Effective questioning strategies and appropriate wait times for responses are core components of teaching methods that build higher-order thinking skills and contribute to enhanced learning and academic achievement. Using a framework they call the 6Ps (prepare the question, present the question, prompt student thinking, process student responses, polish questioning practices, and partner with students) the authors have created this new comprehensive guide to using quality questions in the classroom.

Create environments where students ask questions, not just answer them! When students become questioners, learning improves for all. Yet, even though research has repeatedly shown that student questioning increases ownership of learning and narrows opportunity gaps, studies show that students ask less than five percent of the questions in classrooms today. How do you turn this teacher-centric dynamic around? In this book by bestselling author and education expert Jackie Walsh, the author shifts the focus to student-centric learning and how to develop student questioning strategies, including self-questions, academic questions, exploratory questions, and dialogic questions. Other highlights include: * Vignettes of quality questioning in action in various grade-level and content-area classrooms * Examples of how to use questioning to harness the power of formative assessment and create a culture of inquiry * Student questioning models for distance learning By instilling students with the desire and ability to become better questioners, teachers will see more actively engaged students, more collaboration, and an increase in overall student motivation for learning and achievement.

'A leader's job is not to have all of the right answers, but to ask the right questions. Not only does this book address self-inquiry for school leaders, it offers tools and learning support for leaders committed to improving and refining their inquiry-based leadership' - Betty Burks, Deputy Superintendent, San Antonio ISD, TX, USA 'This is an invaluable handbook for those eager to listen differently to people, enter into dialogue about sensitive topics, and structure opportunities for people to talk constructively'-Joellen Killion, Deputy Executive Director, National Staff Development Council 'Walsh and Sattes have captured the essence of one of the key features of a good leader: the ability to coach others. Their quality questioning framework helps school leaders understand that the way they structure a question can be the key to building organizational capacity' - Yvonne V. Thayer, Certified Professional Coach Senior Director, Making Middle Grades Work, Southern Regional Education Board, GA, USA 'A must-read for all school leaders. This practical guide on how to create an inquiry-oriented approach to decision making enables adult learners in the school to sustain school improvement' - Betsy Rogers, School Improvement Specialist, Jefferson County School District, AL, USA 'The Leading through Quality Questioning Framework is a clear and concise way to get the big picture of how questioning can be used to foster a culture of continuous improvement. The chapters that follow allow the reader to put the meat on the bones of the framework' - Christopher Corallo, Director of Staff Development Henrico County Public Schools, Richmond, VA, USA Quality questioning is a process for engaging individuals in reflection, critical thinking, and collaboration. The authors demonstrate how questions, not answers, drive school improvement and growth for a learning community. This handbook for school and council leaders applies the principles of the best-selling book Quality Questioning to four critical leadership functions: - Maximizing individual and organizational capacity - Mobilizing individuals and groups to build ownership and commitment across a community - Mediating conflict by helping individuals find common ground and focus on shared purpose - Monitoring progress toward identified goals

Thinking Though Quality Questioning provides teachers with an accessible, research-based blueprint for developing student meta-cognitive skills and ensuring that students take responsibility for their own learning. In this groundbreaking book, Walsh and Sattes use the findings of cognitive scientists to highlight quality questioning behaviors and explain how to connect these to discrete student meta-cognitive outcomes. Each chapter explicates teacher best practice in questioning and relates this to how students think and how they can be trained to manage their own learning.

A high-performing learning community draws on individual strengths to bring about continuous school improvement. This book, which has been called a Fifth Discipline for school folks, takes readers inside real schools to listen to teachers, principals, parents, and students speak honestly about what has, or has not worked. Included in these pages are tools, activities, and resources for immediate use. Stories, reflections, and discussions of theory and research provide inspiration as well as food for thought and dialogue. Inside School Improvement invites educators to unleash the best and brightest inside themselves-and their schools.