User:Vtaylor/Active learning/Pairs and small groups

Guided reciprocal peer questioning

Students work in groups of three or four and are provided with a set of generic question stems:


 * How does … relate to what I’ve learned before?
 * What if…?
 * What conclusions can I draw about …?
 * Explain why …?
 * What are the strengths and weaknesses of …?
 * How are … and … similar?
 * What is the main idea of …?
 * Why is … important?
 * What is a new example of …?
 * How would I use … to …?
 * What is the best … and why?
 * How does … affect …?

Each student individually prepares two or three thought-provoking questions on the content presented in the lecture or reading. The generic question stems are designed to encourage higher level thinking skills. Questions are discussed in small groups at the beginning of class, and the whole class then discusses questions that were especially interesting or controversial in the group discussions.