July 2023 Protocol of the month: 10 x 10 Questioning Strategy

It's not enough for students to answer questions.  True critical thinking begins when students can formulate questions that seek to answer.  This leads to internal dialogue which leads to more questions and better, more nuanced questions at that!  Many teachers say they do not have time to insert a questioning strategy into their lessons.   This month's protocol debunks the idea that student-led questioning takes too long with little return.  Give it a try this fall and let me know how it goes. 

10 X 10 QUESTIONING STRATEGY (Questioning, Discussion, Collaboration)

​Description: Sparking student questioning is at the heart of this simple, but effective protocol. Adapted from an article from Mentoringminds.com, 10 x 10 strategy limits time to promote “thinking focus” when students develop ten questions in ten minutes. 

Application: Use 10 x 10 to activate prior knowledge or interest in a topic, after reading or completing a unit of study. 
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Process: Explain protocol prior to implementation. Display an easy-to-see visual timer set at ten minutes.  Instruct students to create ten questions based on the learning in ten minutes. Encourage students to construct a variety of questions from knowledge-based to analysis/evaluative.   Encourage quality of questions with “extra credit” enticement for questions used in whole group discussion. At the time-limit, collect work and select questions from submissions and discuss.  
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Resources and for more information: 
Berger, W. (2014) Five ways to help your students become better questioners. Edutopia.org 
​Stobaugh, R. Sparking Student Questioning, Mentoringminds.com