The Important Thing is to Not Stop Questioning. -Einstein

I am here early in the morning seeing a fine dust of snow over everything outside the house. Winter has finally come to the area. It is gentle and quiet outside and it has started to snow even more, a great opportunity for me to get outside and snap some amateur pics. It was still dark outside- the world was calling me to come outside and be a part of the 
show. As Oliver the cat looked on from the front door, I took some pics of the front garden with the flash, and there are a couple that I like. Working on developing my picture taking skills in the new year.

And so, on to developing my other life: What is one area of my learning and teaching I want to develop this year?

I would like to develop my questioning techniques to my students, especially the younger ones. I think I ask good questions that require them to think deeper than just a yes/no or rote answer, but what happens when students don't want to put in the effort to answer it? What kinds of follow-up questions do you ask? How can you come at the question once more in a different sort of way, rephrasing it to get students to try once again and not just say "I don't know."? Maybe the issue for me is that I just don't know enough good questions to ask, or have enough options to dip into. So looking around the Internet I found this that I think will help me a bit to refresh about questioning and getting students to show learning. I especially liked this page that provided me with some nice refresher ideas connected with Blooms! . In fact, I think it would be an even better idea if I threw some of these on the whiteboard in my classroom, so that when I am teaching I have a quick go-to reference! Thank you Michele Paule – ReCAP Oxford Brookes 

Thinking/Learning	Type of Question
Knowledge/Comprehension	What happened when…? What are the main points…? Why did…?
Application	Think of alternative word… Can you use the word in a different context…? Can you think of another example that shows…? Does the same idea apply to…?
Analysis	What effect is achieved by…? Why do you think the author chose to…? Does this fit in with a pattern…? Why do you agree/disagree with…? What is suggested…How…?

Synthesis	Where else can you see this…? Create your own version of… Change the features/audience etc
Evaluation	What do you think of…? Which is the most effective…? Do you think this works well…? What are the weakest/strongest aspects of…?

If anyone reading this blog has any other resources for questioning techniques, I would love a recommendation or pass-along. Thank you in advance!