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Skill Review Sheet Questioning

Graduate Standards - AITSL
Professional Practice: 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 5.2 Plan and implement effective teaching and learning
Please complete all forms and include in your ePortfolio

Question Type
Do you feel your
questions were clearly
structured and readily
understood by the
students?

Did you use a variety of

question types?

Yes, both my year 10 and 7 science classes were given

worksheets with easy to understand questions relevant to the topic
of the class (with vocabulary comprehensible to their year group).
As each class was prefaced with an introduction to the content in
the worksheet (i.e. line graphs, time-distance graphs, lab
equipment, units of measurement) they had already been given a
direction and an expectation of what answers I was looking for.

During the introduction powerpoint at the start of my lessons, I

encouraged a fair amount of partner discussion, as well as openended class discussion to questions relevant to each slide. The
worksheets themselves had a variety of close-ended questions
(looking for one specific correct answer), where they had to draw
graphs, analyse their graphs or label lab equipment, to name a few
examples. For anyone who had finished the worksheets with spare
time leftover, I had extensions questions that required them to use
creativity and inventive thinking to answer.

Every closed-ended question was usually followed by an openWhat balances was there ended question to get them thinking outside of the box, whether it
was in the work that I assigned for them or the presentation I did at
between the various
the start of class to introduce and explain the topic to them. Even
questions types?
with the closed-ended questions I posed them a variety of question
types (i.e. true/false, multiple choice, fill in the blanks, construct a
graph, draw a diagram, etc) so the students never seemed to get
bored or distracted by repetitive questions.

Consider both why and

when you made use of
the different question
types?

Open-ended questions were most useful in my introduction at the

start of each lesson it allowed the students to explore a range of
possible answers with me, and got them listening to each others
opinions, which in turn gave others the confidence to speak up and
answer as well (as I never told anyone their answer was wrong).
Close-ended questions were most useful in the bookwork and
questions that I assigned for them, as it allowed them to put their
new knowledge and understand to use and work out the correct
answer for themselves (this understanding was further built upon
with some open-ended creative questions in the worksheets as
well).

Distributing and Directing Questions

Did you recognise any
pattern in the distribution
of your questions
amongst the students?
Consider reasons for this
pattern?

How have you directed

questions to the group?

Have you used wait

time?

Did you make eye

contact with the group as
you directed your
questions?

When I was speaking directly to the class and posing questions, I

definitely found a pattern amongst the students that were most
willing to answer the same students continued to put their hands
up, and generally they were around the front of the classroom.
This is likely because the students with the confidence/knowledge
to answer my questions were eager to be at the front and at the
focal point of the teachers attention. They seemed to enjoy
offering answers and were gratified when they were correct. When
I went around and helped students answer questions one on one,
it seemed that the quiet students were usually just as capable and
knowledgeable as the ones more willing to answer questions in
front of everyone, probably because they were too shy or selfconscious about getting the answer wrong.
When introducing new content, I would create an open discussion
with the class (so that anyone can ask questions or offer input)
and then practice a question for them, modeling how an answer
should be presented. I offer open questions and either get them to
discuss with their partners or put their hand up. I then give the
group their own question (whether written on the board or in a
worksheet) and get them to attempt it on their own.
After giving the group their worksheets, I always allowed a waiting
period to allow them to fully read, assess and comprehend the
questions on their own. Only after attempting at least one question
on their own did I interfere or offer help, to allow them to make
their own mistakes and reassess their answers themselves. When
asking questions verbally, I always wait at least 3 whole seconds
for someone to answer before speaking again.
Yes, I believe eye contact is one of the most important non-verbal
signals to engage students, be it with a class of 3 or 30 kids. This
ensures that I can see exactly who is (or is not) listening to me or
watching my examples, and lets them know that I am listening
intently to them, and considering their thoughts and feelings. It
ensures that everyone feels mutually respected and involved.

Reactions to Students Responses

How do you deal with
correct responses? Do
you qualify any praise
given?

I believe that any correct response should be validated with a

positive response, especially if it is a student that is brave enough
to offer an answer in front of others. Generally my praise was
subtle, praising students with a smile or a congratulatory tone
rather than always in words (e.g. Thats right, well done). For
students who made it obvious they were struggling with the
content, I made an extra effort to praise them for their efforts when
talking 1x1.

I never outright tell a student they are wrong, or shame them for
offering an answer that is incorrect. My response to incorrect
How do you deal with
answers acknowledge what they have said, but try to lead them
incorrect responses?
towards the right answer i.e. Youre on the right path, but lets
How do you deal with
think of it this way or Almost, can anyone else help ______ find
students who stumble
the answer to make everyone feel validated and included no
and grope for an answer? matter if their responses are right or wrong. I think effort and
inclusion are more important than being right the first time.

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?

Often I found it hard to keep my eyes solely on one student as

they are answering me (because often we see other things
happening in our peripherals, such as students talking or being on
their phones) so I was constantly switching between maintaining
eye contact and using low-key responses to other students who
might be distracting others (pointing, hairy eye, moving around
the room etc). I avoided interrupting students whenever I could,
letting them explain their point in full, although if it was clear that
they had lost their train of thought and were floundering for
words, I would interject, continue my point, or ask someone else to
expand on that students answer.

I will try and incorporate a students answer into my discussion

What use do you make of when I elaborate on a topic, to make the student feel validated and
useful in the classroom, although sometimes their responses were
the students responses
well meaning but not entirely relevant to the content at hand.
to develop the teaching
When this happened, I redirected my attention back to the class
point? Have you
and asked, Does anyone have anything else to say/more to add?
redirected any questions before furthering the discussion myself.

in order to add to an
initial response?

Are you the only

evaluator of the students
answers?

No. Whilst I might be the primary evaluator of the students

answers (since they are directly answering one of my questions),
their peers are also listening and evaluating anything that is said in
the classroom. If students were not understanding and, by
extension, evaluating what each other is saying, there would be
never be any momentum or analytical thought in the classroom
discussion.

Yes I planned the structure of the lesson so that is was

explained WHAT they would be learning (and why it was useful to
Did you communicate
I demonstrated the content with my own examples, and
clearly to the students the them),
then assigned them work with instructions that were
requirements of the
straightforward to follow. I clarified that every student would have
lesson?
to show me their work before leaving the lesson, as it was
required that everyone should make an effort even if they were
unsure of the answers. We then discussed the answers as a group
(if time permitted).

Overall Comments

Skill Review Sheet Management

Graduate Standards AITSL
Professional Practice: 4. Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
4.1 and 4.2

Planning for Effective Management

After introducing myself, the students seemed very excitable at
first, and easily distracted by the new face standing at the front of
Was your lesson plan
the room. I used the same classroom management tactics that my
effective for managing
mentor used on them (counting down 3-2-1 quiet) which worked
the class?
well, but at that point I had already used up time that I had not
factored into my lesson plan. My introductory presentation started
e.g. How did the students with a video, which got their attention immediately, and after I
discussed the content with them and demonstrated what sort of
react to your lesson
answers the question sheet was looking for, I handed out the
overall and to your
activity sheet and let them get to work (there were a variety of
planned activities?
different question types to keep them engaged for the entire
lesson). At this point I was running almost perfectly on time. Many
Did anything unexpected students seemed to want more direction or 1x1 help with me,
happen?
despite understanding the content, which made me think they were
either not with what I was teaching them (despite being told we
Did you provide a variety were building on prior knowledge they already had), or they lacked
the confidence in themselves to give it a go. They responded well
of activities?
to visually being instructed what to do, but were disinclined from
reading off a worksheet and attempting an answer of their own. My
Were you satisfied with
lesson ran to the very end of the class, although the bell went
your timing, particularly
before I had managed to get them packed up, so I realised how
for the end of the lesson? important it was to time things so that the students had enough
time to pack everything away and be ready to leave the classroom,
otherwise things get chaotic very quickly.

Did you feel you were

able to change things if
needed?

Before every class I made sure I already had all of my materials

ready for the class (all worksheets printed and photocopied, lesson
plan complete to give to my mentor, and powerpoint presentation
on a USB stick) as well as spare writing equipment i.e. rulers
already in the classroom. I handed out grid paper to each student
e.g. Did you and the
after my presentation (to make sure they wouldnt graffiti or doodle
students have everything on them during my introduction), and ensured that I collected all
spare rulers at the end of the lesson, as the belonged to my
you needed?
mentor teacher. The students never once needed to get up and
move around the room because I told them exactly what they
Did you plan how and
needed to get out when they entered the room, so there would be
when you would
no disruptions with people walking around and fetching stationary
distribute and collect
from their bags.

Was your organisation of

materials and resources
efficient and effective?

materials?

Were you aware of

classroom procedures
and school disciplinary
policy? How much did
you know about your
students?

My mentor encouraged me not to use punishments or threats to

discipline but rather encouragement and incentives for good
behaviour, and her class seemed to respond very well to positive
engagement, rather than negative. After my first lesson I had a
good idea which students took their work seriously and engaged
with the content very quickly, and which students found this more
difficult and needed more incentive or attention to get them
engaged often these were the louder, disruptive students.

Maintaining a Positive Attitude in the Classroom

I always kept my tone of voice enthusiastic and engaging, and
How did you demonstrate when someone made an effort to answer a question I would smile
and acknowledge them with a small praise. I tried to involve them
to the students that you
in the topic by getting to know their interests (i.e. incorporating our
valued them, and enjoyed mutual love for video games into one of my examples) and
the teaching/learning
sometimes using humour to make the content seem entertaining,
process?
but only when the class was well behaved and on task. I always
ended the class by making them stand behind their desks, waiting
e.g. Tone of voice, facial for them to quiet down, and thanked them for all the effort they put
in, or that I hoped some students would be willing to make more of
expression, sense of
an effort next class (so that my next class with them would start
humour, introduction to
with a clean slate, rather than on a negative note from the
students and topic.
previous class). I know that thanking students for appropriate
behaviour should not be a recurring gesture, but it is important to
let the students know their efforts are valued and appreciated.

Which aspects of your

teaching style do you feel
helped you maintain
class attention?
e.g. Variety of activities,
class or group
discussion, pace of
lesson, interest at class
level.
Did the students know
what was expected of
them?

At the start of the lesson I had a lot of class-wide involvement with

all students during my introduction, where anyone could ask
questions or answer any of mine, and occasionally discuss an
answer with their partner to share with the class. The pace of the
lesson never felt rushed or hurried, so none of the students got
left behind or disinterested in the discussion.

Yes, I made it clear at the start of the lesson that the introduction
and class discussion would help them answer the question that I
assigned for them, and I demonstrated an answer on the board
with step-by-step instructions to show them the level of answer I
expected from them. When I introduced myself, I also said that I
expected the same amount of respect as their regular teacher, and
that the classroom rules did not change even though I was a
different teacher.

Were you able to redirect

energies of attention
seeking students? Did
the students have
enough to do?

I did have to remind a few of the more talkative students that even
though it was good that they felt confident enough to always put
their hand up and answer me verbally, it was important to also
focus on their work and finish the activities I set for them. In all of
my lessons, I think I had over-prepared and possibly assigned too
much work (which I believe is favourable to too little) because
there was never a time where a student finished all of their work
and then sat there with nothing to do.

Dealing with Minor Misbehaviour

Were you aware of what
was happening in all
parts of the classroom?
Did you know what each
student was doing?

Did you take any action

when you observed poor
behaviour? Why? Why
not?

Did you use non-verbal

cues? e.g. Contact,
pause, gesture,
movement toward
student/s concerned.

I moved around the classroom a lot, changing positions and

keeping my eyes as open as possible to ensure that everyone was
doing what they were supposed to be. When students put their
hands up for help, this did detract me from being able to watch the
rest of the class to an extent, but I was still able to keep the
volume as the class low enough to hear if any students were
talking off topic, laughing, or using their phones, etc.

I only ever had to use subtle, low-key responses when

discouraging particular students from misbehaving, such as
making eye contact, calling their name, putting a hand on their
desk, etc. I never needed to take any further action with my
students, beyond raising my voice to hush the volume. One
student continued to play with his iPad whenever my attention was
averted, and after having a few quiet words with him and giving
extra him chances, I ultimately gave him the decision to either lose
it and put it on the teachers desk, or put it away in his bag
letting him pick from these two options allowed him to make his
own choice, as though the decision had been more his own than
forced upon him by me. Outright taking the iPad off of him would
only have resulted in him being upset and likely refusing to do any
work for the rest of the lesson, which would be creating an entirely
new problem in itself.
Yes, I learned that the most effective form of classroom
management is preventative management (controlling the
students BEFORE allowing anything to get out of hand), and I did
this by positioning myself as such to discourage the talkers from
getting distracted, and indirectly including those that seemed
distracted (calling on students using their phones to answer
questions, or those whispering to offer their input). Students
responded better to low-key gestures (stares, frowns, shaking my
head) because it was discreet enough for them to actively choose
to behave better, because there had been no threat of
punishment. Students can become uncontrollable when they feel
that they have nothing to lose, and if punishments are given out
before less drastic measures are taken, I would never have had
any control of the class by the end of the lesson.

Schools as text looking at the whole

school
Understand the importance of effective communication with students
and colleagues to develop positive relationships.
Graduate Standards AITSL 6.3 and 7.1
Describe the school in
terms of its
demographics,
appearance and
resources (be general
here and do not name
the school).

My placement was at an independent public school, built only

three years ago in a vastly developing area, and as such the
facilities are all new and incorporate school grounds and
buildings with innovative/modern designs, with its own
performing arts theatre, library, gymnasium and recreation
centre. The school has an information technology rich learning
environment, with many technological resources at their
disposal while I was there, we used new laptops, RC cars,
microscopes, projector-integrated smart boards and ipads.
The students ranged in age from years 7 to 11, and by next
year when they will have all year groups filled, the school will
teach over 2000 students, making it one of the largest schools
in the area.

What were the roles

and responsibilities of
the teaching staff you
observed?

What did you observe

non-teaching staff doing
to support teaching and
learning in the school?

All teachers had a duty of care for their own students in the
classroom, as well as a duty of care for any student they might
come across outside of the classroom, too. Duty of care also
extends into understanding and familiarizing yourself with
each student on a personal level to ensure that every student
can be motivated to learn on an individual basis, not just
universally as a single cohort. The teacher must recognise the
potential that each student has, and what ways they can best
stimulate and encourage that student into achieving. A teacher
also has to ensure that all students are capable of learning in
a safe and equal environment. Beyond the roles in the
classroom, I also saw that every teacher had to share the
responsibility of supervising lunch and recess a few times
each week.

There were many EAs (education assistants) at the school

to help with special education needs students these were
especially beneficial in larger classes because they could
focus on the students who were struggling with their
disability, thus allowing the teacher to manage the rest of the
classroom with their full attention. The EAs also prevented
any stress or distractions for the special needs students by
attentively monitoring their behaviour when the teacher was
not able to.
There were also a few laboratory technicians situated in the
science department that collected and organised the lab
equipment needed for experiments planned by the teacher,
which made preparing lesson plans much easier for the
teachers.

Students

You will have observed

the diverse nature of your
classes. How was this
diversity supported?

There were a variety of special needs students in the

different classes, ranging from behavioural or learning
disabilities (i.e. many boys with autism and ADHD) to
physical disabilities (a girl with muscular dystrophy). Every
student that needed special attention were aided by an EA in
each class one education assistant usually helped a
variety of students in the classroom, not just one. Students
that had difficulty writing or following along with the
discussion were given hard copies of my presentation slides
so they could take notes at their own pace and reference
back to them when answering questions.

Function of Schools
Did you observe the
connection of your
schools with the broader
community? How did this
happen?

What do you think the

function of school is?

While on placement I had the opportunity to attend a year 7

assembly, where their parents were invited to attend and watch
their induction into high school. The purpose of this event was to
familiarize and welcome both the students as well as their families
to the schools community, where they could be introduced to their
teachers as well as the schools Deputies and their Principals. This
provided the opportunity for the parents to connect with the school
and to develop an understanding of the journey they their children,
and they themselves, would be undertaking. I also got to observe
the planning of an Earth Science field trip headed for Kings Park.
The purpose of this field trip was to give the students an authentic
experience of the theoretical content of their unit, and to meet
professions in the field to further their engagement with what they
were learning that semester. Overall, it is clear to see that
connecting with the wider community has the benefits of enriching
students educational experiences, and creating a positive school
environment that extends to local communities i.e. families and
relatives. I can see the benefits of me wanting to include such
strategies into my own teaching practice in the future.

At face value, schools teach students a fundamental standard of

knowledge dictated by the national curriculum (a set of core
content and information thought to instill adequate understanding
of the world). On a deeper level, schools help develop complex
social understanding of what is and isnt acceptable in society,
whilst testing social boundaries and allowing students to explore
their own identity, and cultivate confidence from within (or in more
unfortunate cases where this system fails, a lack of confidence
when social constructs lead to isolation, rather than integration).
School allows students to test themselves, find their strengths and
weaknesses (and more importantly, cultivating interests and
passions) to help steer students towards a life or career beneficial
for them. Fundamentally, the function of school be to equip
students for later life, to be fulfilled and self-sufficient adults, and to
guide them towards a social niche that enriches not impedes
their quality of life.