Implications

Implications for teaching

1. Questioning and feedback should be part of effective planning of teaching and learning. Well-planned and effective use of questions can enhance student learning by developing critical thinking skills, reinforcing student understanding, correcting student misunderstanding, and enlivening class discussion.
2. School-based assessment should be treated as formative assessment which emphasises the provision of feedback to improve learning based on student performance. Teachers should promote assessment for learning through good questioning and feedback, which means using questions to prompt students to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills, and giving timely and constructive feedback to help students improve their work.
3. Students need to understand what they are trying to achieve in the school-based assessment and know how to improve their performance based on feedback. Therefore, they are able to engage in self-reflection. With high awareness of the success criteria and one’s performance, students can develop the necessary skills and attitude to assess and monitor their own progress so that they develop ownership and responsibility for their own learning.

Facilitating factors

1. Open culture
   Teachers are open and willing to receive comments and suggestions on their questioning and feedback techniques. The methods for assessing questioning and feedback techniques include self-review, colleague or peer review, and student evaluations. Teachers can view the videotape of their own lessons and consider whether the questioning outcomes are consistent with the intent and whether the feedback given is concrete and constructive. Peers can share their observations and analysis of the lesson in groups. Peers should support their observations with data taken from the lesson, for example, quotes and critical incidents. Students’ opinions are also crucial. They are the ones who can see the change of teachers for a period of time. A survey can be used to provide teachers with information concerning students’ perceptions of the questioning and interaction atmosphere in classroom.
   
   
2. Clear learning objectives
   It is essential that English teachers see the needs of developing students’ thinking skills and lifelong learning skills. ‘English plays a crucial role in empowering learners with the capabilities necessary for lifelong learning, critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and innovation and for adapting to the rapid changes and demands of society.’ (p.2, English Language Curriculum and Assessment Guide, Secondary 4-6) Teachers should allow sufficient time to carry out class dialogues, discussions or presentations in lessons. Teachers are often facing the dilemma of rushing through the textbook pages or spending time on discussion activities. Sometimes teachers tend to deliver ideas or suggestions themselves to save time for more teaching content or practices. But the adverse effects are that students might become very dependent on teachers’ input or ideas, or students might feel reluctant to express their ideas in class as their opinions may differ from teachers’ ‘model answers’. That will certainly affect students’ long term development in thinking skills and hinder their overall language performance.