1. Improving questioning and talk

Foundation Stage/Year 1

Cowes

One school focused on the thinking hats and found them very effective for making the children think and developing and focusing their talk.  Those that don’t normally answer were listening. However, the main improvement was in the teachers’ questioning as a result of using the hats.  Having a full commitment throughout the school means that it has become automatic to describe the way in which you want children to think (e.g. ‘Just pop your yellow hat on and think about…’)

Teachers had used the 5 templates in their planning and found that open questions were more effective than closed.

One teacher uses puppets to pose questions and provide situations for the children to discuss. Another has a toy bird which says nonsense which sparks the children’s imagination and gets them talking.

Teachers found that asking questions with a ‘How…’ beginning really gets young children explaining to each other.

Herts

Teachers had used Bloom’s hierarchy which was raising standards school-wide:
Knowledge: information gathering
Comprehension: confirming info gathering
Application: making use of knowledge
Analysis: taking part
Synthesis: putting together
Evaluation: judging the outcome

Philosophy for children (Fisher’s stories for thinking) had also been used effectively.  Children are given time to think about questions.

Hull

Teachers had used the ‘range of answers’ strategy orally and practically.  This has produced more reasoned discussion, with children learning to give reasons. The ‘statement’ strategy was also usable if simplified and the examples of ‘right and wrong’ were enjoyable. One teacher put a circle on a whiteboard and said it was a square.  A lower achiever was able to express the reasons for it being a circle because of the visual experience.

Nantwich

Teachers had noticed that by asking more open ended questions, children were beginning to do the same. They were developing their understanding of what a question is.  By discussing their answers with a partner, children then contributed more and responded with deeper levels of thinking.  Children were asking questions about things they noticed in the classroom, thus developing connectivity and cumulation.

Nursery teachers had used social stories to encourage discussion about issues such as how to behave in the playground.

Asking children about what they wanted to learn had an ‘amazing’ impact on their talk.

Tameside

Teachers said that they are now asking more open questions and giving more thinking time, including time to talk with talk partners.

The ‘range of answers’ strategy had been used successfully, often using pictures as the ‘range’ (e.g. light sources for a discussion about what plants need).  It highlights children’s misconceptions and therefore impacts on future planning.

Teachers felt they were modelling what a good question looks like.  Children are often asked to make statements rather than to ask questions, so this has been developed.

                                           
Year 1/2

Essex

Teachers said that talk partners had made it easier to ask more open questions. Modelling effective questions had encouraged children to become better questioners. The quality of discussions and children’s answers showed this. Using the 5 questioning templates had opened up discussions immediately.  Children were becoming more philosophical; realising that many questions and answers are opinions only and that there is not a right answer to every question. Children can also better reason and demonstrate their knowledge and understanding.  Quieter children are more able to reveal their thinking so teachers are getting to know more about their previously unknown skills and knowledge.

Teachers felt that they now had to plan effective key questions.  Teaching was now more concise with more time for talk/do/reflect.

Cowes

Teachers agreed that their first attempts at improving their questions were too broad, with children’s responses unfocused.  However, with more open questions, they found that children’s responses were necessarily broader and more unexpected.  ‘What do you think?’ was successful in getting all children to offer ideas.  Some children have commented that more open questions are harder because they have to think more.  Debates have been of higher quality than before.

It was also agreed that stopping children putting hands up was a hard habit to break.  Talk partners ensure that everyone has to answer and gives support to the less confident children.

The Scholastic website has ‘talk cards’ which were recommended.

Herts

Children are more confident because they are not relying simply on memory to answer questions – instead they can share what they think. They are eager to answer because there is no wrong answer with an open question.  They are also more able to ask questions themselves.

Philosophy for children is encouraging children to think and use higher order skills, leading to more thoughtful answers and better explanations.

One teacher described how the class has significantly improved their ability to ask and answer questions and children who could not ask questions when the year began can now ask questions and explain their answers.  This has also had an effect on pre-planning as children can formulate more effective questions, so they have been more involved in learning across the curriculum.

Hull

During guided reading some teachers found that children responded well to the ‘statement’ technique (e.g. Villagers must live near a forest. Do you agree/disagree etc).  One teacher said the children were working at Level 3b to get that level of thinking.

One teacher has a good question for the beginning of the new talk partners which children enjoy. They have a ‘challenge morning’ with questions such as ‘What would happen if the door handles were made of chocolate?

Teachers used real life situations where possible (e.g. Asda are producing winter coats – which colour material would be most visible?).  Children were very engaged and came up with scientific conclusions.

Nantwich

Children are more challenged by better questioning, exhibiting higher order thinking.  Teachers had tried to stop asking recall questions which had led to children realising that there are not always right or wrong answers to questions.  Children are thinking more creatively, not going for the easiest option.

Teachers found that good questions have to be planned.

Tameside

Teachers agreed that more effective questioning focuses everybody and develops thinking skills and the application of skills. Children’s speaking and listening is also developed.

The ‘range of answers’ and ‘right and wrong’ was good for showing misconceptions. The ‘statement’ approach led to children asking their own questions, reasoning and justifying.  ‘Starting from the end’ encouraged children to broaden their thinking.

Year 3/4

Essex

Children’s own questioning skills had greatly improved as a result of the questions the teachers were now asking, particularly lower and higher achievers.  Question stems on individual cards or posters encouraged this.  Children are now more involved in class discussion

Teachers using Fisher’s stories for thinking found they were very good for getting children to explain their thinking.

The overall impact was that children’s thinking is deeper, they have greater ownership of their learning and learning is more effective.  Children now want to put their thinking into writing so there is beginning to be a positive impact on writing quality.

Cowes

Teachers had planned the 5 template questions and found that children had a better starting point for thinking and discussion. Where more research was needed, children were asked to take the questions home for homework.

One school introduces the De Bono thinking hats one at a time, starting with the yellow hat, introducing a new one for each new year of the school.  This structures the development and progression of their thinking.

Teachers had used the ‘opposing standpoint’ in drama (e.g. Should children be evacuated?)

Children are now more willing to question what they have heard using vocabulary such as ‘I agree with because…’ and a whole host of misconceptions have been picked up by using these starting points.

Herts

As a result of the ‘range of answers’ the children are now thinking more and giving reasons.

Teachers from special schools said it was a difficult for children to understand what a question was.

Planning good questions is important.

Hull

One teacher showed the class a picture of a building and asked ‘Is this an old building?’ Teachers said that children love to prove the teacher wrong and argue which gives them power to be able to express their opinion. One child said that his dad had been to the building when he was young, so it must be old.  Others said it would be old if it was over 3 years old. The debate was opened up about what ‘old’ means.

Another Y3 teacher started a new topic on the Egyptians and was posed the question by the children, ‘Why did the Egyptians mummify their dead bodies?’ She then wrote up ‘Did Egyptians mummify all dead people?’ The children used books and internet to research and the teacher provided artifacts and posed a second question, ‘Would items like this have been found in the tombs?’  The children carried out further research.  The use of starting point questions was very effective in enhancing their learning.

Nantwich

Teachers felt they had improved their questioning skills, thinking more carefully about their wording.  Year 3 children found it difficult to hypothesise compared to older children.

One teacher had started a philosophy group for any children in Year 3 which had worked well.  Teachers had also used cooperative learning techniques and talk partners to develop and extend their questioning skills.

One teacher described how, instead of generating class rules at the start of term, she gave the children the statement ‘We should work in silence in our lessons’.  This generated high level discussion.

One teacher had used connectivity to explore questioning for a new topic. Supported questioning had been used to discuss issues with SEN children.

One teacher tried all 5 templates for effective questioning and found they led to engagement from a much bigger section of the class, whereas ‘hands up’ had led to far fewer children answering questions.  There was a link with ‘cooperative learning strategies’ in that picking numbers from tables to feedback instead of hands up worked well.

The ‘right and wrong’ template was used well in mathematics (Why is it wrong? How do you know it’s wrong?) and spelling (Which words are spelled correctly/incorrectly?)

The ‘range of answers’ was used effectively in science. One teacher used the formula of ‘a red herring, a funny answer, a maybe answer and a true answer’.

One teacher mentioned an online game of ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’ which gives a range of answers in the same way.

One open ended question about liquids and solids (Is ice a solid?) had led to debate and further questioning and discussion which led to subsequent investigation during the next lesson.

Tameside

Better questioning highlights misconceptions, informs future planning and is good for summative assessment. It also improves talk partner skills.

The ‘opposing standpoint’ technique had encouraged deeper thinking and children were now learning to justify their opinions.

Some teachers exploring Bloom’s Taxonomy felt that children were now more active learners, enjoying and remembering more.

Teachers felt they had now changed the way they began lessons, as recall questions were now replaced by more worthwhile questions.

One teacher gave the class a range of answers for the question, ‘Which of these use electricity? (computer, fridge, flower, chair).  Children had detailed unexpected discussions about electric chairs…..

Year 5/6

Essex

Teachers in this group had been involved in much INSET about questioning in the past so felt this was well developed. Talk partners and the open questioning approach had led to children being able to ask more questions in science and had forced higher and lower achievers to speak.  Children who were deep thinkers but were less skilled in writing benefited especially, with clear growth in self confidence.  One teacher told about a child who had improved by 2 levels as a result, she thought, of talk partners and the increased speaking leading to better reading and writing.

One child said to the teacher ‘You value my thoughts.’

Open questioning challenges gifted and talented children who have a fixed mindset (e.g. one child had to unpick his thinking in mathematics and realised that just knowing isn’t always enough).

This approach has led to children being more able to think up good questions for tasks themselves.

Overall children are seeing that mistakes are an integral part of the learning process and a growth mindset.  Children have to think more independently, thinking ‘outside the box’ and have become keen to try with their increased confidence.  Children are learning empathy, listening and social skills, accepting others more readily.

Cowes

Teachers found that the statement template opens up good discussion about why rather than just answering the question.

Teachers now feel uncomfortable about using hands up because so few children are involved and answers are so limited. Asking one good question with talk time takes the same amount of time as asking lots of recall questions, but is more effective.  Children are more confident in giving answers because they have discussed and often have notes to read from.  Some teachers found that Blooms or Socrates graded questions had helped to differentiate question for different children.

Herts

Children no longer think that when they have finished their piece of work is finished, because of more open ended questioning about their learning.  Giving a ‘range of answers’ in mathematics has allowed children to think outside the box and deepen their understanding.  The ‘opposing standpoint’ got the children talking and questioning.

Teachers said that it had been difficult to ask a range of different questions and tended to get stuck with one or two techniques.

Hull

The ‘range of answers’ worked very well in mathematics and PSHE.  The ‘statement’ was used in science and mathematics.  The ‘right and wrong’ strategy was used for developing explanation skills and reasoning and ‘starting from the end’ was good for kick starting a new topic.  One teacher focusing on a mixed non-fiction genre asked ‘Was the cause of the Titanic disaster that it hit an iceberg?’  This was the start of a range of questions which made children think deeply and drive their research skills.

The ‘opposing standpoint’ was regularly used by all teachers, which encouraged skills of persuasion.

Nantwich

Teachers agreed that asking more open ended questions had raised the level of thinking for many children and led them to have more ideas.  One teacher said ‘I don’t want your answer – I want you to tell me the process.’

Tameside

Use of De Bono’s thinking hats had led to children thinking in different ways about questions. They were used well as ice breakers for new talk partners and encouraged more conversation, different viewpoints and different ways of responding.

Using the ‘statement’ technique had been very effective, leading to unexpected deep thinking and discussion compared to the same subject matter with recall questions. One example was ‘The sun moves across the sky. Agree? Disagree?’

The ‘range of answers’ used in mathematics had been successful in unlocking the thinking of children who usually get the answer without explanation.  One school had used the ‘opposing standpoint’ technique in the school council and for PSHE.

Secondary

Cowes

Teachers had explored the question templates as follows:

The ‘opposing standpoint’ was good for drama working in role.

‘Starting from the end’ was used to show the rock cycle.  Lower achievers could see the final product at the beginning of the lesson which made them more interested and involved to find out more detail.  Another teacher showed children a modern map and asked how it came to look like this, from a Tudor map, also shown.

‘Who wants to do something dangerous?’ was a good question used in science to get children talking about what would and would not be dangerous.

Herts

Special school teachers used the 5 templates, using visual aids and found that student’s understanding was improved and they could each contribute. 

Students are now able to justify their answers (e.g. a mathematical method) so there has been a significant improvement.  They are now also able to help each other.

Use of Bloom’s taxonomy, explaining and comparing had led to understanding that there is more than one side to an argument.

Hull

All teachers had used Bloom’s taxonomy to structure their questions. Concept cartoons were used effectively for science, giving the children a range of answers. 
One teacher gave the children a science conclusion (‘starting from the end’) and got the class to work backwards to find the original question.

The ‘range of answers’ worked well for mathematics.

Statements were used effectively in RE (e.g. Jesus was partly to blame for his own death’. Discuss)

The opposing standpoint was also used well to encourage debate (e.g. Should Hull fair be banned?)

Teachers agreed that good questions need to be planned.