Wilhelm+Chapter+7

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Chapter 7 Using Questioning to Engage Students and Promote Deep Learning:
Wilhelm strongly believes that in order to get students hooked on learning, they must be motivated by engaging in a real community of practice. He states that the traditional information-driven approach of instruction takes the fun and energy out of teaching and learning. In order to get students excited about reading and learning, they must develop real competence that provides students with opportunities to accomplish real goals. He claims that students must be pulled along a “continuum of engagement”. Below is a summary of this idea.


 * The Engagement Continuum:**
 * **Interest**- Students are curious about a problem or topic.
 * **Engagement**-Students want to be involved in tasks related to the problem or topic.
 * **Commitment**-Students develop an ownership and sense of responsibility to the task or problem.
 * **Interpretation/Internalization**-Students explain, interpret and merge concepts learned with prior knowledge to deepen understanding.
 * **Application**-Students find new solutions to solve the problem as their understanding deepens.
 * **Generation**-Students generate new data and ideas that build on established information.
 * **Communication**-Students want to represent and discuss their learning, as well as question what they are learning.
 * **Evaluation**-Students critique and refine their understandings and the learning process.


 * Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk:**

He also discusses that students should “walk the walk, and talk the talk.” That means they should be real practitioners, using the knowledge they are gaining to examine the world to continue to learn. For example, if students pretend to be scientists in order to learn more about the world, then chances are they will talk and act like a real scientist. This simply means that they will not just learn a new vocabulary term by reading about it in a textbook, but instead discover a new vocabulary term by participating in real activities that scientists do. They will then use these new terms in their discussions during their unit of study, thus creating meaning and excitement in their learning.

Using Questions to Talk the Talk and Walk the Walk:[[image:edrdg620sp12gr2/imagesCA7UBHJ4.jpg width="133" height="132" align="right"]]

 * [|QAR] and Math; QAR and Science:**

QAR, which stands for question- answer-relationships, is a strategy that focuses on more than just finding the "right answer." QAR encourages students to delve into the topic and apply their strategies to real world situations by making a personal connection, reflecting upon the problem, and solving the issue at hand. Students become more engaged, independent, and competent. There are four main ideas in the QAR strategy. Here is how they are applied to math.

QAR Math "**Right There**" questions: Students must first establish the facts and understand the details so they can separate them from the unnecessary information.

"**Think** **and Search**" questions: Students find patters and relationships in the data and must infer what steps are needed to solve the problem.

"**Author and Me**" questions: These types of questions encourage students to find the missing information that would be helpful, apply it to their lives, apply the right operations to solve the problem while also identify alternative methods, and checking their methods.

"**On my Own**" questions: These questions apply to real world applications of general principles and problems solving procedures, finding situations in which the concepts can be used, and thinking like a "mathematician."

QAR Science Wilhelm expresses often that in QAR studies, it is best for the individual planning the inquiry to start with the finished product and work their way backward so students arrive where you want them to in the end. Again, there are different types of questions involved in the QAR for science.

"**Right There**" questions: These questions promote careful observation and consideration of concrete and direct evidence.

"**Think and Search**" questions: These questions encourage students to see the relationships among patterns and data so they can make meaningful inferences and hypothesis. In turn, students must also consider indirect evidence to make predictions and theories.

For both disciplines, the QAR strategy is about making connections with the text, applying the evidence and problem to a real life situation, and solving the problem in a way that is meaningful and makes sense while finding alternate solutions if possible. QAR encourages students to become problem solvers and not just follow step by step instructions to arrive at the "right answer."

= Questioning Circles and Science: = As learned previously in Chapter 5, questioning circles benefit students in a variety of ways. Questioning circle bring life experiences to their studies, identify patterns and relationships, address multiple perspectives, pursue inquiries, as well as stay on track. Questioning circles are beneficial in a variety of academic areas, including science. By using questioning circles, students are connected personally, as a disciplinary "novice expert," to what really matters in the material (Wilhelm, 2007, p. 159). When incorporating questioning circles into science, they can be used in three ways.

Pure questions rely on one source (either text, self, or world knowledge). Example of a pure question as related to science and text: //What are the parts of they and how do they work?//
 * Pure Questions:**

Shaded questions combine two source areas, such as text and self, self and world, or world and text. Example of a shaded question as related to science and a combination of self and text: //What vaccinations have you had? When did you get them? Why was it important for you to be vaccinated?//
 * Shaded Questions:**

Dense questions allow students to ask questions that organize textual inquiry by combining all three sources (text, self, and world knowledge). Example of a dense question as related to science: //Given what we know from the text and history, do you think children should be required to be vaccinated for certain diseases before starting school? Why or why not?//
 * Dense Questions:**



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= = = = = = = Reviewing Whole Units with a Questioning Scheme & Concluding Thoughts: =

"Reviewing Whole units with a Questioning Scheme & Concluding Thoughts:

Questioning schemes such as the question circle work great as a way to review whole unit and prepare students for final projects. Questioning schemes further add to students' understanding of a disciplinary subject.

"Rethinking "Coverage" and Textbooks" and " The Textbook as One of Many Tools"

Research has revealed that inquiry oriented teaching yields a larger gain of understanding that relying solely on a textbook for information. Inquiry oriented teaching promotes classroom engagement, better retention understanding and application and ultimately higher test scores. Text books should be a source of information not "the" source of information. Inquiry allows students to take a much deeper look into the subject matter instead of the shallow coverage of a textbook alone.

"Concluding Thoughts: On Motivation and Deep Understanding"

The ultimate goal of a teacher is for students to learn and understand. According to Wilhelm and the research of psychologist Csikszentmihalyi, if a concept of "flow" is present learning and understanding will occur because students will be engaged. According to Csikszentmihalyi four things must present for "flow" to occur. Students must feel that they have some control and feel competent. Students must also see an obtainable challenge with clear goals and must receive immediate feedback. Wilhelm added that their must be a sense of an "importance of the social aspect", a fifth aspect of "flow."

According to Wilhelm, Inquiry approach to teaching meets all five aspects of "flow." The Inquiry approach motivates and promotes meaningful retention and understanding. Wilhelm states that as humans we have an internal need to know that what we do matters and the use of inquiry meets that internal need.