Professional Experience 4; Teacher as Inquirer SP5 2018 Melissa Hylan

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EFFECTIVE QUESTIONING

Professional Inquiry Project Focus

The objective of this Professional Inquiry Project was to focus on how I could utilise

effective questioning in Literacy to engage students in the learning content. The

rationale for this focus was chosen after a self-review of my pre-service teaching

placements and examination of educational literature.

Justification for Inquiry Focus

The Year 5 and Year 6 description in The Australian Curriculum identifies Literacy as

one of the three strands of English that is used for ‘developing students’ knowledge,

understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and creating’

(ACARA 2018). Literature argues that ‘effective questioning can support students’

curiosity and active engagement with learning because they are able to express their

thinking from various viewpoints’ (Baker 2014, p.63). Using effective questioning can

scaffold students and the utilisation of ‘Vygotsky’s learning theory on class

interactions can be seen in teacher-to-student interactions when adept questioning,

coordinated by the teacher, allows the students opportunities to reveal understanding’

(Baker 2014, p. 53). Being able to utilise effective questioning to engage and scaffold

student understandings and check understanding is an essential teaching practice for

all teachers.

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Context and Curriculum Area

The R-7, Index 6 public Primary School had 389 students. (Department for Education

and Child Development 2018). The classroom was a composite year 5/6 class with 29

students. Three students had Negotiated Education Plans. There was one ESL

student. After observation and discussion, there were many levels of literacy ability.

Approximately half of the students required scaffolding for learning.

The Literacy unit of work was to research, write and publish an Information Report.

Through a series of lessons students would learn the structure and features of an

Information Report in order to produce their own. From the Australian Curriculum area

of English the content descriptions of Literacy to guide this unit of work were:

Year 5: Literacy: Interpreting, analysing and evaluating (ACELY1701).

Identify and explain characteristic text structures and language features used in

imaginative, informative and persuasive tests to meet the purpose of the text.

Year 6: Literacy: Interpreting, analysing and evaluating (ACELY1711).

Analyse how text structures and language features work together to meet the purpose

of a text (ACELY1711).

Design and Data Collection Techniques

To establish the data required I researched the structure and features of an information

report, with reference to The Australian Curriculum. I then determined the learning

outcomes for each lesson. Research argues that ‘Teachers who are able to organize

activities and assignments including specifically selected guiding, probing, or

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scaffolding questions that are not too easy nor too difficult can assist the child in

constructing knowledge and facilitate learning’ (Baker 2014, p. 52). Using this I

established questions I would ask in order to engage and scaffold students in the

completion of each learning experience.

I planned three data collection techniques.

The first was a personal journal to record reflections of my teaching on 7 literacy

lessons. This would include the effectiveness of questions on engagement and my

response to student questions. This critical reflection would also record areas for

teaching improvement and ideas for further questioning.

The second was teacher observation; using an observation sheet to record the types

of questioning; whole class, individual, open-ended and group or think/pair/share. This

observation sheet included whether questioning was relevant and effective in

scaffolding students in their learning. It also included observation on question delivery,

wait time and areas for improvement.

The third was student reflection by using thumbs up/ down/ sideways to check for

engagement and understanding, that I would record on a checklist. I would use this to

guide my teaching behaviour. Ciardiello (1998, p.212) explains that questioning ‘a

comprehension-monitoring and regulating process. It serves as a form of self-checking

to assess if material is understood’.

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Data Results and Analysis:

The data collected from teacher observations shows that I asked an average of 15

questions during a literacy lesson. Keeping a tally of the types of questions I was

asking; open-ended, whole class, group or individual, was difficult for the teacher to

continually observe. Therefore the data is not a true reflection of the amount or types

of questions asked. Written observation showed (Melissa) ‘uses a range of questioning

techniques- usually to focus and extend the focus- whole class and at group level’. My

reflection after each lesson shows that I felt I had asked many.

In my reflection on effectiveness of questioning I wrote ‘I am finding it easier to extend

the students answers when they answer a question, this has taken some time for me

to get used to doing. I ask for several answers, so students see there are many

answers’. The observing teacher said ‘your questions became more targeted, clear

and gained extended responses as the students worked with the focus of the lesson’

and ‘you were more effective at building upon students answers when discussing at

group or individual times’. The unit of work became more individually focused as the

students began their Information report, this meant my questioning did as well, this

was not my initial intention. ‘Today I was able to speak with students individually to

see how they were progressing, it is clear that some students are struggling with

writing their introductions- this can be a focus for the start of tomorrows lesson’ The

impact of individual questioning was that I was able to scaffold and really identify the

areas individuals needed help. I could also identify the need to regroup as a whole

class and review the learning content again.

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The data from the teacher observations shows questioning for student engagement

varied between being effective and ineffective. ‘Engagement noticeable in whole class

work, group work at times some students attending to ‘other business’ if finished or

not engaged with the task’. The student observations that I completed showed that

many students did ‘appear’ engaged, however when they were given an individual

task they appeared to not understand what they were meant to do.

The teacher observed (Melissa) ‘used a range of techniques- soft and loud-

requestioned if needed- looked at students to gauge understanding and changed

language used’. My personal reflections also noted ‘I feel as though I can tell by the

students faces as to whether or not they have understood my questions. If they haven’t

I find a way to reword it’.

In my reflections I had noted ‘When I ask a question, using wait time is really working

well, more and more students are raising their hands- not just the same ones, some

students who have never had a say in the class are starting to!’. I had also noted ‘Now

that I know the students better I feel as though I know how long I need to wait when

they are answering a question before I ask them if they want me to go to somebody

else’.

Initially data was collected from students using thumbs up/ down/ sideways, however

the use of this and my reflection soon identified it as ‘not a great technique to collect

data on questioning’. After discussing this method with my critical friend I established

that this is best used to gain an insight into whether they are understanding what they

are meant to be doing. I decided I would record student engagement through

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observation; looking for listening, responding, participating and then question students

individually during task completion. I changed this for the next lesson and found

‘personally observing student engagement today worked well for me - will continue’.

This was a positive change in my inquiry as I felt I was more aware of students being

engaged or not. When I felt students were not engaged I utilised questioning to find

out whether I needed to explain or scaffold further. Most of these students were of

lower ability, however I ensured that ‘low achieving students are asked complex

questions at the same rate and depth as high achieving students’ (Baker 2014, p. 31).

Reflection:

During the unit I was able to collected data to improve the effectiveness of my

questioning. I changed the recording of my student observations to become more

specific to the focus. Overall my inquiry focus was important to examine how I

implemented questioning and whether my communication skills of delivery, listening

and responding were appropriate to the response of students (Ground-water Smith

et.al, 2011). I recognise that my focus was too wide and I should have focused on one

type of questioning. However from the data and my analysis I can identify the areas

where I need to improve my future practice. I recognise that there were areas of

content, that I did not have enough knowledge to extend student answers with

questioning. I need to increase my own content knowledge in order to ask higher

cognitive questions that ‘ask students to mentally manipulate pieces of information

previously learned to create an answer or to support an answer with logically reasoned

evidence’ (Baker 2014, p.17). I also found that student responses to some learning

experiences were not what I had expected and therefore could not find the right

questions to challenge their thinking. Feedback from the observing teacher

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encouraged me to ‘include specific questions that re-emphasise the key focus of the

lesson, so all students can feel confident to know what they are learning about’. My

whole group questioning requires more practice in order to increase engagement in

the learning content, I will continue to work on this area. I feel positive about my growth

in this area and feel that my use of individual and small group questioning is effective.

I could see the positive impact of using wait time for answers and will continue to use

this.

Conclusion

The inquiry focus has given me an awareness of my teaching behaviour. I have learnt

the importance of knowing the content I am teaching and how brainstorming the way

students may respond to your questions can prepare you for having an effective

answer or question to respond with. I will continue my research and practice of whole

class questioning strategies in order to engage every student within my classroom.

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Appendix

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References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) 2018, F-10

Curriculum, English, Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum v8.3, Australian Curriculum
and Reporting Authority, viewed 25 September 2018,
<https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-
curriculum/english/?year=11579&year=11580&strand=Literacy&elaborations=true&el
aborations=false&scotterms=false&isFirstPageLoad=false>.

Baker AH 2014 ‘An Exploratory Critical Study of Questioning Strategies Posed by

Early Childhood Teachers During Literacy Blocks’ ProQuest LLC, Ann Arbor.

Ciardiello, AV 1998, Did You Ask a Good Question Today? Alternative Cognitive and
Metacognitive Strategies, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, vol. 42, no. 3, pp.
210-219.

Department for Education and Child Development 2018, Index of Educational

Disadvantage by School, Government of South Australia, viewed 27 July 2018,
<https://www.education.sa.gov.au/sites/g/files/net691/f/index-of-educational-
disadvantage-by-school-2018.pdf>.

Groundwater-Smith, S, Ewing, R & Le Cornu, R, 2011, Teaching Challenges and

Dilemmas, 4th edn, Cengage Learning Australia, Australia.

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