USING QUESTIONING TO

STIMULATE MATHEMATICAL
THINKING

CAROL EFFORD MATHEMATICS FACILITATOR 2017

 WHAKATAUKI
Ko te tumu herenga waka

The stake to which the canoe is

tied.
HOW MANY DOTS?
 TEACHER QUESTIONING
By asking questions, effective teachers require students
to participate in mathematical thinking and problem
solving.
By allowing sufficient time for students to explore
responses in depth and by pressing for explanation
and understanding, teachers can ensure that students
are productively engaged.
Questions are a powerful means of assessing
students knowledge and exploring their thinking.

Anthony & Walshaw, Effective Pedagogy in Mathematics pg 17

 TEACHER QUESTIONING

A key indicator of good questioning is how teachers listen to

student responses. Effective teachers pay attention not only
to whether an answer is correct, but also to the students
mathematical thinking.

Anthony & Walshaw, Effective Pedagogy in Mathematics pg 17

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF ASKING QUESTIONS?
Opportunities for Students Opportunities for Teachers Opportunities for Other Students

to explain their thinking to assess student to check their thinking what

understanding is the same or different
to clarify their thinking
to see what level students are to learn there are often
to self- correct their operating at multiple pathways to an
errors to identify next instructional answer
to deepen their steps to make connections between
to identify misconceptions their thinking and other
understanding
to enable students to get students thinking
to make connections started
to identify what their to identify what changes may
next learning steps are need to be made in the way a
concept was taught
to help children make links to
their prior knowledge
to help children make
connections between
strategies, representations,
key mathematical ideas and
contexts
USING QUESTIONING TO STIMULATE
MATHEMATICAL THINKING
A PROBLEM TO SOLVE

Mrs Green baked

these cookies for the
school fair. She needs
to know how many
there are so that she
can package them.
 IN SUMMARY

Effective questioning gives teachers opportunities to

assess student understanding and to determine next step
learning.
Through questioning teachers can identify misconceptions
and help children to make connections between
strategies and mathematical ideas.
Questioning is not only the role of the teacher.
Students
need to be questioning themselves and other students.
REFLECTION

As a result of your new learning today what do you

plan to:

keep doing?

do more of?

do less of?
 STUDENT TALK

Lucy West on classroom discourse

http://resources.curriculum.org/secretariat/coplanning/perspectives.shtml
 What is your understanding of maths talk?

So, how does maths talk improve, firstly, childrens reasoning

and understanding and secondly, teachers ability to teach?
 TALK
Makes student thinking visible for Can revel understanding and
teachers to understand, build on misunderstanding. This helps
and extend. teachers adjust their teaching
(formative assessment)
Supports development of social Supports deeper reasoning and
skills. Students exchange facilitates personal and collective
mathematical ideas, critique their sense making
own thinking and that of others
which broadens understanding
Supports development of Supports mathematical language
mathematical identities development
 THINK PAIR SHARE

Advantages of Think Pair Share

Increased active involvement

Increased equity
Includes the benefit of wait time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxMOl2Vnw54
 MATHEMATICAL COMMUNICATION
Anthony & Walshaw, Effective Pedagogy in Mathematics pg 19

Effective teachers encourage their students to explain and

justify their solutions.
They scaffold student attempts to examine conjectures,
disagreements, and counterarguments.
Effective teachers encourage their students to communicate their
ideas orally, in writing, and by using a variety of
representations.
 To guide students in the ways of mathematical argumentation,
effective teachers encourage them to take and defend positions
against alternative views; their students become accustomed to
listening to the ideas of others and using debate to resolve
conflict and arrive at common understandings.
Anthony & Walshaw, Effective Pedagogy in Mathematics pg 19

So how can be ensure this happens in our classrooms?

 TALK MOVES
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/student-participation-
strategy
TALK MOVES

Revoicing Restating

Adding Reasoning
on

Wait time
Youre saying that
its an odd number?
TALK MOVES
Take you time
well wait
Are you noticing
something about the Would someone like to add
something more to this? Total silence. Slowly
zeros over here? count to 10 in your
Karen I see your hand is up. head.
Do you have something to
add?
Do you agree or
disagree, and why?
Can you repeat
what he just said in
your own words?
CHORAL COUNTING

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-number-patterns
CHORAL COUNTING
 DELIBERATE ACTIONS TO CREATE MATHS TALK
Explicit and frequent talking
about why talking about our
maths is important
Deliberate use of talk moves
Effective teacher questioning
Develop childrens ability to
question
Provide prompts to scaffold
talk
Pair-share heaps!
Develop maths arguing
Frequent opportunities for
children to explain their
reasoning (reasoning is
central to maths)
SOME RESOURCES:
REFLECTION

As a result of your new learning today what do you plan to:

keep doing?

do more of?

do less of?