Lain Alex ADAM - 32343701

Secondary
Observation Questioning

Question Type:

Do you feel your questions were clearly structured and readily understood by the students?
The questions that I gave to the students for the short lesson were closed, clear and concise. I felt
that they should have had a sufficient understanding of them as they were quite basic and all the
answers to the questions were in the visual text (DVD) they had just been exposed to. It was simply a
matter of reiterating the information to confirm that they were paying attention and had learned
and achieved what the purpose of the text was.
The questions for the whole lesson were structured as a question sheet which were mostly open
questions encouraging open thinking. These questions were refined over and over each time I went
over the lesson and the planning to make sure they could be understood easily and were to the
point as to avoid misinterpretation, unproductive answers, or extra explanation time.

Did you use a variety of question types?
I managed to use a variety of questions in my lesson plans.
The short lesson was mostly comprised of convergent questions with only one or limited answers
whereas, the whole lesson contained a component that focused heavily on more divergent
questions. I did, however, ask some of the early finishing students some more thought provoking
questions verbally to see what they could come up with.

What balance was there between the various question types?
The balance between the types of questions, I feel, was quite stable and fairly even. Due to time
constraints, I covered closed questions in the micro lesson in the form of a set of worksheets
designed to not only provide the information but have them interact with what they were meant to
be learning. This also tied in with what they were doing for the start of the class: watching a DVD on
human evolution which is what I centred the worksheet and the questions around. Open questions
were covered in the whole class lesson because there was a bit more time and hence more room for
discussion and free thinking. I attempted to cover all the what, where, why, who, when, how kinds
of questions but definitely ended up favouring the what, the why and the how questions over
the other types.

Consider both why and when you made use of the different question types?
I used closed questions for the short lesson. The reason being that the mentor teacher wanted me to
use the information that was in the visual text they were observing to ensure they could
demonstrate their knowledge by displaying what they had just learned for this, there was more or
less only one direct answer that was correct for each question.
I used more open styled questions for the whole class lesson. The reason being that there was more
people, more time, and more opportunity. For this lesson, I made up an information sheet which
taught the basics of what they needed to know and then explained about the question sheet on the
adjacent page. These questions were more to inspire creative and logical thinking because there was
to be a discussion upon the class completion of the questions. For the purposes of extended
dialogue and a more fascinating discussion - the questions had the ability to be of a slightly higher
level, more challenging and have a variety of deeper answer possibilities and suggestions.
Lain Alex ADAM - 32343701
Distributing and Directing Questions:

Did you recognise any pattern in the distribution of your questions amongst the students?
Consider the reasons for this pattern?
I noticed that I was directing questions more to those who were in my immediate view. After a few
questions, I would have to consciously make myself realise that I was missing the people at the back
of the room and pick someone from the group to provide an answer to try to make for a more even
distribution. I found that, to begin with, I would pick someone on the left, then a student on the
right and continue this pattern before realising and trying to break it to make it a little more random.
I think the reason behind the initial pattern was that I was assuming by alternating between sides
that most students would get the chance to participate in answering.

How have you directed questions to the group?
I directed the questions to the group in a number of different ways. I provided lesson worksheets
where they could answer questions in a less conventional, more applied and interactive way; I asked
them questions verbally and suggested possible answers when the discussion was falling thin; and I
gave them written questions on a specific topic.

Have you used wait time?
I did use wait time in leaving some room for the students to compile their own answer before
speaking it. However, many of the students were lazy and didnt do some of the tasks even though
they were aware of what was needed so I had to put some of them on the spot which either forced
an answer or did not provide any kind of response at all.

Did you make eye contact with the group as you directed your questions?
Making eye contact was difficult as I did not get the time or opportunity to get to know the kids in
the class in the high school setting so I did not know their names or their individual capabilities. I
attempted to make eye contact with them all whilst at the front of the class and when directing
questions to one single or particular student. However, I found it difficult as I was slightly
uncomfortable.

Reactions to Students Responses:

How do you deal with correct responses?
Do you qualify any praise given?
Correct responses in the short lesson with the worksheets were rewarded with a Freddo Frog or a
Caramello Koala. Students who finished put their hands up to signal myself, the student teacher, and
I went over to check their answers. If they had the right answers, they were given a well done and
were then given a choice of what they wanted as a reward for their efforts; for responding correctly.
For the whole class lesson, it was a little more difficult as there were more open answers and a great
number of possibilities. For this, if someone had a particularly interesting answer, I would have them
share it with the class for the discussion.

How do you deal with incorrect responses?
How do you deal with students who stumble and grope for an answer?
Incorrect responses were met with more questions to try and steer them onto the right track but
some of the students were quite adamant in not wanting to participate and did not attempt to
answer the questions asked or take the prompts given to develop more of an understanding.
Lain Alex ADAM - 32343701
Do you keep eye contact with the students until they have completed an answer?
Do you cut students off and go onto the next point before they have finished responding?
I wasnt always able to keep eye contact with the pupils because they were distracted or fidgety and
looking away. It was a mildly uncomfortable experience for me in that there were some students
who, despite being given the same amount of adequate time as others, did not think about or come
up with some possible answers for discussion. I attempted to pull answers from them or have them
come up with something by prompting them along but mostly, I had to move along to prevent time
wastage and to keep the discussion flowing and engaging the responses.

What use do you make of the students responses to develop the teaching point?
Have you redirected any questions in order to add to an initial response?
I would have liked to have had more of a discussion to develop the points made and the ideas
developed. The fact that some students did not have answers or had made no attempt to come up
with a creative response was definitely a disappointment and hindered the exercise. I feel that the
students would have learned more effectively if there was more quality in the discussion. My
original plan was to take some of the answers that the students gave and open them up by putting
them to the group and allowing them to be dissected and elaborated upon. The majority of students
did not have answers that were sufficiently suited for the application of the plan.

Are you the only evaluator of the students answers?
Considering that the worksheets for the micro lesson were basic, closed answers: there was no need
for any deep evaluation of the answers as they were direct and could either be correct or incorrect.
For the whole class lesson, the students were meant to give feedback on each others answers to try
to build and develop on all their understandings and knowledge.