Supplementary guidance: listening to learners on inspection - September 2021
Asking questions
The way in which questions are asked can result in a range of different responses from learners.
Listed below are some strategies which could be used when asking questions:
- ask one question at a time
- allow time for the learners to respond
- use strategies such as ‘think, pair, share’ to encourage thinking time
- make sure everyone in the group has a chance to make a contribution
- use visual aids or symbols to support understanding of your question
- choose questions carefully, bearing in mind that different types of questions have different outcomes (see table below)
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Question type
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Example
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Useful for
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Not useful for
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Open
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How well are you doing here?
How can you improve...?
What happens when...?
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Most openings/starting points
Exploring issues and gathering information
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Learner with communication difficulty unless support is available
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Closed
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How many times a week do you have collective worship?
Who do you talk to if you have problems?
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Getting specific factual answers.
Short time available for discussion
Learner who finds it difficult to talk
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Getting broad based information
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Probing
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Does anyone get treated unfairly?
How have you been helped when things are difficult?
What happens if you are unable to get here?
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Establishing and checking details of events already known or arising from open question answers
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Exploring emotionally charged topics
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Hypothetical
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What would you do if...?
If you could change one thing about the provider what would it be?
If you were in charge of the provider what would you do to make life better for everyone?
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Encouraging wider thinking, about an area they are unfamiliar with
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If the situation is outside the learners’ experience
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Multiple
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A string of questions or statements.
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Never useful
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Never useful
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Comparison
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Do you prefer A or B?
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Exploration of needs and values.
Provides a starting point for discussion
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Where alternatives are unrealistic, or where alternatives provide too great a guide to the direction of answer
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Inspectors should ask a range of questions that take account of the different aspects of the inspection guidance and the type of provision made for the learners.
