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How can pupils’ answers help us to help them learn? |
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Asking questions, either orally or in writing, can help you to find out whether pupils have understood what they are meant to be learning. But questions that simply find out whether pupils know the correct answer are of little value – pupils can give the right answers for the wrong reasons, or the wrong answers for understandable reasons. ‘Good’ questions are those that encourage learners to make their thinking explicit. To diagnose pupils’ learning needs and make learning secure, research suggests it helps to probe their ‘correct’ answers and explore their misconceptions .
Evidence and reflection
You might like to gather evidence about the way you handle your pupils’ responses within question and answer exchanges. One way you could do this would be to tape record a question and answer session with your class or with a group of pupils. You could note down and reflect on how you handle ten of your pupils’ responses. What effect do your responses have on your pupils’ learning?
Moving forward
Analysing your data will help you to reflect on the extent to which you listen to and probe your pupils’ answers. To develop your skills, you may find it helpful to work with a colleague to think of responses that will help you to find out the extent of your pupils’ understanding and any misconceptions they have. You could try out your responses in role-plays with your colleague. You might like to:
- discuss with your colleague his/her reactions to your responses in the role-play situations
- hypothesise about how different groups of pupils might react to your responses
- assess the quality of the skills you are practising
- think about which areas of the curriculum might support such probing best.
Find out more
You can find out more about AfL practices that help pupils to learn on the TLRP Learning how to learn project website at: http://www.tlrp.org/proj/phase11/phase2f.html
You can find out more about the potential of AfL practices (such as effective questioning) to develop and improve pupil learning on the GTC’s Research of the Month website at: http://www.gtce.org.uk/research/romtopics/rom_teachingandlearning/raising/
You can find out more about effective questioning on the GTC’s Research of the Month website at: http://www.gtce.org.uk/research/romtopics/rom_teachingandlearning/effective_talk/
You can find more further reading suggestions on the theme of communication in the classroom at: http://www.rtweb.info/ch12/nfr12.html
Short summaries of research on the theme of speaking and listening are available on The Research Informed Practice site at: http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/research/themes/speakandlisten/?digest=all
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