Session 4a: Learner Guide

Creating Developmental Questions

Preview

Introduction Instructors must often determine whether or not learners have learned
the information in the lesson just taught.
An effective way to evaluate learning is to ask questions.

If instructors expect to develop learners’ thinking beyond recall

of knowledge, they need to ask the learners developmental questions.

Such questions stimulate thinking skills that process information,

not merely recall it from long-term memory.

Purpose Use “Creating Developmental Questions” to —

• understand the concept of developmental questions.
• create developmental questions.

Description “Creating Developmental Questions” —

• defines what developmental questions are.
• lists the steps for creating developmental questions.
• lists model questions at six developmental thinking levels.
• shows key words that elicit thinking skills beyond recall of knowledge.

Definition — A developmental question is a question that requires the learner to process

developmental information, not simply recall it from a lecture, a handbook, or other source.
question
Note: “Developmental” suggests that the instructor uses this question
to develop the learner’s thinking beyond simple recall of knowledge.

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Procedural Follow these steps to create a developmental question.

action
Notes:
• Example “a.” supports one sequence of steps.
• Example “b.” supports a separate sequence of steps.
• Italics style emphasizes key words or skills learned earlier.

Step Action Example

1 Review key words a. What are the individual elements of the
and model questions equation for improving intelligence?
for the recall
of knowledge. b. How many M’s does the Ishikawa fishbone
management tool display?
2 Process in some a. Judge the consequences of omitting
way the information one critical element of the equation
you have recalled. for improving intelligence.

b. Rank order the top three M’s of

the Ishikawa fishbone management tool.
3 Identify and tag a. Evaluating is judging the significance,
which thinking value, or worth of information.
skill(s) you used to
process the recalled b. Prioritizing is ranking elements
information. according to one or more personal values.
4 Select a key word or a. What would happen if you ignored one
model question for element of the equation for improving
any thinking skill, intelligence?
besides the recall of
knowledge. b. Which three of the M’s of the Ishikawa
fishbone management tool
are the most important
for managing instructional tasks?

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Session 4a: Learner Guide

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Bloom’s Benjamin Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives provides the basis

developmental for creating a developmental question on one of six different levels.
levels This table displays the six levels of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational
objectives for the cognitive domain. The lowest level appears first.

Developmental Level Knowledge Process Playing Games

1 = lowest Recall • “Jeopardy” focuses players
2 Comprehension on the Recall level only.
3 Application • “Wheel of Fortune” focuses
players on all six levels.
4 Analysis
• Which game is more fun
5 Synthesis for players?
6 = highest Evaluation • Which appeals more to you?

Results When you create developmental questions, you can expect these results:
• Your developmental questions will stimulate your learners to use thinking
skills that process the information in some way, beyond simply recalling it
from memory.
• Learners’ responses will indicate how well learners have processed
the information contained in the instructional phase of your lesson.

Finder You can find the following contents on the pages shown.
Each of the developmental levels includes:
• Description,
• model questions, and
• key words.

Page Information
4-5 Recall of knowledge
4-6 Comprehension of knowledge
4-7 Application of knowledge
4-8 Analysis of knowledge
4-9 Synthesis of knowledge
4-10 Evaluation of knowledge

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Recall of Knowledge

Description Recall of knowledge is the lowest level of thinking.

At this level, learners recall knowledge merely by bringing to short-term

memory some data or information stored in long-term memory.

Note: Thinkers store in long-term memory such knowledge from listening

to a lecture, reading a text, or observing an actual or recorded event,
only if they associate the knowledge with strong feelings
about its value for them.

Model Model questions to elicit responses that recall knowledge include:

questions • Who?
• What?
• Where?
• When?
• Why?
• How?
• How many?
• How much?

Key words Key words to elicit responses which recall knowledge include:
• Define,
• Describe,
• Report,
• Select, and
• Tell.

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Session 4a: Learner Guide

Comprehension of Knowledge

Description Comprehension is a cognitive skill that is more complex than recall

of knowledge. Learners comprehend knowledge when they —
• grasp the meaning of it.
• understand the relationship of the whole concept to its parts, and
the relationship among the parts of the whole.

Model Model questions to elicit responses about the comprehension of knowledge

questions include:
• What does this mean, in your own words?
• What is the purpose of this?
• How does this work?
• What part doesn’t fit?
• What exceptions exist?
• What is the writer saying in this section?

Key words Key words to elicit responses about the comprehension of knowledge
include:
• Explain,
• Interpret,
• Omit,
• Outline,
• Summarize, and
• Translate.

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Application of Knowledge

Description Application is a thinking skill that depends upon both the learner’s recall
and comprehension of knowledge.

Learners apply knowledge when they —

• take it from the setting in which they originally learned it.
• fit it into a new setting.
• maintain the same relationships among the critical elements.

Model Model questions to elicit responses about application of knowledge include:

questions • What would happen if ...?
• What other ways could you use this?
• How much change would result when ...?
• How would you use this when you return to your work site?

Key words Key words to elicit responses about the application of knowledge include:
• Apply,
• Estimate,
• Guess,
• Predict,
• Pretend, and
• Try

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Session 4a: Learner Guide

Analysis of Knowledge

Description Analysis is a thinking skill that depends upon the learner’s recall and
comprehension of knowledge. Learners analyze knowledge when they break
up any whole into its parts to find out their —
• nature: what the parts are.
• proportion: how much of the whole each part makes up.
• function: how the parts work with each other.
• relationship: how the parts fit with each other along various dimensions.

Note: Some examples of relationships include –

– spatial,
– temporal,
– logical,
– psychological,
– social,
– political, and
– financial.

Model Model questions to elicit responses about the analysis of knowledge include:
questions • What is the relationship between this part and that part?
• What are the essential elements of this whole?
• Which ideas justify the writer’s conclusion?
• In what different ways can you examine this database/knowledge base?
• What categories or classes can you use to group the data?

Key Words Key words to elicit responses about the analysis of knowledge include:
• Break down,
• Break apart,
• Classify,
• Categorize,
• Decompose,
• Distinguish,
• Partition, and
• Separate.

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Synthesis of Knowledge

Description Synthesis is a thinking skill that depends upon the learner’s recall and
comprehension of knowledge. Learners synthesize knowledge
when they form a whole by bringing together separate parts.

Note: The whole that results from synthesizing may be an —

• entirely new creation.
• improved version of a familiar whole.

Model Model questions to elicit responses about the synthesis of knowledge

questions include:
• What input does this task require?
• What new ways could you put this together?
• How would you test whether this design is valid?
• What steps do you follow to plan for this task?

Key words Key words to elicit responses about the synthesis of knowledge include:
• Build,
• Compose,
• Create,
• Design,
• Make,
• Plan,
• Propose, and
• Synthesize.

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Session 4a: Learner Guide

Evaluation

Description Evaluation is a thinking skill that depends upon both the learner’s knowledge
recall and comprehension.

Learners evaluate knowledge when they judge the significance, value, or

worth of information, after an action sequence.

Note: Judging during an action sequence is a type of evaluation

that we more accurately tag, monitoring.

Model Model questions to elicit responses about the evaluation of knowledge

questions include:
• What is wrong with this?
• What inconsistencies appear?
• What steps do you follow to evaluate the results of ...?
• Which is better, more ethical, important, logical, or valid?
• How could you improve this process? …this product?

Key words Key words to elicit responses about the evaluation of knowledge include:
• Appraise,
• Choose,
• Compare,
• Criticize,
• Critique,
• Defend,
• Judge,
• Prioritize, and
• Rank order.

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