The ideas in this mini-brochure are intended for teachers interested in creating opportunities for students to pose questions during literature-based discussions. The brochure suggests that a child-centered approach to questioning is a highly motivating way to conduct discussions because students of all reading abilities can participate. The…

The ideas presented in this brochure are for teachers interested in creating opportunities for students to pose questions during literature-based discussions, in heterogeneous whole group and peer-only discussions. The brochure notes that the method is a highly motivating way to conduct discussions because students of all reading abilities can…

Several informal studies investigating what teaching methods lead to developments in critical thinking skills among elementary and secondary students suggest that students themselves may be the best means for teaching students. A researcher and a second-grade teacher, reflecting on three years of collaborative research, found that students are…

Studying students' questions during literature discussions became the focus of a qualitative exploratory research project that a university teacher and second-grade teacher pursued over the course of one school year. Their research began as a study of the process of transferring responsibility from teacher to students in a literature discussion…

A qualitative study analyzed the kind of questions that second graders posed for discussion when the only directive was to ask anything that seemed important or interesting. Subjects, students in a second-grade classroom in Athens, Georgia, represented a cross section of their community. They were approximately equally divided in regard to race,…

Presents a qualitative analysis of a transcript of a critical-thinking reading lesson designed for sixth grade students. The analysis illustrates the relationship between critical thinking and reading comprehension and demonstrates that critical thinking can be promoted in everyday classroom instruction using regular classroom materials. (JD)

Creating opportunities and encouraging student-centered questioning requires a special teacher-student dynamic. Students need to be empowered to ask questions. The article explores what teachers can learn from questions students ask, focusing on learning outcomes for teachers, and using a second-grade lesson on Harriet Tubman as an example. (SM)