Let’s look first at a small cooperative preschool I visited in suburban Connecticut. Observing adults and children in the classrooms, I was struck by the way the children’s work—drawings, dictations, artwork, and more—was displayed around the room. Their work offered countless conversation starters. Teachers asked questions about the thematic unit (construction) and the class’s seasonal activities (making fall leaves), which were intended to help children develop concept knowledge and vocabulary. The children eagerly shared the interesting things they were learning in the classroom and on field trips.

Understanding Different Types of Questions

Bloom’s Taxonomy has long been used to generate questions. Here, we have an adapted version designed to support preschool teachers. The point is not to move up the steps, but to ask a variety of questions and spark meaningful conversations.

When children are asked questions, they must use one, some, or all of the categories below to come up with an answer. The more complex the question, the richer children’s language and thinking.

Remember–identify, name, count, repeat, recall

Understand –describe, discuss, explain, summarize

Apply–explain why, dramatize, identify with/relate to

Analyze–recognize change, experiment, infer, compare, contrast

Evaluate–express opinion, judge, defend/criticize

Create–make, construct, design, author

While it’s vital to encourage children to engage in more complex thinking, all questions have value. Remembering information is the foundation children need to answer more complex questions, such as “How will you figure out the number of plates we need on the table for lunch?” Or before children can create new characters and make up a new ending to a story, they need to first remember that there are three little pigs and a big bad wolf and understand that the pigs have to figure out how to build stronger houses.

As you reflect on the questions you ask, also think about each of the children you work with. Use these question categories to guide you as you select different types of questions to scaffold individual children’s thinking and learning. When working with children who do not yet have much expressive language or experience answering complex questions—or with children who are dual language learners—it is especially important to ask a range of questions (starting with questions that require less language).

Questions about thematic units

Talk with children about their activities. By listening to children and tuning in to their responses to different types of questions, teachers can scaffold children’s learning. Questions can lead children to think about and express more complex ideas.

Classroom activities

In the art center, children were building structures with foam blocks. They used shaving cream to “cement” the blocks together. On field trips to construction sites, they were introduced to the word mortar after seeing mortar being used to lay bricks.

Teachers’ questions and children’s responses

Field trips

Children made drawings on their field trips, which were displayed on the bulletin board. Many of their illustrations included construction vehicles.

Teachers’ questions and children’s responses

Read-alouds

For a whole-group read-aloud, Megan, the student teacher, was reading Billions of Bricks: A Counting Book about Building, by Kurt Cyrus.

Teachers’ questions and children’s responses

Questions about indoor and outdoor environments

Teachers referred to the physical environment to engage the children in conversations. The children were excited to talk about topics that are important to them, including things they made. It is important to ask children open-ended questions, listen to their responses, and then talk about what interests them.

Children’s work

Individual mobiles—constructed using beads, pom-poms, and paper leaves—were hung in the classroom. The leaves were painted with watercolors in fall colors. The mobiles were all strung from one big tree branch suspended overhead.

Teachers’ questions and children’s responses

More children joined in, expanding the conversation. They described differences between the paper leaves and real ones and compared the red leaves with the green ones.

Things that demonstrate value for children’s families

Photographs of children’s families were displayed around the room.

Teachers’ questions and children’s responses

The child mentioned that the people were different, they were playing in one of the photos, and there were differences in the frames.

Sandbox play

To make cakes, two children were digging in the sand and spooning it into cake pans.

Teachers’ questions and children’s responses

The class talked about what letters their names start with and how they spell their names.

Conclusion

Asking meaningful questions that are interesting to each child takes a lot of practice! In the next article, we will listen to teachers’ questions and children’s responses in Atlanta, Georgia.