20 Ways to Improve Teacher Questioning

Skilful questioning lies at the heart of great teaching. Try to embed some of these techniques into your planning and classroom practice, and see the progress accelerate. Download as a handy PDF at www.coreteaching.co.uk

Planning Questions

1 The Question Matrix

• The ‘must have’ resource for all question planning. The 21st C take on the 5Ws
• A grid shared by teacher and pupils. Question your way through the Matrix from probable to possible, and from factual to hypothetical
• Supports planning for stretch and challenge, and develops pupils’ independent questioning skills, inquisitive disposition and reflective approach to learning

2 Question Taxonomy

• Tiered questions to focus on higher order thinking and challenging concepts
• Pre-plan questions to sequentially address the stages of a given taxonomy, e.g.  in Bloom’s, synthesis, evaluation then creativity
• Provides high challenge thinking, requiring more careful thought; excellent for creative and more able pupils

3 The Big Question

• Setting the substantial and thought provoking question
• Usually set at the beginning of the lesson, these can’t be answered when posed – only at the end of the lesson, using all of the information and contributions to the lesson
• Develop deeper and more profound thinking, these require collaborative thinking and a careful interpretation of the information; great for moral issues or speculative questions

4 The Next Big Question

• Pupils pose next lesson’s Big Question
• The perfect plenary and evolution of The Big Question: pupils identify the Next Big Question as the basis of next lesson
• Democratic and encourages independence; students form and prioritise the questions to help them move forward

Posing Questions

5 Cold Calling

• The good old ‘no hands-up’ rule
• Randomised and non-directed questioning. Tell pupils you are ‘Cold Calling’ and keep them on their toes.
• Improves engagement and challenges all pupils to think; reduces dependence on a few keen/able students.

6 Half ‘n’ half

• Mix things up with equal amount of  random  and directed questions
• Accept hands-up, but for every volunteered answer, teacher must select one not volunteered
• Establishes better answers and builds from strong base. Enhances engagement and allows for more able/confident to share.

7 Q Ball

• Throw the Question Ball around the room to develop collaboration
• Teacher holds ball to pose the question and throws. Pupils respond, and then throw to another pupil, or back to the teacher
• Engages more pupils. Stops teacher being focus for all questioning. Develops connected thinking and depth of ideas.

8 Pose, Pause, Pounce, Bounce

• The modern-day classic
• Pose the question, wait (see ‘Thinking Time, over), pick your student, and then ‘bounce’ the responses around to other students
• Maximises engagement across the class, and reduces/negates the number of ‘I don’t knows’

9 A.P.P.L.E.

• Ask, Pause, Pick, Listen, Expand
• As with PPPB (above) with more emphasis on the listening, and expanding upon peer responses
• As with PPPB (above), but with a more helpful  mnemonic for pupils to engage and deepen understanding

10 Coming Soon

• Previewing questions in advance
• Question is shared a few minutes before being asked, or the start of the lesson.
• Prepares pupils for the nature of the question, and develops a deeper, more considered response

11 Hot-seating or ‘Mantle of the expert’

• Great for more than just drama
• One pupil assumes the ‘hot-seat’ to take a sequence of questions from the class and teacher
• Builds self-esteem and encourages listening; provides challenge, especially for more able or dramatic students; great for empathetic and/or hypothetical answers

12 Heads-up

• Signal an impending question to one pupil
• For important questions, give one pupil the heads-up to get prepared, e.g. ‘Martha, I’m going to ask you about Viking burials in about one minute, OK?’
• Elicits deeper responses, even through the specific question if not revealed; builds confidence in quieter students

13 Pepper – whole class

• Rapid-fire Q&A practice
• Quickly and randomly fire closed questions to the class. Do not dwell on answers, and if the answer is incorrect, just re-ask another student
• Fast and fun, energetic and inclusive. Great for recap, and for the more competitive students

14 Pepper – differentiated

• Small group version of the above
• As above, but extract a group of pupils and tailor the challenge appropriately, e.g. HA mathematicians, EAL vocabulary/picture flashcards
• As above, but even more productive when targeted to same-ability pupils

15 Break-it-down

• Share the ‘working-out’ of bigger questions
• If pupils struggle to answer bigger or more complex questions, ask constituent questions to lead the student through steps in the thinking
• Develops confidence and allows students to reveal the stages in their understanding

Improving Responses

16 Thinking Time

• Highlight the amount of time given to think of an answer
• Provide time between setting the question and requiring an answer. You may alert pupils to the approach and the time available to develop an answer
• Promotes depth of thought and ensures all pupils have a view or opinion.

17 Thinking and Linking Time

• As above, with discussion and research
• Increased time provided for thinking and talking to peers, or going through notes, before seeking answers
• Pupils actively think and collaborate to form answers; targeted pupils can ‘link’ with teachers or TAs.

18 ABC - Agree, Build, Challenge

• One pupil responds and others must vote (flashcards or mini-wbs) to Agree with, Build on or Challenge their answer.
• Each can be expanded
• Builds engagement in a way which allows for depth of though and challenge; works best with open and theoretical questions.

19 23 Word Answers

• Demanding a precise answer
• Pupils are given a very precise target length for their answer, e.g. 23 words, or no fewer than 15 words. Alternatively, they must use a particular word or phrase.
• Focuses the minds, and develops speaking and reasoning skills, the correct use of critical and technical language.

20 Phone a friend

• The alternative to ‘I don’t know’.
• Pupils who ‘don’t know’ can nominate a peer to answer on their behalf, but they still have to evaluate that answer, perhaps using ABC (above).
• Encourages listening and participation; removes ‘I don’t know’ responses and associated stress; builds self-esteem.