QuestionLevels and types of questions Questioning should be used to achieve… Levels and types of questionsQuestioning should be used to achieve well-defined goals. An instructor should ask questions that will require students to use the thinking skills that he or she is trying to develop. Bloom’s Taxonomy is a hierarchical system for ordering thinking skills from lower to higher, where each level requires a student’s mastery of the skills below it. It is not essential that an instructor be able to classify each question at a specific level. The taxonomy is introduced as a tool which is helpful for defining the kinds of thinking skills instructors expect from students and for helping to establish congruence between the instructor’s goals and the questions he or she asks.People often refer to “lower-level” and “higher-level” questions or behaviors, rather than assigning a specific level to those questions or behaviors. Lower-level questions are typically at the remember, understand, and apply levels of the taxonomy and are most appropriate for:evaluating students’ preparation and comprehensiondiagnosing students’ strengths and weaknessesreviewing and/or summarizing contentHigher-level questions involve the ability to analyze, evaluate, or create, and are most appropriate for:encouraging students to think more deeply and criticallyproblem solvingencouraging discussionsstimulating students to seek information on their ownHistoryUS History
