Asking Questions for Higher-Order Thinking: A Thinking-Focused Approach to Teaching

Thinking Schools Academy

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Two Kinds of Knowledge and Thinking:

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Declarative

(Lower Order)

Facts, procedures; Focuses on concepts,

generalizations, principles

Students become reliant on the teacher; Fosters dependency; “Tell me what to do and think”

Easily forgotten; Discourages independent

problem solving and creative thinking

Procedural

(Higher Order)

Flexible and open-ended thought; Spontaneous, progressive, dialogic

context

Reliant on coaching and modeling from a teacher

who is facilitator or enabler; Fosters self-directed learning and

personal efficacy

Encourages long-term retention; promotes critical thinking and independent thought

We Must Encourage Procedural (Higher Order) Thinking in

Students!

How?

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Questions can be a powerful stimulus for higher order

thinking!

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By applying the principles of thinking-focused instruction, teachers can be strategic in

shaping the thinking required of students

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DOK 4 Creating

New Knowledge

DOK 3 Critical

Thinking

DOK 2 Application

DOK1 Recall

The Thinking-Focus Hierarchy:

A Thinking-Focus Approach:- Why am I asking this question?

- What kind of thinking do I wish to encourage in my students

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A Thinking-Focus Approach:- DOK1: A Recall Question:

Have students grasped the basic

information? Can be a checking-for-learning approach (also called formative assessment)

- How many states in India?- What is the capitol of Kerala?

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A Thinking-Focus Approach:- DOK2: An Application Question

Can students apply what they have

learned?- Locate each state in India on the map.- Find the capitol of Kerala and write the name next to its’ location. T

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A Thinking-Focus Approach:- DOK3: A Strategic Thinking Question

Encourages procedural or higher-order

thinking in students- How have physical geographic features such as mountains, plains, etc. influenced the formation of Indian states?

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DOK3: Strategic Thinking Question Types

Comparison:

• How are things alike?

• How are things different”

Classification:

• How can these be organized into groups?

• What are the rules for membership in each group?

• What are the defining characteristics of each group?

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DOK3: Strategic Thinking Question TypesInductive and Deductive Thinking

Deductive Thinking Inductive Thinking

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General

Specific

General

Specific

DOK3: Strategic Thinking Question Types

Inductive thinking (from the specific to the general)

• Based on your facts or observations, what generalizations can you conclude?

Example: Fact: Rainfall is five times greater in June and July than in the other 10 months of the year, therefore, these are the two wettest months of the year.

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DOK3: Strategic Thinking Question Types

Deductive thinking (from the general to the specific)

• Weather is a mix and sunny and rainy days

• Some months of the year the days are mostly sunny, other months it rains more often

• We can then divide the year into sunny and rainy months

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DOK3: Strategic Thinking Question Types

Error Analysis:

• Study the information presented on the topic

• What are the errors in this information or reasoning?

• How is the information misleading?

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DOK3: Strategic Thinking Question Types

Constructing Support:

• What is an argument that would support this claim?

• What are the limitations or assumptions underlying this argument?

• How is the information trying to persuade you?

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DOK3: Strategic Thinking Question Types

Abstraction:

• What is the general pattern underlying this information?

• To what other situations can this general pattern be applied?

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DOK3: Strategic Thinking Question Types

Analyzing Perspective:

• Why would someone consider this to be good, bad, or neutral?

• What is the reasoning behind this perspective?

• What is an alternative perspective and what is the reasoning behind it?

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Stop and Apply:

• For your content area:

• Think of a specific topic within the content you teach

• For that topic, write a DOK1, DOK2, and DOK3 question• DOK1: Recall

• DOK2: Application

• DOK3: Strategic Thinking

• Comparison

• Classification

• Inductive thinking (specific to the general)

• Deductive thinking (general to the specific)

• Explain/discuss with an “elbow” partner

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Effective Questioning Checklist:

• Do I avoid "yes" and "no" questions?• Do I use "probe" questions to encourage students to

elaborate and support assertions and claims?• Do I check for student learning to be certain students

are understanding my questions?• Do I avoid questions that "contain the answer"?• Do I anticipate students' responses to my

questions, yet allow for divergent thinking and original responses?

•Do I make effective use of wait time?

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As a Teacher, What are Your Habits of Mind?

• Are you aware of your own thinking about what you are trying to accomplish?

• Do you plan with a “Thinking Focus?”

• Have you made a plan for what you want to accomplish?

• Do you use the Table of Specifications to plan your lessons? (In Creating Tests section)

• Are you aware of how well you are doing and if you need to change any of your actions or attitudes? (do you use formative assessment?)

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22

DOK1

Recall

Recall, recognize, or locate basic facts, details, events, or

ideas explicit in text

Measure, recall or recognize a fact or

term; apply a formula

Read words orally in isolation

Identify characters, settings, or sequence of

events

Identify or describe the features of a

place or of people

Recall the correct spelling of a group of

words

DOK2

Application

Predict a logical outcome based on information in a

reading selection

Classify plane and geometrical figures

Distinguish between fact and opinion

Give examples and non-examples

Apply knowledge of conventional

spelling patterns to write new

words

Distinguish between fact and opinion

DOK3 Strategic Thinking

Use concepts to solve non-traditional problems

Provide mathematical justifications

Explain, characterize, or connect ideas using supporting evidence

from the text

Draw a conclusion or form an alternate

conclusion

Demonstrate synthesis and

analysis in writing

Summarize information from multiple sources

to address a specific topic

DOK4

Creation of New Knowledge

Author an original poem, story, or

essay

Relate mathematical concepts to real-world applications in

new situations

Using accepted practices for primary research, investigate,

analyze, and report on a subject which sheds new knowledge on

the topic

Create compositions that demonstrate a distinctive voice and that stimulate the reader to

consider new perspectives

Provide a unique solution to a problem

DOK or Thinking Focus Levels:

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