Teacher secrets: Questioning strategy

Sometimes, teaching a class full of students isn't as difficult as you might think. That's because teachers have strategies to help students tackle increasingly difficult ideas. One strategy is to start with easy, literal questions, then move on to interpretive questions, which are slightly more difficult, and, finally, to "real world" questions, which psychologists say require the most brain power (although I think the interpretive ones are often more demanding). In your presentations, your group should ask some of each, beginning with the easiest and working toward the most difficult, aiming throughout to get to the heart of the literature.

Sample questions for Ishmael Reed’s America: The Multinational Society.

I. Literal Questions: These questions are easy. The answers are always found, word-for-word, in the text. Avoid questions that require one-word answers.

-- In the first paragraph of the article, Reed talks about a description he heard of a city with mosques and 40,000 Hispanic people. What was the name of the city

-- In the 6th paragraph, Reed talks about an artist whose work includes African and Afro-American mythological symbols. Where was the artist’s work on display?

-- Who is challenging the idea that the American “system of government” is derived from Europe, according to Reed?

II. Interpretive Questions: These questions focus on interpreting what the author meant but didn't say exactly. It's reading between the lines.

-- In the fifth paragraph, Reed uses the term “white” to describe a Yale professor. Why do you think he puts quotation marks around the word?

-- Do you think Reed would use the term melting pot to describe American society? Hint: Think of his use of the term “bouillabaisse” (a French stew where the individual ingredients keep their separate identities).

-- Is Reed generally positive or negative about the influence of the Puritans? Support your answer with quotes from the text.

-- What does Reed value about the American experience?

III. Applied Questions: These questions ask students to imagine themselves living in the story -- or issues/characters from the story presenting themselves in the students’ real worlds.

-- Imagine your are transported back to live among the Puritans as Reed describes them. How might you fit in? Would you?

-- Is your experience of America more like the “humdrum homogenous world” or the more exciting world Reed describes in his closing comments? Review his phrasing to make sure you understand what he’s saying.

-- Which description more closely parallels your Palo Alto experience/life?