ABSTRACT
Th e science lessons described thus far suggest that a great deal of student talking occurs within the classroom. Because science is an inherently social enterprise, with scientists necessarily communicating during the process of advancing scientifi c understandings, it is appropriate for classrooms to echo the verbal features of scientifi c work. Because we intend for school science to mirror, although in developmentally appropriate ways, the actions of science as done by the professional scientists, we would expect interpersonal communication to dominate within science
classrooms. Learning to participate in the give-and-take of questioning represents a valuable action within the culture of science. Th is chapter focuses on the types and ways that teachers use questions as they guide students’ science learning. Knowing how and when to pose questions is a powerful teaching skill. Th is chapter will also describe a framework for organizing whole class discussions such as would take place during the Explain phase of science instruction. We begin by examining ways to pose questions to individual children and then expand our repertoire to consider ways to encourage a class science discussion that invites participation from everyone.
