Thursday, November 7, 2013

5 kinds of questions

Maryellen Weimer introduced me to a handy framework I'd never come across before: the Andrews typology of questions types. Students respond well when questions come in a variety of types, so it seems smart to try to incorporate questions of these different types into the classroom.



Type
Description
Philosophical example
Direct link
Seeks an interpretation or analysis of something specific
What are the premises of Descartes’ argument for God’s existence in the Fifth Meditation?
Course link
Require students to take course information and link it to the text or other materials
Is Descartes’ argument for God’s existence in the Fifth Meditation a priori or a posteriori?
Brainstorm
Students share a collection of ideas in preparation for classifying or evaluating them
What are some possible objections to Descartes’ argument for God’s existence in the Fifth Meditation?
Limited focus
Students are given options to compare or contrast
Which of Descartes’ arguments for God’s existence is more convincing: the argument from the Third Meditation or the argument from the Fifth?
Open focus
An issue is presented without alternative to solicit opinion of judgment
Are you convinced by Descartes’ argument for God’s existence in the Fifth Meditation?

Anyone have additional examples of these question types to share?

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