An Exploration of How Three Elementary Teachers Use Questions To Support Their Students' Literacy Development

Abstract

The teacher's use of quality questions is important because the questions provide opportunities for students to critically think and ponder new information (Hunkins, 1989). The use of quality questions can elicit higher-level thinking, which allows students to think beyond the text in order to examine the texts (Dantonio, 1990; Morgan & Saxton, 2006; Walsh & Sattes, 2005). A teacher's use of quality questions not only provides opportunities for students to engage in higher level thinking but also, provides a scaffold for further learning (Walsh & Sattes, 2005). When teachers' ask quality questions to their students, the questions give students a model of what types of questions they can ask themselves while reading. The use of questions are a way for students to stay engaged in the content and help them organize their thoughts to communicate clearly about what is being asked (Dantonio, 1990; Morgan & Saxton, 2006; Walsh & Sattes, 2005). Collecting observations and interviews with the three classroom teachers enabled me to see how purposeful questions can enhance student learning. The interviews gave me a chance to communicate with the teachers to understand their thought processes in terms of how they use questions, which in turn allowed me to develop as a teacher.