In July of 2024 I had the opportunity to meet with my Canadian ADE family. During our time together we were invited to explore creativity, story telling, and leadership sessions. A week prior to this gathering I accepted a new job which had me leaving my own self contained classroom after 32 years and taking on a position that has me now working with many different schools and teachers. Knowing this huge change was happening for me I made the decision to attend the leadership sessions. One of the many nuggets of knowledge that I took from my session was the value of questioning to improve the quality of learning.
Questions are a meaningful tool and when asked correctly, play an important role in gaining knowledge, problem solving, and building connections. Good questions encourage reflection, provide clarity and understanding, facilitate feedback, promote professional development, build confidence, and enhance collaboration. Yet when questions are poorly asked they can invoke fear or anxiety, lead to misunderstandings, discourage active participation, erode trust, and lead to the perception of insufficient support.
During my first session I was made aware of the Question Matrix and the importance of the types of questions we ask when working in a teacher leadership role with other teachers and administrators.
From this table you can see that questions that begin with what, where, when, or who and continue with is, did, and can, evoke factual answers. These questions may feel threatening to someone unfamiliar with new content and while there is a time and place for them there may be better types of questions to ask. Here are a couple of examples of questions that evoke factual answers…
What did you learn from this session?
How did your students respond to this activity?
The next type of questions begin with what, where, when, or who and continue with should, would, will/might. These questions are much more open and encourage the person being asked to really think about how their actions are impacting those around them. As the table states, these questions provoke predictive answers. Asking questions that encourage predictive answers encourage forward thinking, planning and the application of knowledge. They help enhance decision making, promote critical thinking, and support reflection and learning. Here are two examples of questions that evoke predictive answers.
Where would you integrate technology to enhance student learning?
Where would additional resources be most effective?
The third type of questions are those that begin with why and how and continue with is, did, and can. These questions evoke analytical answers. They help identify personal strengths and areas for growth, explore underlying reasons for the decisions around strategies, encourage teachers to think about and try to find solutions for problems they are noticing, help clarify an understanding of an educational concept, help bridge the gap between theory and practice, and increase teacher competence. Here are a few examples.
How do you feel your lesson went? Why do you feel that way?
How can you modify this lesson to better meet your students needs?
How is this conversation helpful with your own learning?
Why did you choose this type form of feedback for your lesson?
The final type of questions are those that evoke an application or synthesis type of answer. These questions typically begin with why and how and continue with should, would, will or might. These types of questions encourage teachers to analyze their strategies and decisions and lead to a deeper understanding of their effectiveness. These types of questions also promote reflective practice and help enhance self awareness. In addition they help teachers set realistic and achievable goals and they provide a framework for constructive feedback. Finally these types of questions help foster open dialogue between the mentor and the teacher, leading to more meaningful and supportive interactions. Here are a few examples.
How might you include student feedback within your lesson?
Why should you include your students in the assessment process?
It’s important that we when ask purposeful and thoughtful a questions that are relevant to a teacher’s current experience. As lead teachers working with other teachers and administrators we need to create a safe environment where teachers feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and reflections. It is equally important that we use follow-up questions to gain a more comprehensive understanding,
Another key piece of take away information is that as a leader it’s imperative that when asking questions is that we are aware of the state the teacher is in at the time. Unless you’re certain that they are in the mood for questions from you may want to start with questions such as…
Is now a good time to chat about…?
Would you mind if I asked you how… ?
Are you okay if I …?
As an educator new to this role, and one who is just exploring the power of questioning I’d love to hear more about how you use the power of questioning to support your teachers and learners. I encourage you to leave a comment below.
#mentorship #coaching #leadership #questions #questioning
Attach up to 5 files which will be available for other members to download.