Ask and answer is a pair or group activity. One student is the "expert" – either because she/he has prior knowledge/experience of the topic, or because background information has been accessed before the task. A list of statements is given to the other student(s). These statements need to be formed into questions to ask the expert. Answers are written down on the sheet. Ask and answer enables teachers to capitalise on students' own funds of knowledge when introducing a new topic. It also gives valuable practice in forming good questions. After the task, students can use the information in a follow-up writing activity.
The benefits of ask and answer:
The Te Reo Maori website on TKI provides a variation on this task to use while reading a text.
Watch this video to see a teacher using ask and answer in a year 11 geography class
Teaching and learning sequence planning examples:
Secondary level:
Published on: 18 Dec 2017
