Not All Questions Are Equal

Having explored why questioning is such a powerful tool for professional learning, the next step is to consider how mentors can ask questions that genuinely deepen trainee thinking.

It is easy to assume that any question encourages reflection. However, research suggests that the quality of questioning has a significant impact on the quality of learning that follows (Mercer & Dawes, 2008).

Some questions simply gather information.

Others encourage trainees to analyse, justify, evaluate and refine their thinking.

Effective mentors recognise that different questions serve different purposes. Rather than relying on a single style of questioning, they select questions that are appropriate for the trainee's stage of development, the mentoring conversation and the intended learning outcome.

Questioning therefore becomes a deliberate professional skill rather than an instinctive habit.

---

Questions Should Match Your Purpose

Before asking a question, it is helpful to consider "What am I trying to achieve?"

Are you trying to:

• understand what happened?
• explore the trainee's thinking?
• identify a misconception?
• encourage reflection?
• plan future action?

Each purpose requires a different type of question.

---

Clarifying Questions

Clarifying questions help mentors gather accurate information before drawing conclusions.

These questions are particularly important because mentors often observe only a small part of the trainee's week.

For example, after observing a lesson, it is tempting to assume we understand why something happened. However, assumptions can easily lead to inappropriate feedback.

Instead of saying:

"You didn't give pupils enough thinking time."

A mentor might ask:

"Talk me through what you were hoping pupils would do at that point."

This question gathers additional evidence before the mentor reaches a judgement.

Clarifying questions often begin with:

• Tell me more about...
• Can you explain...
• Help me understand...
• What happened when...

These questions encourage trainees to describe events more fully, allowing mentors to develop a richer understanding of the lesson.

---

Reflective Questions

Once the mentor understands what happened, the conversation can move towards reflection. Reflective questions encourage trainees to analyse their own practice.

For example:

"Why do you think pupils struggled with that task?"

"What do you think was the most successful part of the lesson?"

"What surprised you today?"

These questions require trainees to interpret evidence rather than simply describe events. Schön (1983) argued that professionals improve through reflection on practice. Carefully chosen questions help trainees organise their thinking and begin identifying patterns within their own teaching.

Notice that these questions do not ask whether the lesson was "good" or "bad." Instead, they encourage analytical thinking.

---

Evidence-Based Questions

Dylan Wiliam (2011) argues that effective formative assessment relies upon evidence rather than assumption. This principle applies equally to mentoring conversations. Trainees often make broad statements such as:

"The pupils didn't understand," or "That lesson went badly."

Whilst these statements reflect the trainee's perception, they do not necessarily represent evidence. Effective mentors therefore encourage trainees to justify their conclusions.

For example:

"What did you notice that made you think pupils were confused?"

"Which pupils are you thinking about?"

"What evidence suggests learning was successful?"

These questions help trainees move beyond instinct and opinion, encouraging them to evaluate teaching through observable evidence. This also develops an important professional habit. Experienced teachers continually use evidence to evaluate the impact of their teaching. Mentoring conversations should encourage trainees to develop the same habit.

---

Analytical Questions

Analytical questions encourage trainees to identify relationships, patterns and possible explanations.

For example:

"What do you think caused pupils to lose focus during independent work?"

"How did your explanation influence the quality of pupil responses?"

"What similarities have you noticed across your last three lessons?"

These questions move beyond individual events and encourage trainees to think more deeply about the reasons behind classroom outcomes. Mercer and Dawes (2008) argue that dialogue plays an important role in developing reasoning because it encourages learners to justify, explain and refine their thinking. Within mentoring, analytical questions serve this purpose by helping trainees explore cause and effect rather than simply recalling events.

---

Forward-Facing Questions

Reflection is valuable only if it influences future practice. The final stage of questioning therefore focuses on future action.

Examples include:

"If you were teaching this lesson again tomorrow, what would you do differently?"

"What would you keep exactly the same?"

"Which strategy are you most keen to try next?"

"How will you know if it has been successful?"

These questions encourage trainees to transform reflection into action. They also help trainees take increasing ownership of their professional learning. This reflects Whitmore's (2017) view that effective coaching increases both awareness and responsibility.

---

Choosing the Right Question at the Right Time

Notice that the questions explored above follow a natural sequence.

An effective mentoring conversation often progresses through each stage.

Clarify the situation.

↓

Encourage reflection.

↓

Explore the evidence.

↓

Analyse why it happened.

↓

Identify future actions.

Moving too quickly towards solutions can prevent trainees from fully exploring their own thinking. By slowing down and selecting questions deliberately, mentors create richer professional conversations that support deeper learning.