Questioning

Initiated by Beth Robinson
 * Comprehension Strategies – Questioning **


 * Introduction**

Young children are masters at questioning. They love asking questions, but this curiosity seems to wane when questioning becomes a strategy for comprehension. What should be so natural, becomes complicated, but why? It could be that in a typical classroom, teachers seem to be the ones asking the questions. If we want students to use questioning as a strategy for comprehending texts, then we, as teachers need to encourage them to ask, rather than always answer the questions, (Hervey, 2006). As a comprehension strategy, questioning is valuable in helping the reader locate important information, identify the main idea and summarize the text.


 * Research and Theory**

In the last few decades, self questioning as a reading strategy has been studied by different theorist and from different perspectives. Tanja Janssent studied and outlined these trends and recorded her findings in L1 – Educational Studies In Language & Literature. She found that those who endorse active processing, believe that self questioning leads to better comprehension and higher level questioning. Those who gravitate toward metacognative theory stress the need to make students aware of their mental processes in order to monitor their questioning and comprehension, which allows them to ask themselves if there is anything they don’t understand and then be able to evaluate the important points in the text they are reading. Schema theorist call on students to build on their prior knowledge during reading to enhance their questioning, restructure their schema and in turn, increase comprehension. What all these theories have in common is that readers must be active participants and ask themselves good questions about what they read, (Janssent, 2002). Questioning helps students understand and make meaning out of the text.

As students read, they need to use questioning strategies that focus their reading, help them dig deeper into the text, and reflect on what has been read. Teachers need to model strategic questioning, that help students with comprehension and higher level thinking. In classrooms as young as pre-kindergarten, teachers must allow students to question before and during read alouds, and then periodically check for answers as the book progresses. For this strategy to be effective, children must learn to constantly ask questions of the text and be involved in making and revising meaning of the information that the text provides. At this age, the teacher may want to record questions as the students ask them throughout the story. Children’s natural curiosity, when coupled with demonstration and encouragement will lead these youngest students to ask more and more questions that will help them interact with the story and comprehend what they read or hear, (Gregory & Cahill, 2010). Questioning is the strategy that often keeps students reading, but how can we teach students to self question on their own? In Questioning the Text, Stephanie Harvey, (2001), looks at four ways to model questioning as a reading comprehension strategy. She begins with Choosing the Best Text for Questioning. This is usually a short picture book that is easy to spur questions, but also a quick to read to find answers. The next step is to Introduce the Strategy. The teacher begins by explaining that good readers ask questions to understand what they are reading. When readers ask question, it keeps them thinking about the words and ideas that are in the book and makes them want to continue reading. It also helps to keep them from getting confused. As a teacher, now is the time to begin reading, but stop, model, think aloud and let the students hear some questions one might have. Step three involves more Model thinking and Marking the Text with Sticky Notes. Read a few lines or a few pages and then stop, look up, and ask an “I wonder…” question. Write that question on a sticky note and place it in that spot in the book, sticking out a bit, so it can be easily located later. Read on a bit until you come to another question or a new or unfamiliar word or phrase. Question that and again write it down on the sticky note. If an answer comes up as you read, refer back to the note with the question. Talk about the answer with the students, and move the sticky note to that spot, and mark it with an “A”. Explain that sometimes we find the answers to our questions and sometimes not. The teacher continues this throughout the book, and then encourages the children to start writing their own question in their notebooks and then share them. This is the fourth step – Guided Practice, Immediately encourage students to try this on their own. Harvey, (2001) found, “When readers interact with the text by thinking about their questions, writing them down, and pondering answers, they comprehend at a much deeper level. Classrooms change when readers begin to believe their thinking matters.” (p.17)
 * Methods and Approaches**


 * Struggling Readers and English Language Learners**

While comprehension can be a daunting task for early readers at all levels, for the young, struggling reader and the English language learner, (ELL), it can be overwhelming. Questioning must be taught at a very basic level, but this can be an opportunity to use all the senses in a fun and engaging way. Below are some sample activities to engage primary students and teach them the skills needed to be investigators, and use questioning as a comprehension strategy as they read:
 * Play-Doh Questioning: Give students play-doh and ask them to make something. Give them no other directions and if they ask, just shrug your shoulders. Ask them to add more to it, but record the comments and questions that they say to each other. After a few minutes, have them put the play-doh away and look at some of the things they have created. Now explain that good readers ask themselves questions, just like we did when we were given play-doh with no directions. Questioning while reading helps us understand what we are reading and become better readers.
 * Guess Who Game: In this game, each player is given a person, (on a card), and another player must figure out who it is by eliminating other possible people. The more appropriate the questions asked the better chance one has of winning the game. This is just like reading. People who ask good questions have a better chance at comprehending the text. (Resource for Reading, 2009)
 * Guess my Question. Read a book aloud, then stopped at certain places and say, "Guess my question." Call on students to come up with a question that would make sense for that part in the story. This game help the children think about questions that might be good ones to ask while reading, (Paul, 2012)


 * Conclusion**

Reading is so much more than decoding or recognizing words. Readers have to be aware of meaning, and by questioning before, during and after they read, students will increase their comprehension at all reading levels. Teachers must model this strategy, but they must also give students the tools and opportunity to self question and monitor their own understanding. Readers are active participants. Questioning helps the reader focus and make connections to the text. Children’s curiosity needs to extend to reading and teachers need to instruct and encourage the use of this comprehension strategy.


 * References**

(2009). Strategies for Reading Comprehension in The elementary School. In Reading Resource. Retrieved June 15, 2012, from [].

Gregory, A. (2010). Kindergartners Can Do It, Too! Comprehension Strategies for Early Readers. Reading Teacher, 63(6), 515-520.

Harvey, S. (2001). Questioning the text. Instructor, 110(8), 16-18.

Hervey, S. (2006). Who Asks the Questions?. Teaching Pre K-8, 37(1), 68-69.

Janssen, T. (2002). Instruction in Self-Questioning as a Literary Reading Strategy: An exploration of empirical research. L1-Educational Studies In Language & Literature, 2(2), 95-120.

Paul, S. (2012). Teaching Questioning as Comprehension. In Snippets by Sarah. Retrieved June 15, 2012, from []