Situation: A secondary school health and physical education teacher was finding it difficult to engage students in classroom discussion. Generally, student participation was low with only a few students making contributions and the pace of the lesson was impeded as a result.
Action: Rapid low level questioning with students selected randomly to respond was used to engage students and check learning. The technique was used at the beginning and then again at the conclusion of two lessons with students showing greater levels of engagement in both.
Findings: Rapid low level questioning was a simple strategy that contributed to greater levels of student engagement in learning. Most notably, a post class survey of the second lesson showed students had revised their notes and come to class prepared for the second lesson in anticipation of rapid low level questioning at the beginning and end of the lesson.
Research teacher: Anonymous