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Effective questioning is a skill which requires practice and takes time to learn. Teachers question their learners all the time. Using open questions which require more than a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response, helps you to find out what learners know. This is important in assessing their progress.

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This video begins with a Grade 6 science class. The teacher asks his students to give him the definitions of a set of words: solvent, solute, sand. He asks for volunteers around the class until a student is able to give a clear definition for each word. In the second clip, the teacher asks her Grade 3 students to explain how people communicated in the past. A girl explains how a drum was used to communicate. In both clips English is used.

Video 5.2

A Grade 1 teacher asks a student to tell a story to the class. The class is conducted using the local Bemba language. The girl tells her story and the teacher then asks the other students some questions to clarify their comprehension.

Pairwork activities are easy to use in classroom settings. Pairwork activities can last just five or ten minutes or take up most of the lesson. By using effective pairwork in your class you can ensure that all students the opportunity to speak.

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In the first clip a Grade 1 teacher is putting her learners in pairs and asking them to tell each other words that begin with a specific sound.

In the second clip, we first see Grade 6 learners carrying out a science experiment in pairs. Then the teacher reads through a set of questions about the experiment which the students work on in 2s or 3s.

Video 1.4

The teacher asks her Grade 4 class to work in groups identifying shapes and objects. She first organises them in groups and then asks each group to choose a secretary, who comes to the front and chooses a set of items. The teacher then gives each group a set of instructions written on a card.

Video 1.5

The video begins with a clip from the previous video (1.4) when the group secretaries come to the front to collect their items.

SPEAKER: “I use tins and bottles. Then on the cubes and cuboids I use boxes; like for the cuboids I use boxes for Boom soap and cereals, and for shapes I use manila paper or anything I come across that can be useful for me. I cut them in the shape that I want to use in class.”

The video ends back in the classroom with learners identifying objects in their groups.

Video 2.6

This is a Grade 1 literacy lesson in Bemba. In the first section, the teacher calls a learner to the front to take part in a fishing game, where they ‘fish’ for a sound written on a plastic container. The learner first reads out the sound and then shows it to the class who also read it aloud. This is repeated several times with different learners. In the second section, the teacher uses a song to engage the children and moves around the class showing them a written sound which they then read.

Video 5.1

Group work can be a great way of helping your learners; it encourages them to think, exchange ideas and make decisions. Your students can learn from each other, a powerful and active form of learning. Group work is more than learners sitting in groups; it involves working on a shared learning task with a clear purpose.

Video 1.4

The teacher asks her Grade 4 class to work in groups identifying shapes and objects. She organises them in groups, clearing the desks and pushing them together. She then asks each group to choose a secretary, who comes to the front and chooses a set of items. The teacher then gives each group a set of instructions written on a card.

Video 2.3

This is a Grade 4 lesson where learners have been put in groups to discuss the reasons why people keep a range of animals. The teacher gives them a clear time limit and moves around the groups offering assistance. The groups discuss in Bemba and then present their findings at the front of the class in English.

Video 2.7

This is a Grade 6 science class where learners are conducting a practical experiment in small groups. The teacher moves around the class monitoring the groups. The learners then work on a set of questions in the same groups.

Video 2.4

The Grade 1 teacher is focusing on literacy development but uses local song to energise and involve her learners.

Video 2.6

This is a Grade 1 literacy lesson in Bemba. In the first section, the teacher calls a learner to the front to take part in a fishing game, where they ‘fish’ for a sound written on a plastic container. The learner first reads out the sound and then shows it to the class who also read it aloud. This is repeated several times with different learners. In the second section, the teacher uses a song to engage the children and moves around the class showing them a written sound which they then read.

Video 5.2

A Grade 1 teacher asks a student to tell a story to the class. The class is conducted using the local Bemba language. The girl tells her story and the teacher then asks the other students some questions to clarify their comprehension.

Video 1.1

In a Grade 1 class, two boys have drawn animals in their books and the other students have to guess the animal. The teacher and the two boys move around the room showing the picture and asking different students which animal they think it is.

Video 2.2

The teacher notices that a boy in his Grade 1 class is not doing the task as he doesn’t have a pencil. He sits with him, gives him a pencil and explains the task.

Video 1.2

This video begins with a Grade 6 science class. The teacher asks his students to give him the definitions of a set of words: solvent, solute, sand. He asks for volunteers around the class until a student is able to give a clear definition for each word. In the second clip, the teacher asks her Grade 3 students to explain how people communicated in the past. A girl explains how a drum was used to communicate. In both clips English is used.

Video 2.3

This is a Grade 4 lesson where learners have been put in groups to discuss the reasons why people keep a range of animals. The teacher gives them a clear time limit and moves around the groups offering assistance. The groups discuss in Bemba and then present their findings at the front of the class in English.

Video 2.7

This is a Grade 6 science class where learners are conducting a practical experiment in small groups. The teacher moves around the class monitoring the groups. The learners then work on a set of questions in the same groups.

Video 3.5

In a Grade 4 Bemba lesson the teacher uses flashcards with key vocabulary. She elicits the meanings of the words from the learners and asks them to put the words into sentences.

When you are teaching, it’s important to be aware of what your students already know. By using a variety of classroom strategies including questioning, pair and groupwork you can find out what your students already know so that you can build on that knowledge.

Video 3.5

In a Grade 4 Bemba lesson the teacher uses flashcards with key vocabulary. She elicits the meanings of the words from the learners and asks them to put the words into sentences.

Video 2.4

The Grade 1 teacher is focusing on literacy development but uses local song to energise and involve her learners.

Video 3.3

In a Grade 6 science lesson, two learners give the answers to the questions on a science experiment.

Video 5.1

A key element of ZEST SBCPD is encouraging collaboration between teachers. As well as building good relationships amongst staff, this approach also enables staff to learn from each other.

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TESSA provides resources for teachers to use in their own classroom to support active learning. TESSA materials have been written by teachers and teacher educators from different countries in sub-Saharan Africa and are designed to help teachers by:

• developing teachers’ understanding of teaching and learning
• encouraging teachers to think about their role in helping pupils to learn
• developing teachers’ understanding of how pupils learn
• exploring different ways of organising and working in the classroom.

The TESSA materials are open educational resources (OER). This means they are free to be used by anyone either online or downloaded and used offline or printed. They can be adapted, modified or integrated with other materials in any form. The TESSA materials have been adapted for Zambia by a team from the University of Zambia. They are approved by the Zambian Government.

Video 3.5

In a Grade 4 Bemba lesson the teacher uses flashcards with key vocabulary. She elicits the meanings of the words from the learners and asks them to put the words into sentences.

Video 5.1

Video 5.2

A Grade 1 teacher asks a student to tell a story to the class. The class is conducted using the local Bemba language. The girl tells her story and the teacher then asks the other students some questions to clarify their comprehension.

All school leaders have a role to play in supporting the implementation of enhanced SBCPD; for example Headteachers, SICs, ZICs and District officials can all engage in ensuring its effectiveness.

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Below are posters that have been created as part of the ZEST project. They focus on 4 key elements: the first is closely aligned to the Zambian Enhanced School Based Continuing Professional Development process, but the other three are applicable to many school environments. They illustrate approaches to use in a Learner Centred Classroom, Collaboration & Reflection, Supporting Literacy across the Curriculum.  QR codes on each of the posters will take you to supporting free online resources.