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Learning To Question: Categories Of Questioning Used By Preservice Teachers During Diagnostic Mathematics Interviews, Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham, Elizabeth Milewicz

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Developing appropriate questioning techniques is an important part of mathematics teaching and assessment. This study examined the questioning strategies used by 48 preservice teachers during one-on-one diagnostic mathematics interviews with children. Each participant conducted an audiotaped interview with one child, followed by an analysis and reflection of the interview. Data were analyzed to develop general categories of questions used by the preservice teachers. These categories included: 1) checklisting, 2) instructing rather than assessing, and 3) probing and follow-up questions. The analyses and reflections completed by preservice teachers indicated that using the diagnostic interview format allowed them to recognize and reflect …