Over the last year teachers in Brighton and Hove have been looking at
ways to develop effective use of formative assessment as a means of
improving pupils' attainment and of engaging them more actively in their
learning.
Questioning is an integral part of all strands of formative assessment, or
"Assessment for learning": self and peer assessment, feedback, sharing
learning intentions and using summative assessment formatively. It is an
area traditionally characterised by a good deal of "instinctive" practice –
what teachers "just do". However, teachers working within the
Assessment for learning project in Brighton and Hove have found it
helpful to reflect on that practice in order to identify ways to develop
questioning techniques that enhance their teaching, promote higher
order thinking and thus improve learning. Extending the repertoire of
questioning strategies employed has also been noted as having a
marked effect on pupils' motivation to learn.
The aim of this booklet is to share some of our work on developing
questioning and some of the practical ways teachers have improved
their practice in this area. Much of it will not be new; it simply collects
ideas for teachers to use and adapt as they see fit to match the learning
needs of their pupils.