Ms'Wendy Chu Canossa Primary School

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Using Lesson Observation to improve Questioning
and Feedback Techniques
Presented by Ms.Wendy Chu (Canossa Primary
School) Ms.Pearl Koah and Ms.Florence Liu
(Language Support Officers, Language Learning
Support Section, Education Bureau)
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Project rationale
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Project rationale

• particular interest of 5 primary schools in
  improving ss 3 Cs (creativity, critical thinking
  and communications skills)
• awareness of the close relationship between the 3
  Cs and teachers questioning and feedback
  techniques

What helps build these thinking skills?
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Significance of 3 Cs

• students limited creativity, critical thinking
  and communication skills
• particular problems in the following areas
  (Territory-wide System Assessment Report 2006 -
  P3 and P6 students)
• Identifying main ideas
• Inferring meaning
• Making inferences in reading longer texts
• Developing and organising ideas in paragraphs in
  writing

Back
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Links between 3 Cs and Questioning and Feedback
Techniques

• Development of 3 Cs through
• asking more open-ended and thought-provoking
  questions in lessons and assessment
• and accepting different but reasonable or
  imaginative answers from students (English KLA
  English Language Curriculum Guide P1-6, 2004
  131)

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Links between 3 Cs and Questioning and Feedback
Techniques

• instructional approaches found to promote
  thinking skill development include
• asking higher-order questions during classroom
  discussions
• lengthening wait-time during classroom
  questioning
• and using redirection, probing and reinforcement
• (Cotton, Kathleen. 1991. Teaching Thinking
  Skills http//www.nwrel.org/scpd/sirs/6/cu11.html
  . Portland, Oregon Northwest Regional
  Educational Laboratory's School Improvement
  Research Series)

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Queries in mind

• How can the teachers find room for improvement in
  their use of questioning and feedback techniques
  in developing students creativity, critical
  thinking and communication skills?

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Use of Lesson Observation

• A crucial way to reflect upon teachers use of
  questions and feedback
• explore the relationship between Ts use of
  questions and feedback and the development of ss
  3 Cs
• assess the effectiveness of strategies
  practices
• identify areas for improvement
• generate knowledge and practical tips

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Can we improve questioning and feedback
techniques simply through studying or reading?

• Different ways of executing one single motion
  (e.g. monitoring, feedback), influenced by
  teachers perceptions (Gabrielatos 2004 Ulichny
  1996)
• Teachers are less conscious of their practices or
  just too busy in lessons to recognise or
  articulate their skills

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Overview of the project
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Overview

• Phase 1 Form a learning community to enrich
  knowledge about the area concerned
• Literature reading and exchange of experience

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Tai Po Government Primary School
Hung Hom Government Primary School
Synergy among teachers
A Learning Community
Ma On Shan Ling Liang Primary School
SKH Tsing Yi Estate Ho Chak Wan Primary School
Canossa Primary School
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Strengths of a learning community

• Synergy among teachers who are connected by a
  common educational or developmental goal
• Generate knowledge and widen horizon through
  exchanging perspectives and school experiences
• Facilitate network activities for focus studies
  to address particular education issues or
  problems
• Initiate collaborative, bottom-up development

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• Phase 2 Conduct inter-school lesson observation
• Design lessons and materials (esp. purposeful use
  of questions) and disseminate plans to observers
  in advance
• Implement lessons and organise lesson observation
  (with observers writing notes on an observation
  form)
• Post observation discussion

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• Phase 3 Organise peer lesson observation at
  school
• Transfer experience gained in inter-school lesson
  observation to internal staff development
• Co-plan units and materials gt
  Organise peer lesson observation gt
  Conduct post observation discussion

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Sharing the journey

• Reflections and impact on teaching profession
• Changes in students learning

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Developing students 3Cs
Difficulties
Students attitude
Students ability
Teaching practices
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Difficulties
Beliefs
Reflection
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What have we learnt or changed?
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Misconception
Students are not willing to speak in English.
It is difficult to develop their communication
skills.
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Creating a classroom culture open to dialogue

• Attentive listening
• Be patient
• Dont interrupt students while they are
  responding to questions unless they are being
  disruptive
• Reinforcement
• Make positive statements
• Use positive nonverbal communication
• Encouragement
• Encourage responses from volunteering and
  non-volunteering students

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Creating a classroom culture open to dialogue

• Redirecting
• Invite other students to give additional
  information or comments
• Allow a student to correct another students
  incorrect statement

• Rephrasing
• Reword the question to make it clearer
• Provide some information to help students come up
  with the answer
• Break the question into more manageable parts

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Misconception
Students are not able to answer higher level
questions. It is difficult to develop students
critical thinking and creativity.
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Developing critical thinking and enhancing
creativity

• Wait time
• After framing the question, pause while everybody
  has a chance to think of an answer
• Let students prepare or discuss higher level
  questions
• Scaffolding
• Scaffold learning with rich input (thoughts and
  language) to prepare or activate students
• Use recall questions first to be sure the
  students have the knowledge. Then proceed to
  comprehension and analysis questions. Follow
  those up with evaluation/creative questions.

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Developing critical thinking and enhancing
creativity

• Prompt
• Use follow up questions to help students justify
  / clarify / analyse a statement or comment
• Make use of five senses questions to help
  students express their thoughts and feelings

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Misconception

• Teaching means the direct transfer of
  knowledge.
• relying on giving direct instructions
• asking and responding to questions in lesson is
  not relevant to language learning

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Two different approaches to conducting lessons

• Use of direct instructions
• teacher-centred approach
• less opportunity for students to practise the use
  of language for communication
• little chance for students to think actively

• Use of questions and feedback in lessons
• student-centred approach
• providing students with a real reason, interest
  and context to communicate
• retrieving and applying knowledge and language
  for purposeful interactions
• an example

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Example

• negotiate meaning with students (as opposed to
  using direct instruction) to elicit ideas about
  the nature of a story to be read

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Misconception

• Asking questions is merely to motivate
  students or rectify answers deviating from the
  suggested ones.
• no awareness of the use of questions to develop
  students cognitive thinking skills
• need for extra time in lessons to ask questions
  (but teaching schedule is tight)

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• Strategic, purposeful use of questions
• design questions on the basis of the learning
  inputs
• make use of various types of questions to
  facilitate the scaffolding of knowledge towards
  the teaching objectives targetted
• use open questions to give students opportunities
  to make inferences and draw logical conclusions

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• Use of questions of different abstraction levels

Teaching / Learning objectives
Develop students various thinking skills through
purposeful use of different types of questions
Recall information
Understand info.
Retrieve use skills/info.
Identify / recognise
Create new from learned
Assess discriminate
(Blooms taxonomy)
Back
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Misconception

• Students incorrect answers mean teachers
  failure to teach properly or effectively.
• keeping use of questions to minimum
• avoiding addressing questions to students with
  limited language ability

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Informing teaching and learning

• students responses
• inform teachers effectively of ss learning
  difficulties and progress
• should be handled accordingly feedback can be in
  the form of follow-up questions applying probing,
  refocussing, redirecting and rephrasing
• allow teachers the chance to revise or adjust
  their teaching

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Misconception
The teacher is the sole person responsible for
evaluation and assessment. Students dont need to
learn how to evaluate or assess themselves.
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Developing reflective skills

• Share learning goals
• Discuss assessment criteria and how the criteria
  can be met in practice
• Give students diagnostic and corrective feedback
  on how to achieve the learning goals and improve
  themselves

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Developing reflective skills

• Promote self or peer assessment
• Enable students to recognise progress in their
  work, skills, knowledge and understanding
• Encourage students to take responsibility for
  their own learning by providing opportunities for
  them to describe the judgments they make in
  relation to their progress

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Have our students changed?
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Students change

• Students participate actively in an interactive,
  student-centred learning environment.
• Students have developed their communication
  skills, creativity and critical thinking skills.
• Students have learnt how to reflect on their
  learning.

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Students change
Ms Ellen Li Wai Yi Ma On Shan Ling Liang Primary
School
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Why is lesson observation significant?
Lesson observation is a powerful tool
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A magnifying glass
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Post-lesson discussion

• the effectiveness of learning and teaching and
  whether the objectives are achieved
• the interaction between teacher and students
• the use of questioning and feedback techniques

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Lesson Observation Form
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A mirror
Reflections
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Skills demonstrated in asking questions

• Have I asked questions which are at an
  appropriate level for the materials being
  covered?
• Did the questions I asked serve the intended
  teaching objectives?
• Have I asked questions which required students to
  think at different intellectual levels?

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Skills demonstrated in phrasing questions and
handling students responses

• Have I allowed adequate, appropriate wait-time
  after posing questions in class?
• Have I reinforced students responses positively
  and effectively?
• Have I given students effective feedback which
  helps/guides them to reflect on their learning?

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Overall reflection

• What specific problems have I encountered when
  asking questions or giving feedback during
  lessons?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of my
  techniques for questioning and giving feedback?
• How can I improve my questioning and feedback
  techniques?

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Teachers reflections
It helps us realise the strengths and the
weaknesses of our teaching, as well as the
different ways in which our teaching can be
improved.
In the past I used to ask closed questions with
fixed answers. But now I ask a variety of
questions.
Canossa Primary School
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Binoculars
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Teachers Journal

• We believe that it is worth our effort and time
  spent on improving skills and techniques in
  asking questions, handling responses and giving
  feedback. It pays off when we find that our
  students can learn effectively in a
  student-centred, interactive classroom, with
  plenty of opportunities to develop their
  creativity, critical thinking and communication
  skills in a meaningful and engaging learning
  environment.

Ms Vivien Tsang Sin Man SKH Tsing Yi Estate Ho
Chak Wan Primary School
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Teachers Journal

• My school has decided to focus on questioning and
  feedback techniques in the coming academic year.
  I hope I can share my knowledge and skills with
  other teachers and help promote a positive
  learning atmosphere at school.

Ms Ellen Li Wai Yi Ma On Shan Ling Liang Primary
School
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Teachers Journal

• Through experience sharing and the development of
  a culture of lesson observation, I hope to raise
  awareness and develop techniques for using
  effective questioning and feedback among my
  colleagues. This will start with a core group
  first and I hope to disseminate the good
  practices to other teachers.
• I hope this will serve as a kick-off for a new
  culture among our teachers.

Ms Wendy Chu Mei Han Canossa Primary School
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From a principals point of view

• Broadening teachers horizons and improving
  learning and teaching
• Building a reflective culture and a positive
  learning atmosphere at school

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Difficulties and suggestions

• Set a clear purpose for lesson observation.
• Ensure the practice is seen as part of the
  professional development programme.

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Relevant websites
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Language Learning Support Section

• http//resources.edb.gov.hk/cd/languagesupport/

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Teacher TV (HKEdCity)
http//www.hkedcity.net/teacher/teachertv/channel.
phtml?channel_id1 ??????????? Exploring
questioning and feedback techniques
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Language Learning Support SectionNewsletter
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Acknowledgements

• Canossa Primary School
• Hung Hom Government Primary School
• Ma On Shan Ling Liang Primary School
• SKH Tsing Yi Estate Ho Chak Wan Primary School
• Tai Po Government Primary School