Questioning Strategies Questioning strategies can combine the Elements of Reasoning with the Three Story Intellect to create better precision, clarity, depth, significance, and coherence in class discussion. When applied in the framework of Socratic Questioning, faculty can use open-ended questions to explore the various components of a question/issue while developing in students a better awareness of the dimensions and levels of thinking. Three types of questions help students structure their understanding of the topic: clarifying questions; reasoning questions; and substantive questions.

Clarifying Questions Description Examples Levels Seek additional information in What does religious freedom mean? Who First level -- define, identify, order to better to gain a was Thomas Jefferson? What does the describe, list, name. clearer understanding. Uses First Amendment say? What are the two illustrations, examples, and religion clauses of the First Amendment? Second level -- classify, analogies. What religious group dominated New sequence, compare, contrast. England? In what order were the colonies founded? What similarities existed Standards b e t w e e n t h e c o l o n ie s w it h r e s p e c t t o Dimensions accuracy, fairness, precision, religion? What differences existed among basic concepts, data, relevance, & clarity of the colonies with respect to religion? purpose, and question/issue meaning

Reasoning Questions Description Examples Levels Explore logical connections in The most common fallacies include: Second level -- analyze, arguments and seeks rational appeal to authority; ad hominem; hasty reason, explain, infer. coherence generalization; sweeping generalization; begging the question; circular reasoning; Third level -- evaluate, hypo- red herring; straw man; appeal to majority; thesize, generalize, speculate, appeal to tradition; appeal to novelty; apply a principle, forecast Standards ambiguity; argument ad nauseam; adequacy, clarity of undistributed middle; black and white Dimensions expression, consistency, thinking; false alternative; non-sequitur; interpretations, inferences, justifiability, and reasonability extended analogy; false cause; and shifting implications, assumptions, the burden of proof. See common fallacies and consequences page for descriptions & specific examples.

Substantive Questions Description Examples Levels probe the deeper, broader, What assumptions about human nature Second level -- analyze, and more significant ground the religion clauses of the First reason, explain, analogize. dimensions of a question / Amendment? How did the framers of the issue Constitution differ in their perspective on Third level -- hypothesize, the church/state relations from British evaluate, imagine, judge, rulers? How might we interpret the concept apply a principle Standards of religious liberty in light of Freud's completeness, depth, perception of religion? What might have significance, insight, breadth, happened if we imagined the various Dimensions and flexibility colonies remained divided on issues of assumptions, points of view, religion? interpretations, & implications