Promoting Self‐Questioning Through Picture Book Illustrations

Abstract

This teaching tip manuscript demonstrates how picture book illustrations can be used as an inquiry tool that facilitates one's connecting of visual investigations in a picture to the process of generating self‐questions. Techniques suggested to promote self‐questioning are (1) introducing young readers to an interactive picture book read aloud with prompts, such as, “What do you notice?” and “What questions do you have?” instead of teacher‐driven prompts that result in student statements, (2) using selected perplexing picture book illustrations as a medium for fostering and modeling the self‐questioning process, (3) partnering readers together so that they investigate picture book illustrations, determine questions, and search for answers collaboratively, and (4) encouraging independent reading of self‐selected picture books to apply self‐questioning techniques.

An intervention programme for enhancing kindergarteners' cognitive engagement and comprehension skills through reading informational texts

“…Teachers are used to setting the rules of children's participation in a conversation, and they specify its content by the questions they ask. Teachers therefore should bear in mind that they need to allow plenty of practice time so that children can assimilate the questioning strategy, because readers who consciously or unconsciously use self‐questioning can monitor and increase their text comprehension (Lohfink, ).…”

Multistate Research Findings About Teacher Reflections Regarding Desired and Current Constructivist Practices

“…This presentation highlights the use of a quantitative survey instrument designed to determine the desired state of constructivist concepts among contemporary educators as compared to their current instructional realities. The survey consists of 25 statements derived from the research and literature associated with constructivism, differentiation, individualized instruction and customized learning approaches posited by various researchers including the following: Armstrong, Henson and Savage, 2005;Brooks and Brooks, 1993;Celikten, Ipekcioglu, Ertepinar, & Geban, 2012;Danielson, 1996;Danielson, 2002;Darling-Hammond, 1997;Dennis, Rueter, and Simpson, 2013;Eggen and Kauchak, 2001;Ellyard, 1999;Ernest, Heckaman, Thompson, Hull, & Carter, 2011;Hodges, & Mc Tigue, 2014;Foote, Vermette and Battaglia, 2001;Johnson, Collins, Duperes and Johansen, 1991;LeFrancois, 2000;Lohfink, 2013;Marzano, 2000;Marzano, Pickering and Pollock, 2001;Ornstein and Levine, 2008;Parkay, Stanford, Vaillancourt and Stephens, 2005;Slavin, 2006;Snowman and Biehler, 2003;Sternberg and Williams, 2002;Tomlinson, 2014;Woolfolk, 2001;Youb, 2010;Author A, 1977;Author A et al, 2014.…”

Struggling Readers’ “Noticings” to Make Meaning of Picture Books

“…Secondly, because self-questioning spurred the second graders' activity to read images/text and transact socioculturally (Rosenblatt, 1986), elementary teachers should encourage inquiry and use such prompts as, "What questions do you have?" instead of asking all the questions (Lohfink, 2012). Importantly, future directions should consider a content analysis of illustrations to determine how certain modes impact the type of strategy employed.…”