Course Description

While asking questions may seem a simple task, it is perhaps the most powerful tool we possess as teachers.

How successful do you want your students to be?


A good question can excite, disturb, or comfort, and eventually yield an unexpected bounty of understanding and critical awareness.

How much could your students benefit from the use of a new set of tools and a

bridging model for effective questioning and logical reasoning?



Knowing that effective questioning is the foundation for successful implementation of logical reasoning in the classroom, four opportunities for questioning have been identified (Texas and Jones 2013).


One of the biggest challenges facing today's educators is addressing more rigorous standards that have now been adopted by many states. Students are required to develop deeper understandings of their content.

Whether it is:

  • a contextual problem to solve in mathematics,
  • a scientific investigation to perform,
  • a piece of text to analyze, or
  • interpreting historical events students are engaging in logical reasoning.

Along the way we will look at:

  • Why we ask questions.
  • What are effective questions?
  • Identify different types of questions that are most often used by educators.

Basic + and Custom level participants will have the opportunity to work with Tammy in learning how to design effective questions for specific tasks and activities.

PD Hours:

Upon successful completion of the Basic course, participants will get a certificate for 6 hours of PD credit.

Upon successful completion of the Basic+ course, participants will get a certificate for 12 hours of PD credit.

PD credit hours will be determined by the local district/school for the Custom course.

All participants will see how educators can incorporate the use of effective questions in their daily instruction. A questioning structure and a bridging model that allows students to learn to create questions themselves will be shared. Along the way, many samples of questions that span across all disciplines will be shared as well.

Lead Instructor

Tammy Jones

Meet Your Instructor An educator since 1979, Tammy L. Jones has worked with students from first grade through college. Currently, Tammy is consulting with individual school districts in training teachers on strategies for making content accessible to all learners. Writing integrations as well as literacy connections are foundational in everything Tammy does. Tammy also works with teachers on effective techniques for being successful in the classroom. As a classroom teacher Tammy’s goal was that all students understand and appreciate the content they were studying; that they could read it, write it, explore it, and communicate it with confidence; and that they would be able to use the content as they need to in their lives. Tammy believes that logical reasoning, followed by a well-reasoned presentation of results, is central to the process of learning, and that this learning happens most effectively in a cooperative, student-centered classroom. Tammy believes that learning is experiential and in her current consulting work creates and shares engaging and effective educational experiences.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Introduction - Start Here!

    • Read First

    • Introductory Video

    • Introductory video packet
  • 2

    What is Effective Questioning?

    • What is Effective Questioning?

    • What is Effective Questioning? Action Guide

    • Article 1: The Multidisciplinary Study of Questioning J T Dillon

    • Article 2: The Right Questions, the Right Way Dylan Wiliam

    • Article 3: Teachers developing assessment for learning: impact on student achievement Dylan Wiliam

    • Article 4: Blooms Taxonomy questions

    • Article 5: Teacher Questioning in Science Classrooms: Approaches that Stimulate Productive Thinking Chin

    • Article 6: Descriptors of DOK levels for Content Areas
  • 3

    Types of Questions

    • Types of Questions

    • Module 2 What is Effective Questioning Question Types Action Guide

    • Types of Questions Presentation Deck (12 slides - 16 minutes)

    • Types of Teacher Questions

    • Marzano's Questions Stems

    • Types of Questions Used by Teachers

    • Developing Thinking with Effective Questions
  • 4

    The Four Opportunities for Questioning

    • The Four Opportunities for Questioning

    • Four Opportunities for Questioning Action Guide Module 3

    • Four Opportunities for Questioning Presentation Deck (13 slides - 33 minutes)
  • 5

    Questioning in Action

    • Questioning in Action

    • Questioning in Action Action Guide

    • Questioning in Action Part 1 (4 slides - 11 minutes)

    • The Logical Reasoning Process

    • The Q-Pyramid & Overlay

    • Questioning in Action Part 2 (14 slides - 30 minutes)

Pricing options

Explain how different pricing options might be valuable to different segments of your audience.