1. Task
Look at the individual activity you completed earlier. Use the question stems to devise some higher order thinking questions linked to the learning intention and success criteria you came up with. Share your thinking with a partner.

2. Effective Strategies
Not all questions can be planned. Indeed most questioning in a lesson is likely to be asked in response to students’ responses to your questions, and of course, this has to be done off-the-cuff.
However, research shows that where teachers plan at least some of their questions in advance rather than simply going into a lesson and asking questions off the top of their heads, the lessons are more successful. This does not mean that all questions can or should be planned in advance. We need to be able to improvise and go with the flow:
This activity is designed to give you an opportunity to:
Practise planning questions for a part of a lesson.
Present your plan with another group.
Give and receive feedback on the effectiveness of the plans.
Activity 2: Planning Subject specific questions - see activity in handout guidance for materials needed and organisation. This could be done during the workshop or as an extension activity/ session. 2

3. Wait Time Increasing wait time can be achieved by :
Indicating the thinking time and asking for no hands up until the time is up.
Asking for talking partner discussions for a given period of time before taking responses.
Asking children to jot their thoughts on a whiteboard/paper for a given period of time before taking responses
Simply leaving more time for processing to take place – (Easier said than done!)

4. Extending wait time leads to the following:
Answers are longer
Failure to respond decreases
Responses are more confident
Children challenge and/or improve the answers of other children
More alternative explanations are offered

5. No Hands Up Everyone is accountable Raises the focus in the class
Gives everyone a chance

6. Talking Partners
Allows pupils to think, articulate and extend their learning.
Shy, less confident pupils have a voice and over confident pupils have to learn to listen to others.
Allows pupils to ‘test drive’ their answers.

7. Hands Down Back to AFL Tools Tell pupils they should only raise their
hand to ask a question, not to answer one.
The teacher then chooses pupils to
answer, therefore gaining information on
whether everyone is learning.
– fruit machine
programme on here where you can input
names, save it and play it to choose pupils
at random.
Write names on lollipop sticks and pull out
at random to answer.
Write numbers on balls or counters that
tally to register or seating position and re-
use with every class.

8. An Aifl classroom…look like??
Traffic light trays
Lollipop sticks, ping pong balls, characters
Show me boards
Coloured cups
Question trees
Plenaries – mid point and end – plenary producer
Exit passes
Learning intentions and success criteria displayed and evidence of generation by pupils
Differentiated success criteria
Feedback on written work to include a question
Homework tasks include generating questions
Plenaries are given due time – may be given as a homework task.
Etc…….
Some Things to think about ?

11. What might the Great Depression look like today?
Back to AFL Tools
‘Might’
When questioning, insert the word
‘might’ to give students greater
opportunity to think and explore
possible answers.
e.g.
What is meaning of democracy?
What might the meaning of
democracy be?
The first infers a single answer known
by the teacher whereas the second is
inherently more open.
What might the Great Depression look like today?

12. Teachmeets