Questioning

The focus of these activities is on the use of questioning in the classrooms to promote learning, engage discussion and support assessment.

Two worksheets have been produced to support trainees in developing questioning within their practice.

Activity 1: Focused Observations

As you did in LATiS Week 5, observe your Class Mentor, and other teachers if possible, teaching a lesson and purely focus on the use of questions and the responses to these. Remember the following cycle will help you to consider the important aspects and help keep your focus on the use of questions:

With the permission of the CM, trainees may find recording the session useful so that you can replay the lesson and review it together.

Note:
Recordings should only be made on the university iPads, with permission, and not removed from school premises.

In observing the lesson, trainees note everything carefully so that they can discuss with their CM after the lesson the reasons behind some of the key questions. Make use of any recording to support this discussion as you reflect together.

Try to observe more than one lesson, and different teachers if possible, to compare the differences in questioning during different subjects.

Activity 2: Examining your own questioning

Trainees video record themselves teaching part of a lesson for 10 minutes with the class or a group. They watch it back focusing on the questions asked and the responses given. Using a pupil progress lens, trainees should carefully consider how the questions and their responses move learning on in the lesson.

Which questions and responses were the most effective, and why, and which might be changed next time? Trainees should make some notes on your thoughts to these questions ready to briefly discuss with your CM as part of the Weekly Review.

Activity 3: An optional extra activity

Trainees focus on the questions that the children ask the teacher (CM) and each other. They should carefully consider the opportunities that facilitate this and the impact these questions have on the children’s learning during the lesson.

Reflection

In the ‘Reflection on the targets I have been Working On’ section of the Week 3 page in ePortfolio, consider the impact the observations have had on your learning in becoming a teacher.
How might you now prepare future lessons to ensure questioning is maximised as a pedagogic tool within your practice?

Pre-set targets and action plans

The following targets have been set for all beginning teachers during the week of this theme. They have been pre-written in the ePortfolio but beginning teachers may wish to add to the action plans following discussions with their mentors.

Effective Modelling | Deadline: 04 December 2025

Target 1 (FIA) 

Use resources (concrete and pictorial) to support effective modelling 

Action Plan 

• I will ensure that all my lesson plans include:
  • The appropriate resources to use (e.g. stem sentences, number lines, manipulatives) 
  • How I will ‘gradually release responsibility’ to the children (e.g. detail the I do, We do, You do stages or detail how scaffolding will be removed in leading the children to their independent work) 
• When teaching, I will model step-by-step with real-time commentary, which will be detailed in my planning. 
• I will pause during my modelling to ask questions and check for understanding 
• I will discuss with my mentor my planning before the lesson and record it to later review and reflect on my performance 

Target 2: Modelling with Thinking Out Loud 

To appropriately model using the thinking out loud technique 

Action Plan 

• I will make sure my “thinking out loud” is detailed or scripted on my plan and that I have rehearsed it before the lesson 
• I will model making mistakes and show how to correct them through “thinking out loud” 
• I will video record the lesson and reflect on the impact the strategy had on children’s learning and how I found it 

Target 3: Variation in Questioning  

Use a range of question types to promote children’s thinking 

Action Plan 

• My lesson plans will identify 2 to 3 key questions of differing levels that can promote learning 
• I will develop a personal bank of open-ended questions for core subjects 
• I will observe my mentor teach and focus on how they use questioning noting the different types and their impact 
• In reviewing the video recording of the lesson I will reflect on how the questions I asked questions were phrased and who responded.