Define an effective questioner as someone who asks for information in a way that requires a thoughtful or critical response. It is someone who does not just ask questions, but rather asks the right questions. Explain that your goal is for all of your students to become effective questioners.
Describe closed questioning. Stress that closed questions should be avoided when trying to build effective questioning skills, because they limit answers and lead to simple responses such as yes, no or maybe -- answers that will not build on knowledge.
Discuss open-ended questioning. Open-ended questions require critical thinking and and detailed answers. These are the types of questions that spur discussions and lead to further research topics.
Learn the seven question words: who, what, when, where, why, which and how. These are words that begin questions to elicit long, thoughtful responses. Questions that begin with words such as did, can and will, are closed, resulting in one word answers that do not benefit thinking.
Pose a problem and ask students to use their questioning skills to find a possible solution. For example, tell students to imagine that they were involved in a plane crash. They were among a group of survivors and must figure out what to do next. In small groups, so that they may help each other, students should use the seven question words to create open-ended questions whose answers will help lead to a solution. Each group may share its solutions with the rest of the class.
Pose another problem, maybe about how to handle the amount of paper wasted by the school, but ask students to work individually this time in creating a solution. Offer a graphic organizer, such as a two column chart for questions and answers, to help each student organize his or her thoughts.
Provide opportunities throughout the year for students to practice questioning skills. These practice sessions could be anything from how to elicit good responses from an interviewee to detailed research projects, as long as students must follow the steps of questioning in order to complete the activity.