Reflective questioning

Reflective questioning is a technique in which the mentor asks questions designed to encourage the beginning teacher to discuss and analyze her or his practice.

Asking reflective questions allows the mentor to:

• Initiate conversations that encourage critical thinking
• Prompt the beginning teacher to explore his or her ideas and “make sense” of them

To ask reflective questions:

• Ask open-ended questions based on the beginning teacher’s immediate experience
• Follow-up with questions that elicit more information or deeper thought
• Hold back when you are tempted to give advice  

Reflective questioning sounds like:

• Tell me about how you are planning to start the year. What routines will you establish with the students?
• Tell me more about your plans for the conference.
•  Last time you told me about a math assessment you were designing. What did you learn about your students from it?