This document provides guidance on using questioning to improve coaching and student learning. It includes: - A seating plan and notes on tracking who is questioned and receives support. - A table with question starters to generate different types of questions, such as describe, explain, analyze. - Examples of subject-specific questions that teachers could ask in science, religion, and geography. - Suggestions for how teachers can use questioning at different stages, like sparking curiosity at the start of a lesson or providing feedback and additional challenges.

1. Friday Briefing 24th March 2017
Questioning

2. Coaching- focus on questioning
• Seating plan provided
• Observer notes/tallies:
Who is questioned
Who receives support
Types of questions asked, for example, open v
closed.

4. Identify
Describe
Explain
Analyse
Compare
Evaluate
Justify
Why Is
How Did
When Can
Where Would
What Will
Who Might
Happen
Change
Cause
Result
Affect
Find
Same
Different
Advantage
Disadvantage
Improve
Agree
Disagree
Strength
Weakness
Use one word from all of or some
of the columns to create great
questions
The Question Generator

5. Subject-specific questions
Science:
Can you describe why some people might
disagree with a limestone quarry being built
near to their house?

6. R.E
Can you explain how somebody who believes in
absolute morality might respond to the
commandment ‘do not kill’?

7. Geography:
Can you describe how humans using resources
from a tropical rainforest might result in
problems for animals living in the rainforest?

8. How to use it

9. 1. At the beginning of a topic/lesson
• Present students with a stimulus-
photo/picture/object/text.
• Encourage students to ask questions- ignite
curiosity.
• Collect questions and decide on what the ‘big
question’ could be.

10. 2. Learning outcomes
Display these and challenge students to
generate questions for the lesson.
What would they like to ask?
What do they need to find out?

11. 3. Exam Practice
Present students with a model answer.
What would the question be for this answer?
Can they make the link between exam rubric
and answer?

12. 4. Peer assessment
After reading someone else’s work students
generate a question to create further challenge.
This can lead to further discussion or could be
written feedback leading to written
improvements.

13. 5. Feedback
• Use these questions to enrich feedback to
students and create more challenge.
• Turn this into an exam question:
Can you explain how somebody who believes in
absolute morality might respond to the
commandment ‘do not kill’? (4)

14. 6. Challenge the teacher
• Invite difficult questions
• Question box
• Post-it notes/ mini-whiteboards- common
questions could inform the direction of the
lesson.