Five top tips for skilful questioning Ideas to try out in your classroom tomorrow Linda Evans

1. Five top tips for skilful questioning Ideas to try out in your classroom tomorrow Linda Evans March 2014

2. Think about when, why and how you ask questions. Plan questions that promote higher-order thinking. Respond thoughtfully to pupils’ answers Teach pupils to ask questions Use techniques such as ‘If this is the answer, what is the question?’ Five top tips

3. Most questions are asked when a teacher is settling down the class (class management), recapping (testing memory) and checking understanding of instructions and concepts etc (but in a limited way). “Pose, pause and pounce" (no hands up) to get everyone thinking (individual whiteboards for short responses). Think about incorporating: Thinking time Talking partners (model the process) and Making sure verbal responses are audible. There is a place for closed, low-level questions but your most able pupil may be ‘switched off’ if there are too many! Instead, think about: Philosophical inquiry and social learning (e.g.Belle Wallace’s TASC) Creating an environment where being right doesn't always matter Encouraging ‘risk-taking’. 1a. When? Why? How?

4. What did you do this lesson/series of lessons? What did you learn (i.e. you didn’t know before)? What did you like about the lesson/why? What did you not like/why? What did you find most challenging/what made you really think? What would you do differently next time? 1b. Using questions for AfL

5. 2a. Good questions encourage pupils to ‘think hard’

6. Discussion/speculation: Do you agree - why? Is there a different way? What would happen if…? What other possibilities are there? How does this link to ..? Reasoning and problem solving: What strategies/ materials/ tools can you use? What do you know/need to know? Who can help? What are the alternatives? What are the consequences? Reflection: How do you know? Why do you think that? Can you explain how…? What went well/could have gone better? How will you use what you have learned? 2b. Framing good questions

7. Knowledge (remembering) Understanding Applying Analysing Evaluating Synthesising/ creating 2c. Bloom’s taxonomy

8. Analyse: breaking down information into component parts: making inferences; finding evidence e.g. Why do you think …? What conclusions can you draw? How would you categorise …? What is the function of …? What motive could there have been to ? Evaluate: making comparisons, judgments and recommendations on the basis of established criteria e.g. What is your opinion of …? Would it be better if …? How would you justify …? How would you compare …? How would you prove that …? Synthesise: creating new information, plans and ideas from previous learning e.g. What would happen if …? How could you change …? What facts can you compile? Can you predict the outcome of …? How could you estimate the result of…? 2d. Aide-memoire for HOTS

9. Good questions need to be planned. Lesson plans Subject department /phase meetings Challenge cards Question corners 2e. Planning worthwhile questions

10. Time Modelling behaviour we want to nurture: Praise pupil questions that are well worded, unusual, interesting, challenging or that indicate reflection Respond to a wrong, ‘stupid’ or unwelcome contribution by inviting the speaker to think harder while you move to someone else. (Explore the reasons for the response given, if you think it may be based on a misunderstanding or a related line of thought). Urge the rest of the class to produce more thoughtful responses (i.e. valuing thought rather than devaluing a ‘mistaken’ contribution). Teacher confidence 3a. Teachers responding to pupils

11. Questions should not stop once a question has been asked: draw on a repertoire of probing questions to extend pupils’ thinking. Can you say a little more about that? Why do you think that? Can you explain how/why ? Why did you decide to start like that/ do it that way/ include that…..? How did you reach that answer/ decision ? How can you be sure? What if…? Who thinks something different? Can you justify, give reasons why /evidence for /examples of ..? Who can argue against…? What do you think happens next? How does this connect to… Who would like to add to or ask a question about what has just been said? 3b. Extending pupils’ answers

12. ‘Asking good questions is the basis for becoming a successful learner.’ Guy Claxton An ability to formulate questions is valuable - encouraging an analytical approach and developing communication skills Beginning a lesson or topic by asking, ‘what questions could we ask about X … what would you like to know, how many questions can you ask?’ encourages curiosity and gives pupils more ownership of their learning. 4a. Students asking questions

13. One mixed Y5/6 class came up with the following list of questions about Mexico: Where is it? Is it an island or do other places join up to it? What are the people like, what language do they speak? Do they speak English? Can you go there on holiday? How long does it take? How much does it cost? What’s the weather like? What money do they use? Do they grow stuff? Do they make stuff? Is it a rich country or poor country? Who is in charge? Is there a queen or a president? Etc. Encouraged to think further, the children generated questions such as : How is it different to living in this country? Is it nicer or worse? Would we like to go on holiday there? Why/why not? Why are there so many poor people? If we had a million pounds to spend what would be the best way to help them? 4b. How many questions can you ask?

14. Pupils create a quiz at the end of a topic Award marks for the quality of a question (older pupils can assess this by identifying the HOTS involved in a good answer) Hot seating and interviewing Devising a ‘question of the week’ ‘Mantle of the Expert’ Playing ‘Twenty questions’ Designing crosswords 4c. Encouraging pupils to formulate questions

15. What am I trying to do? What is my goal/ success criteria? What information do I have? What do I need to find out/do? How will I do this? Who can help me? What are the priorities/key points? What is my plan? Did I do as well as I could? How can I use what I’ve learned? 4d. Questions to develop metacognitionand independence

16. Y9 Biology class A: ‘It gets smaller’ Q: It’s what happens when an ice cube melts … your iris in the dark…a dog when it’s scared (but no… it just looks as if it does).. etc. etc. ‘The answer should have been ‘it gets bigger’ because biology is all about growth’. The ‘answers’ can be diverse – fitting with any subject area: 1000 Green Oxygen War Religion Consider too, approaches like PMI, ‘What if?’, P4C and De Bono’s strategies 5. What’s the question?

17. In ensuring outstanding provision in everyday lessons for your able, gifted and outstanding learners … Nurture a ‘community of enquiry’ (model). Plan challenging questions (HOTS). Encourage broader/deeper responses to questions (exercise for the brain) and praise well-considered answers. Teach them to ask questions of their own. Develop a bank of questioning techniques and resources. In summary