Principles

All teachers use questioning every day in their lessons. It is so fundamental to teaching that it is easy to stop thinking about how it is done. However, questioning is a skill that can be developed. This section explains the Active Questioning approach and discusses what good questioning involves.

The key proposition is, ‘it’s in the ask’. When teachers ask questions, they can trigger better responses by taking care over the way the question is asked. The technique of asking is as important as the question.

Get the ask right and you will increase pupils’ engagement, the quality of their answers, their literacy and their confidence. Everything else develops from this proposition.

Teacher handbook

This information (along with some material from the Techniques section) is also provided as a handbook for use with and by teaching staff:

Teacher handbook

An A3 version, set up to fold and staple into a booklet, is also provided:

Teacher handbook (A3 booklet)