Questions for structuring student centred feedback in Observation feedback
1. Questions that encourage Reflection
 Tell me how you think the session went?
 How did you plan the teaching of the session?
 How did you plan for learning?
 How did you open the session?
 How did the students respond?
 What happened next?
 What did you do then?
 How well do that go?
 What happened in the middle part of the
session?
 Why did you do that?
 What was the impact of that upon the students?
 How did the session end?
 In your own words summarise three things that
went well.
 What do you think your students learned?
2. Questions about Subject Specialist Knowledge
 What aspects of subject knowledge were you
trying to get across?
 What were the key concepts or ideas you
wanted the students to learn?
 What sources did you draw upon?
 Why did you choose to use these resources?
 How do you know they have learned these?
 How would a subject specialist put this?
3. Questions of Clarification
 What do you mean by …?
 What is your main point …?
 How does this relate to …?
 Could you put that another way?
 Is your basic point that?
 What do you think is the main issue here?
 Let me see if I understand you. Do you
mean…?
 How does this relate to what happened?
 What did you take the student to mean by this?
 Could you give me an example
 Could you explain this further?
 Could you say more about that…?
 Why do you say that…?
4. Questions that probe Reasons and Evidence
 What would be an example of that?
 How do you know?
 Why do you think that is true?
 Do you have any evidence for saying that?
 What are your reasons for saying that…?
 What other information do you need?
 Could you explain your reasons to me?
 Are those reasons good enough?
 Why do you say that…?
 What led you to that belief?
 How does that apply to this case?
 You seem to be saying that …?
 What would change your mind?
 But is that good evidence/sufficient grounds for
thinking that?
 Is there a reason to doubt that evidence?
 Who is in a position to know that is true?
 What would you say to someone who said
that…?
 What other evidence is there to support this
view?
 How could you challenge this view?
 How did you come to that conclusion?
 How could we find out if that is true?
5. Questions about Viewpoints or Perspectives
 What are you implying by that?
 When you say…are you implying that…?
 But if that happened what else would happen as
a result. Why?
 What effect would that have?
 Would that necessarily happen?
 Can you think of an alternative?
 If that’s the case, then what might also be true?
 If we say that… what about …?
6. Questions that probe Assumptions
 What are you assuming?
 What did the student seem to be assuming?
 What could you have done to address this?
 You seen to be assuming…Do I understand you
correctly?
 How would you justify that?
 Is that always the case?
 Why do you think that assumption holds here?
 Why would someone make that assumption?
 Is it reasonable to make the assumption that…?
7. Questions that probe Implications and
Consequences
 How can we find out?
 What does this question assume?
 How could you look at this issue/ask this
question differently?
 How could someone settle this question?
 What might be the consequences of that?
 What are we being asked to make a judgment
about here?
 What is at stake here?
 To answer this question what other questions
must we answer first?
 I’m not sure I understand how you are
interpreting what happened. Is this the same
as…?
 Why is this issue important?
 Is this the most important question or is there
an underlying question that is really the issue
here?
8. Questions that encourage target setting to be
negotiated between observer and trainee.
 What will/can I do to achieve this?
 What resources and support do I need to do
this?
 Have I explored all the options? Is there
anything else I could do?
 What should happen as a result?
 How will I know I have succeeded?
 When do I plan to do this?