Questions+We're+Asking

Cues, Questions, Advance Organizers

 * I would like to know if there are websites, or activiites that promote higher level thinking skills to activate students prior knowledge and engage all learners.
 * Are there different types of organizers? Which organizers work best in each subject area? Are there organizers that work best with elementary aged students?
 * What are some new ways to implement cues in the classroom?
 * How can I train myself to ask better questions during classroom discussions?
 * Questions I have about using cues and questions in my classroom involve utilizing the strategy more in my classroom. I want to use the strategy to activate higher order thinking skills.
 * How do we get teachers to use this strategy ALL THE TIME and how do we get a curriculum that systematically activates and builds on prior knowledge?
 * How to keep them simple? AO can be very complicated. They scare teachers and kids and they can sometimes be too controlling in the organization of knowledge. How can I give learners control over the AO?
 * I teach special education and most of my students don’t like to write or have difficulty in writing. What are ways to help them complete graphic organizers or KWL charts?
 * How do I make the organizers beneficial for students by making them student-generated rather than teacher-generated so that students will take responsibility for their own learning?

Nonlinguistic Representation

 * How do I make it simpler?
 * What the most effective tools for representing knowledge? Are there tools to use prior to teaching a new unit of instruction? Are there tools to using during instruction? Are there tools to use for students to demonstrate their knowledge concluding a lesson? What are the best tools to use in math, science, and social studies instruction?
 * Where are some quality resources where I can find some quick and easy ways to integrate nonlinguistic representations into my everyday lessons?

Summarizing and Note Taking

 * What is an appropriate amount of note taking for 4th graders?
 * How can I make note taking purposeful days after we have written the notes?
 * Questions I have about summarizing in my classroom involve providing opportunities to use technology when summarizing.
 * How do I involve students to participate and teach others instead of passively listening?
 * I would like to know what method other teachers find more effect. Is it better to start with an outline and teach the smaller topics that make up the structure of a concept, or is it better to give them all the information without an outline and have them conclude what they think were the important concepts of a given topic?
 * What is the best way to teach students how to take notes? How do I persuade them of the importance of taking notes and then use them to study?

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 * Cooperative Learning**
 * Would it best to implement one standard program for cooperative learning throughout my subject areas?
 * How can I tell that my students are ready to participate in cooperative learning activities independent of my intervention? Will there ever be a time when I can say, here is your task get to work?
 * What is the best way to “encourage” students to NOT take advantage of other students in a cooperative learning situation?
 * How do you make cooperative learning more efficient?
 * I have a group of low-functioning students and working in groups of two or three makes it nearly impossible to solicit useful output of information from them. What are some ideas to implement cooperative learning into my lessons?
 * Students often seem to give up too quickly and I am looking for ways to help them through this learned helplessness.
 * What about that student who depends on his/her neighbors to get the task done? Should I have these students work independently on a different task all together (differentiated learning).
 * Is the group graded individually or as a whole? Is it sink or swim for the group?
 * Where can I find useful resources in a timely manner to encourage using cooperative learning in the classroom?
 * I wish the chapter had more details about how to begin to implement these strategies.
 * How can I use formal groups effectively in the classroom?
 * Another questions is how to get “all” students involved.
 * Reinforcing Effort**
 * Is there a tried and true method for reinforcing effort?
 * What are some ways that I can reinforce effort as well as encourage students to do well for their own happiness?
 * How can increase the amount of follow up and recognition that I give to increase learners' motivation?
 * I would like to know more ways to say, "You worked hard on that project/task, you put in a lot of effort", or "I saw you practice that, erase again and again, and not give up". "That means you put in effort." What else might be meaningful to get my point across?
 * What should I say when students are wrong or make a mistake?
 * Can there be too much reinforcement?


 * Similarities and Differences**
 * How can I use classifying in the foreign language classroom more effectively?
 * How do I use metaphors in the foreign language classroom?
 * What are some other methods to have students make analogies in the foreign language classroom?
 * Do you have any suggestions on how I could utilize these strategies in training sessions with teachers.
 * I would like to learn a few new ways to introduce comparing that will ignite student interest and excitement.


 * Homework & Practice**
 * How do I make students realize it is important to complete on their own, without having to penalize them when it returns incomplete or forgotten?
 * My current questions about homework swirl around how I am going to implement these changes and how will these changes impact my ability address student needs?