Mentor materials
Questioning
Select a development area
Consider the development areas for this topic (below). Then make a note of the area you plan to zoom in on and when you plan to visit so you can observe your teacher in this area. Familiarise yourself with the focused development areas. You will select one later when you observe your teacher.
Development area 1: All pupils thinking hard
Focused development area
- Teacher embeds a routine of no hands up questioning to encourage all pupils to think about their responses, i.e. ask a question, pause to give pupils time to think and finally, say the name of the pupil you would like to answer.
- Teacher gives pupils appropriate wait time to process and reflect on the question they have been asked.
Example precise target: Teacher gives pupils appropriate wait time to process and reflect on the question they have been asked
- Not doing it at all: Explain to pupils that you will be pausing after questions to give them all time to think and, when delivering questions, use a short pause to allow them time to think before saying the name of the pupil you would like to answer the question.
- Doing it but needs some improvement: Explain to pupils that you will be pausing after questions to give them all time to think and, when delivering questions, vary the length of your pause depending on how challenging your question is for pupils, e.g. a challenging question means a longer pause.
- Doing it well and needs some stretch: Vary the length of the pause after you ask a question depending on how challenging it is likely to be for pupils to give them appropriate time to think. During the pause, scan the room to gauge when pupils might be ready to answer.
Development area 2: Checking for understanding
Focused development area
- Teacher, with the support of a colleague, plans questions about the key knowledge they need to check and are clear on the answers pupils need to give to show that this knowledge is secure before they move on.
- Teacher asks questions that cause pupils to elaborate upon their answers in order to ensure they stem from a secure understanding of the underlying concept.
- Teacher asks questions to samples of pupils so they can efficiently make inferences from their responses.
- Teacher uses methods to get responses to important questions from the whole class so they can check all pupils’ understanding.
Development area 3: Extending pupils’ thinking
Focused development area
- Teacher deliberately asks a range of types of questions that get pupils to extend their thinking, e.g. by justifying their answers or prompting them to use challenging vocabulary.
- Teacher reframes their questions to provide greater scaffolding or greater stretch.
- Teacher models high-quality oral language, including high-quality vocabulary, and insists upon it in pupils’ answers.
Observe
Consider the following questions based on a short (approximately 15 minute) observation of your teacher.
What was your teacher’s previous target? Are they meeting it? How do you know?
Thinking about the development area you have selected for this topic, what is your teacher already doing well in this area? Which focused development area best aligns with what your teacher needs to get better at? What one precise target (bite-sized action) might you work with them on during your mentor meeting?
Reminder: You can choose to stick with this previous target if they have not made enough progress. When moving on to a new precise target, you can select one from the table above or, if this doesn’t fit your teacher’s needs, you can write your own.
How will you model the target to your teacher to show them what good looks like? What questions will you ask to check your teacher understands the model? For example, ‘How it is different from your current practice?’ and ‘What impact might it have on your practice and pupils?’
Reminder: Your model should help your teacher develop their ability in some of the following:
- Model and require high-quality oral language.
- Include a range of types of questions in class discussions to extend and challenge pupils.
- Provide appropriate wait time between question and response where more developed responses are required.
- Reframe questions to provide greater scaffolding or greater stretch.
- Prompt pupils to elaborate when responding to questioning to check that a correct answer stems from secure understanding.
Next, meet with your teacher to work through the ‘feedback’ stage of instructional coaching.