School questions for parents, students and teachers

A conference with your child's teacher is short, and an IEP meeting can shape a school year. These sets are for parents meeting teachers and principals or choosing a school, and for anyone weighing a class, a course or a trade school. Others are for students and teachers to ask each other.

112 sets · 4,724 questions · each with a note on why

A few to start with

What do you wish you had asked for help with sooner?
Nearly everyone has an answer, and hearing that is useful to the students who thought they were the only ones struggling. Follow with 'what stopped you?', since the reasons tell you how to make asking easier next year.
From: Questions to Ask Students
Where is the line between a hill and a mountain?
It can't be settled without first agreeing on a definition, which is the whole value of it. Let the argument run for two minutes and close with a vote, not a ruling from you. Then ask who gets to decide such things in real life.
From: Questions to Ask Students
What is one thing you did this week that made the work harder for yourself?
Private writing only, and it must never cost them anything. Students know perfectly well when they sat next to the wrong person or left it until the last night, and writing it down themselves lands better than hearing it from you.
From: Questions to Ask Students
If this classroom had jobs, which one would you be good at?
Offer a few to start: timekeeper, tech fixer, the one who notices when someone is missing a handout. Students pick what they already do well, so you learn something about each of them and get a volunteer list you can use the same week. Teenagers will play along if the jobs are real and not decorative.
From: Questions to Ask Students
What is taking up the most space in your head today?
Take it as three words on a sticky note, so a heavier answer stays between the two of you. Usually it is a test next period or a game tonight, and it helps to know what you are competing with. If half the room names the same thing, give it one minute before you start.
From: Questions to Ask Students
How can I tell you are stuck, even when you don't say so?
Students know their own tells: staring at the page, sharpening a pencil for the third time, starting a conversation. Once you know them you can turn up with a hint at the right moment, without the student having to put a hand up in front of everyone.
From: Questions to Ask Students

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