ABSTRACT
Discourse structured around questioning is the time-honored method of developing content with students. Effective teachers plan good sequences of questions that will help their students develop their understanding of big ideas and provide opportunities to apply them. Constructivists place special importance on questioning, emphasizing that teachers ask questions not just to monitor comprehension but also to stimulate students to think about the content, connect it to their prior knowledge, and begin to explore its applications. As they do so, students process the content actively and “make it their own” by rephrasing it in their own words, elaborating its meaning, and building connections to prior knowledge.
