Thick and Thin Questions

“Sometimes questions are more important than answers.”  – Nancy Willard (American poet and writer)

Learning is fueled by curiosity, so how do we inspire mathematical curiosity in our students?  The classroom atmosphere we create can either stimulate or stifle the inquisitiveness of our young learners.  If we teach our developing mathematicians to inquire and question in meaningful ways, we are opening the door to deeper thinking and directing them to greater understanding.

Thought provoking questions promote dialog and don’t usually have one quick answer.  They linger and cause children to ponder the possibilities.  They encourage students to make connections, predict, infer, and problem solve.  In Building Mathematical Comprehension, Laney Sammons shares research that recommends “teaching students to distinguish between thick and thin questions.”

Thick questions lead the learner to deeper thinking.  They connect to background knowledge and have longer more thought provoking answers than thin questions.  Answers to thick questions are complex, open ended, and deal with the “big picture.”  Thin questions deal with specific content and the answers are short and close ended.  Thin questions are asked “to dispel confusion” and can be answered simply.  These questions are needed, but they do not usually lead to stimulating discussions.  Both types of questions have their place, but we should encourage students to see the value of the thick questions that lead to better conceptual understanding.

Thick Questions:

• What if . . . ?
• Why did . . . ?
• How do you know . . . ?
• What caused . . . ?
• How can you prove . . . ?
• Why do you think . . . ?
• How can you support that?
• Can you think of another way to . . .?

Thin Questions:

• How many?
• Who?
• What?
• When?
• Where?

Teachers can model the two types of questions and help students develop their questioning skills.  Thick questions promote math talk and engage children in higher level thinking.  By explicitly teaching questioning techniques, and celebrating more than the quick answer, we empower students to ask more thought provoking questions.  This helps them to become more self-sufficient problem solvers who can use inquiry to assess their work.  Questions that linger and inspire thought can motivate our young mathematicians and create an excitement for mathematics.  After all “Good questions work on us, we don’t work on them.” – Peter Block