Inquiry learning How do we support inquiry learning? Tool ID-2: Classroom questioning role play © 2016 mascil project (G.A. no. 320693). Lead partner University of Nottingham; CC-NC-SA 4.0 license granted. The project mascil has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013).

Overview Aim: To engage deeply with questioning approaches. We will: Watch a video about classroom questioning; Carry out a role play; Share experiences and thoughts. The aim of this tool is to further explore how questioning can be used to stimulate IBL. The group will begin by watching a short video on questioning, followed by a role play in which teachers experiment with different questions. This activity could be used immediately after Tool ID-1.

Video Watch the video Think about how the points made in the video relate to your own practice. Show the video on questioning strategies. Ask the teachers to think about how the video relates to their own practice and their own subject specialism, if appropriate.

Role play Decide on a context and work together to devise some effective questioning to use in this context. Carry out a role play, with one person being the ‘teacher’ and the others being ‘students’, to try out your questions. Then set up a role play. Agree with the whole group the classroom context (age of pupils, subject, aim of lesson, content or task, etc.). Ask the teachers to work in small groups to devise some effective questioning to use in this context. For each small group, one participant should act as the teacher and the other teachers as students. Try out the questions devised by the small group.

Reflections Reflect on why and how the questions were (or were not) effective in your role play. Discuss one or more of the following questions: Pick a question. What opportunities did it provide for the student? What did it provide for the teacher? In which ways was it an effective question? What different sorts of questions were used? Did question x get the sort of response that was predicted? In the same groups, reflect on why and how the questions were (or were not) effective, possibly using one or more of the following questions: Pick a question. What opportunities did it provide for the student? What did it provide for the teacher? In which ways was it an effective question? What different sorts of questions were used? Did question x get the sort of response that was predicted?

Finishing off Share your reflections. The devise some further questions that you think should be effective in stimulating student thinking during a lesson. Before next time try these questions out in a lesson and be ready to share your experiences. Bring the whole group back together and ask the small groups to share their thoughts. Ask the teachers to select or devise some questions that they think would be effective in stimulating student thinking within a lesson and try these out in a lesson before the next session. Ask them to be ready to share their experiences and reflections.