questions productive questions,
Productive questions fall into several types, the most straightforward of these is the attention-focusing
question such as “did you see,” but as this is a very simple question that requires no thinking to
answer, it needs to facilitate further investigation in order for it to be productive. The next type of
question are measuring and counting questions which allow the children to check the answers for
themselves by experimenting. The next two types of questions are comparison and action questions
which get the children to compare and classify things and then allow them to test their ideas with
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The final type of question is the problem posing question, which is best asked after all the other
questions have allowed the children to test and experiment. These questions need the children to apply
all they know about a topic in order to answer a problem set by the teacher. If the teacher can also link
this problem to a real life situation and put it into a context that the children can relate to then it will
also make the work more engaging and give the children ownership over their work (Elstgeest, 2001).
One of the main things teachers need to consider when making sure their questions are productive is
preparation. Every teacher plans ahead for all of their lessons to ensure the success of the sessions,
therefore it seems logical that teachers prepare key questions to ask beforehand, to help the children to
gain the most from their learning (Highland Virtual Learning Community website, 2008). The teacher
should use their learning objectives to plan three or four key questions for the pupils to think about.
Once productive questions are established as part of the teachers practise, evaluation and
improvement are essential. There are three main things that a teacher can do to improve their own
questioning, the first is to listen to other teachers and analyse them to see what questions they ask and
what happens in the class when they ask a good productive question. The second is to look at the
questions in primary science books and see what questions are the most productive. The third way is
to practise question finding in different situations that are not necessarily in school and then to
identify the types of questions that are found and to think which would be the most productive (Jelly,
2001).
As well as improving their questioning teachers need to be confident in their knowledge of the subject
as when the children’s questions would result in an experiment that would be too complicated or the
equipment required is not available, the children will still need an answer. The knowledge of the
teacher then becomes a great asset to the children, by knowing their class the teacher can then give the
children the answer they need at the correct level. They can also use their knowledge to direct
children to appropriate books and or websites that can then lead the children to find the answer for
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themselves. This can lead the children to appreciate that others have also asked the same questions
and how much work has been done to find the answer out previously.
As Her Majesties Inspectorate have said, the lack of science knowledge is the biggest obstacle to the
improvement of science in primary school’s (Department of Education and Science, 1978) and it has
to be rectified by giving teachers materials and support training if science is to be given its place in
the curriculum (Harlen, 1997). The problem is that many teachers are afraid of their own lack of
knowledge and how to deal with that when they have not had any training:
I’ve no science background I take other questions at face value and get bothered when I don’t
know the answer. I don’t mind saying I don’t know, though I don’t want to do it too often.
I’ve tried the “let’s find out together” approach, but it’s not easy and can be very frustrating
(Jelly, 2001)
The teacher says that they use the ‘let’s find out together approach’ (Jelly, 2001), which would appear
to be an ideal solution if you are not confident in your science knowledge. By ‘turning’ the question
from the child into an investigation, they can learn more than just being told the answer. Through
finding the answer to the question the children will learn valuable scientific enquiry skills (SC1,
Scientific Enquiry, in the National Curriculum) which can be used in the future to answer further
questions independently.
If the creation and maintenance of a questioning climate is done alongside the teacher modelling
productive questions, the children will be able to use the teacher’s example to make their own
Pupils questions
Why do children ask questions? The main reason, even if they do not directly realise it, is to satisfy
their curiosity, lead to further learning and to increase their understanding (Newton, 2001), but what is
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… the connecting of facts, the relating of newly acquired information to what is already
know, the weaving of bits of knowledge into an integrated and cohesive whole…(Nickerson,
1985)
From this we can see that in science lessons questioning as a process skill is a very important part of
the scientific process. For school children being able to question the world around them is a valuable
and important skill and this should be encouraged in the classroom (Roden, 2009), however without
explicit teaching, it is little wonder that so many of our students were confused about how to form an
However, many questions children ask spontaneously are not profitable starting points for science, so
as well as teaching children how to question, questions also need to be stimulated and guided by the
teacher to be profitable in the classroom (Jelly, 2001). Teachers can use many methods to collect
these questions to check for misconceptions and knowledge; a good strategy could be to stop the
lesson from time to time to ask if there are any questions about the activity and any problems they are
having (Chin, 2001) or to have a question box for children to put questions in anonymously that can
Pupil’s questions need to be stimulated by raising the children’s curiosity and can be elicited through
• Class Brainstorming
One of the most useful ways of promoting questions in the classroom is to give the class the
opportunity to explore and observe some objects. By planning ahead with ideas of where you want the
questions to go it is possible that a whole term’s cross-curricular work can based on the questions
raised in the first session (Roden, 2009). These questions may still not be suitable bases for a science
lesson, it is possible to stimulate these types of questions, to model them for the class and to provide
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them with an effective scaffold that will allow them to build up their own questions, showing the
children the connection between specific questions and the purposes (Stafford, 2009).
Sometimes these questions can be answered directly, either by the teacher or a text book, however as
the teacher it is an important consideration as to whether this is the best way to proceed. It may be
more appropriate to get the children to work together or to carry out an investigation to find out the
answer. Children also need to learn that in some cases there are questions that cannot be answered
(Ward, 2009).
Children and teachers both gain from children’s questions, children can reveal the limits of their
understanding and the nature of their own ideas. Children need to practise asking questions and a
good teacher needs to encourage children to consider how to find the answers for themselves
(Peacock, 2001) and although the questions may not always be answerable teachers cannot discourage
• Displays in class
Although not all questions are always answerable, this should not be an invitation to ignore them;
they just need to be handled in a different way (Harlen, 2006). Sometimes children need to share their
ideas, other times it is appropriate to find out information and sometimes it is a stepping stone leading
to an investigation that the children can carry out themselves. Within the bounds of human science
there remain many questions unanswered and even more which the teacher doesn’t know the answer
to and it is best to admit this as it can also be a good answer for the children (Elstgeest, 2001). By
telling the children that you do not know, it gives them the opportunity to find the answer themselves
and gives children valuable experience of scientific enquiry (Harlen, 2006). The results of these
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The simple “becauses” reasoned out by the children themselves on the strength of their own
evidence and their own experiences are far more valuable and important than any of the
reasons provided by adults and faultlessly recited without understanding (Elstgeest, 2001).
By doing things for themselves and by learning through their experiences, children can understand
concepts and ideas that if they were just told about they would have no understanding of.
Creating a classroom that has a climate conductive to children asking questions is essential. Teachers
own verbal questioning is probably the most important factor in creating a conductive climate, but it
is not the only factor. The class environment should be a place where curiosity is encouraged and
stimulated, this can be done by allowing children to explore with new materials and ideas. If children
feel that they can ask questions then they will be more likely to remember and learn and ‘it is better to
ask stupid questions in class than to give stupid answers on a quiz’ (Fairbairn, 1987).
By embedding questioning in the whole learning experience from the very beginning of the lesson
(for example, by writing them on the board) the children’s minds will process the information they
receive during the lesson in many different ways so that they will be able to recall the answers much
more clearly when the teacher asks for them (Highland Virtual Learning Community website, 2008).
Class displays should also be used to encourage a climate of questioning. They can be used to show
different questions that were either raised or answered by the children’s work. A ‘problem corner’
could be established with lists of questions to investigate and worksheets that are set with investigable
questions. It is important to remember though those ‘novel’ materials are not always the best stimulus
for children and that sometimes ‘more familiar ones help children raise questions’ (Jelly, 2001) which
‘Concept Cartoons’ are another method that could be used to elicit children’s ideas. These work by
having a simple cartoon that has 3 or 4 characters with speech bubbles that all have different ideas of
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what will happen in the science experiment. Teachers can display these cartoons in their classroom
and use them to ask the children questions, to challenge their ideas, illustrate alternative viewpoints
If the environment in the classroom is one that encourages children to raise questions teachers can use
their questions for many different purposes. Whether it is for class assessment or as a starting point
for a new science investigation, teachers can use questions from the class as well as being a stimulus
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be seen that questioning is a massive subject to be covered in one report,
however, there are several main features that need to be considered. Firstly, questions are the most
teachers need to ask good questions as asking the right question has been called the essence of
good teaching as it can act as the bridge between teaching and learning and can stimulate
pupils to move on to a more advanced stage in their thinking and provide the ‘scaffolding’ for
new learning (Highland Virtual Learning Community website, 2008).
The use of effective questions by the teacher can greatly increase the classes learning. Secondly, the
teacher needs to be prepared for the questions the children will ask. Children’s questions do not
always lead to productive work, but used properly, can provide a stimulus for the class to investigate a
new area of science that they have not covered before, as well as allowing the teacher to assess the
The next issue teachers need to consider is the promotion of an environment where questions are
encouraged. This can be done through several methods such as modelling or ‘problem corners’, which
demonstrate to the class that questions are welcome, even if the answer is not as easy to give as they
would want. This leads to the fourth and final point, teachers’ science knowledge is vital to the
process of questioning and that teachers need to be secure in their knowledge to enable them to either
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pitch their questions and answers to the children correctly or to lead them in a science investigation to
Questions are an integral part of scientific inquiry and the learning process (Chin, 2001) therefore
they need to be embedded and encouraged in the classroom in order to make sure that children both
grow in scientific knowledge and in their ability to carry out scientific investigations.
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