2.4 Questioning skills
Let’s now consider how you can use questions to open up thinking and discussion in your mentoring meetings.
As mentors, the way we frame questions directly impacts how much a trainee shares. Closed questions (that can be answered Yes or No) shut down dialogue, and leading questions accidentally judge or push a specific agenda.
1) Eliminate questions starting with Did you, Do you, Have you, Is it, or Can you.
2) Strip the Assumption. Remove loaded words that suggest a "correct" answer or imply blame (e.g.,Why didn't you, Don't you think, Shouldn't you).
According to John Whitmore (2004), questions should serve two purposes in developmental mentoring:
RAISING AWARENESS and ENCOURAGING RESPONSIBILITY.
To raise a trainee's awareness of their own situation and gain a sense of their current reality, a mentor may ask:
- What strategies have you used this week to establish good relationships with pupils?
- How do you know the pupils were learning?
- What are the pupils doing differently this week compared to last week?
- How will you know when you have the class all engaged – what does this look like to you?
- In a few words, sum up what it’s like for you in your classroom this week compared to last?
To encourage a trainee to take responsibility, a mentor may ask:
- What are the different options available to you?
- Thinking about your current target, on a scale of 1 – 10, how would you rate your progress?
- What can realistically be achieved by next week?
- What are you now doing as a consequence of your target/s?
- Based on our conversations, what would you change to move your teaching practice forward?
You will notice that these are all open questions, mainly starting with What, How, or Tell me... All encourage your trainee to reframe their thoughts and to explore better ways to move forward.
Grab some paper and a pen (or an electronic writing device) and consider the following questions:
A) Classroom Management
- Flawed (Closed/Leading): "Did you notice that the back row was completely off-task while you were talking, or were you too focused on your slides?"
- The Issue: It is passive-aggressive, accusatory, and shames the trainee for poor scanning.
- Rewrite the question so that it is a non-judgmental, open-ended question
B) Lesson Planning & Pacing
- Flawed (Leading): "Don't you think it would have been better to use a timer for the starter activity instead of letting it drag on for twenty minutes?"
- The Issue: This is advice disguised as a question. It tells the trainee they failed at pacing without letting them identify it.
- Rewrite the question so that it is a non-judgmental, open-ended question
C) Differentiation & Inclusion
- Flawed (Closed): "Do you think the worksheet you gave to Anita was too difficult for her?"
- The Issue: A closed question that puts the mentor's evaluation onto the trainee, leading to a defensive "yes" or "no" response.
- Rewrite the question so that it is a non-judgmental, open-ended question
D) Assessment for Learning (AfL)
- Flawed (Leading): "Why did you just ask 'Is everyone happy with that?' instead of using mini-whiteboards to actually check their understanding?"
- The Issue: Uses the confrontational word "Why" and directly prescribes a specific alternative technique, shutting down reflection.
- Rewrite the question so that it is a non-judgmental, open-ended question
Now, download (and save for future reference) the document for suggested questions and prompts to use in your mentoring meetings. How do your rewritten questions compare with the suggested questions?