Good question stems

About this activity

Students answer questions to encourage deeper thinking and reflection.

Typical questions might be:

• Why does …?
• What if …?
• How would you …?
• Could you explain …?
• What might …?

Why use it

• Can be used to encourage peer activity 
• Develops student self-regulation – what do students know about a subject and its relationship with other subjects 
• Could form the basis for one minute paper activity 

Example instructions for students

In pairs, discuss 3 new things you have learnt or what you found easy or difficult or something you would like to learn in the future. 

Why use it 

• Can be used to encourage peer activity 
• Develops student self-regulation – what do students know about a subject and its relationship with other subjects 
• Could form the basis for one minute paper activity 

When to use it

• At start of class as revision 
• At mid or end point to check on understanding 
• As peer activity 
• As an independent study task 

Digital tools that might be used

Synchronous: 

• break-out rooms 
• chat 
• Teams meeting 
• Mentimeter 
• Shared whiteboard 

Asynchronous: 

• share document (for the entire group) 
• whiteboard 
• Mentimeter

Speed of set up time 

5 minutes

Workload

Depending on resources involved and planning the structure:

• To define the activity 
• To prepare questions 
• To establish an etiquette with the students

This activity may become easier and more spontaneous if repeated throughout the modules/the sessions. 

Other resources

• Screen clock  or count down timer 
• Note taking facilities for students 

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