Friday, November 4, 2016

Questioning for Planning & Reflection

Good teaching requires an understanding of the kids, the content, and the pedagogy. As coaches, we often work with teachers who have a solid grasp on the first two elements – the kids and the content – but we are trying to support new thinking about the pedagogy.


 Our focus on the pedagogy may begin with modelling a new approach or making recommendations about how that approach can be applied. Once the teacher has increased knowledge of the practice, how can we encourage thoughtful planning and insightful reflection around its use? The GIR model suggests that asking questions can support teachers’ internalization of these new practices.

For example, if I’m working with a social studies teacher who wants to increase opportunities for academic writing in her next unit, I might ask probing questions such as the following to support her planning:

·         What important concepts are you hoping your students will take away from the unit?
·         How have you assessed students’ understanding of these concepts in the past?
·         What types of writing might help you assess your students’ understanding of these concepts?
·         What support might your students need to be successful with these types of writing?

Questions like these encourage thoughtful lesson design by backwards planning from the big ideas that are hoped-for outcomes. In response, teachers draw on their knowledge about the content and their students and apply it to their planning as the implement the new pedagogical approach.

Asking questions can also support reflection that leads to improved instruction. With my social studies teacher friend, I’ll move beyond the generic “How did it go?” and model asking the kinds of questions I ask myself after a lesson:

·         What did students learn? How do I know?
·         Were their times when students seemed lost? What did I do about it?
·         When were students less attentive? Why? What needs to change?
·         When were students most engaged? What caused it?
·         What do I want to be sure to do during the next lesson?

When a coach continues asking questions like these, she is modeling characteristics of effective reflection. If a teacher hasn’t already developed these attributes, she will internalize such questions over time and become more self-reflective.

If you’re a parent, you’ve likely been the recipient of brief responses if you asked the general question, “How was your day?” when greeting your child after school. Similarly, to get past the knee-jerk response (“Fine”) when we check in with teachers, we’ll want to hone our questions. The questions we ask influence the responses we get. This is an obvious, but important, connection. The questions we ask as coaches help our teachers apply the knowledge they have of students and content to new pedagogical approaches so that their planning and reflecting result in improved instruction.


This week, you might want to take a look at:

This handy, one-page description of Pearson & Gallagher’s Gradual Release of Responsibility Model:



What to think about when arranging (or rearranging) the classroom:



No matter what grade-level you teach, it’s helpful to consider what college Freshman know (or don’t know) about argumentative writing:



Spotlight on Literacy Instruction:



The power of ambiguity in the math classroom:


That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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