Very important point - it’s the kind of skill that we need to come back to again to solidify it.
I will say that, in my (much more limited than yours) experience, questions like ‘what can you tell me about xyz’ tend to draw poor responses a lot of the time. I wonder whether the broad openness of it means children don’t know where to start and they’re too overwhelmed to say anything. I observed an Ofsted inspector ask our students ‘tell me about the Ancient Greeks’ and they all froze. I knew they had at least some information but they couldn’t say a thing, until he reworded the question and asked about a specific element of it, at which point I breathed a sigh of relief.
Important point - this is anecdotal evidence and in no way reflective of the bigger picture of questioning and I am fully aware of that. I’m also willing to hear any other reason anyone can present as to what might hold children back from recalling information effectively or whether I’ve missed something in my point.
This is a great point Jack. I have experienced the same, with pupils unable to answer an open question because it doesn't give them cues that help them recognise that they have some relevant knowledge. I wonder whether the openness is a problem because they aren't used to questions being asked this way? Maybe we need to spend more time asking more open questions and modelling how they can connect what might seem disparate information together.
Great discussion point, Jack. I would suggest that the use of the learning environment beyond displaying presentation pieces, needs to reflect the learning journey. This doesn't need to be all perfectly trimmed and backed. Bits of paper, photographs, children's annotations. It needs to be purposeful to them, an 'aide-memoire' to empower them in a knowledge-based curriculum.
So true! I have seen objectives be colour-coded on tracking grids and I have questioned whether green meant 'taught' or 'understood'. Two very different things.
Very important point - it’s the kind of skill that we need to come back to again to solidify it.
I will say that, in my (much more limited than yours) experience, questions like ‘what can you tell me about xyz’ tend to draw poor responses a lot of the time. I wonder whether the broad openness of it means children don’t know where to start and they’re too overwhelmed to say anything. I observed an Ofsted inspector ask our students ‘tell me about the Ancient Greeks’ and they all froze. I knew they had at least some information but they couldn’t say a thing, until he reworded the question and asked about a specific element of it, at which point I breathed a sigh of relief.
Important point - this is anecdotal evidence and in no way reflective of the bigger picture of questioning and I am fully aware of that. I’m also willing to hear any other reason anyone can present as to what might hold children back from recalling information effectively or whether I’ve missed something in my point.
Love your work as always Mary!
This is a great point Jack. I have experienced the same, with pupils unable to answer an open question because it doesn't give them cues that help them recognise that they have some relevant knowledge. I wonder whether the openness is a problem because they aren't used to questions being asked this way? Maybe we need to spend more time asking more open questions and modelling how they can connect what might seem disparate information together.
Great discussion point, Jack. I would suggest that the use of the learning environment beyond displaying presentation pieces, needs to reflect the learning journey. This doesn't need to be all perfectly trimmed and backed. Bits of paper, photographs, children's annotations. It needs to be purposeful to them, an 'aide-memoire' to empower them in a knowledge-based curriculum.
So true! I have seen objectives be colour-coded on tracking grids and I have questioned whether green meant 'taught' or 'understood'. Two very different things.