How to use effective questioning to help extend children’s learning
As children are playing think about how as an early year’s practitioner you can extend their learning. And adults role in helping extending children’s learning is crucial. The most important thing to remember is how to go about doing this.
On a daily basis children are quite happy to initiate their own play and play with or alongside others. It is these crucial times when adults should be thinking about how to extend the learning opportunities without ruining the child’s play experiences.
Sometimes it is about using resources to help extend the play or many times it can be using effective questioning. It can be very easy for practitioners to go wading into children’s play and start asking loads of questions. Be mindful of this and make the questions applicable to the child’s levels of understanding and don’t ask too many questions.
The whole idea of effective question reverts back to the famous theorist Lev Vygotsky, his theory of the zone of proximal development was very much about looking at what the child can do without adult help and then what they can do with adults help. Inducing this concept in your practice will help give you more of an understanding as to why the adult’s role is important in extending children’s learning and development.
As early years practitioners it is important to understand that children need quality learning opportunity in order for them to take part in their own learning. Remember here that it is about offering a balance curriculum with adult led and child led opportunities. Having open need resources available will allow children to direct their own play giving adults the opportunity to use effective questioning.
When using effective questioning think about what you are asking and use questions that require open answers instead of closed ones. At the time of asking question this is an important time to document evidence so have a pen and paper to hand to note the child’s response.
If children are reluctant to answer take a step back, sit and observe the play or just play alongside the child.
Effective questioning can give you some great outcomes and can show you how the child is progressing in their leaning.