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 your CM, you may find audio recording the session useful so that you can replay the lesson and review it, especially with your CM.

Note:
Recordings should only be made on school devices, with permission, and not removed from school premises. They should be deleted as soon as possible.

In observing the lesson, note everything carefully so that you can discuss with your CM after the lesson the reasons behind some of the key questions. Make use of any audio 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

Video record yourself teaching part of a lesson for 10 minutes with the class or a group. Watch it back focusing on the questions you ask and the responses you give. Using a pupil progress lens, carefully consider how the questions and your responses move learning on in the lesson.

Which questions and responses were the most effective, and why, and which might be changed next time? 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

Focus on the questions that the children ask the teacher and each other. 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?