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.

Weekly Reflection

In your weekly reflection, 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?