Questions elicit information and we can use questions as a diagnostic tool.

To diagnose something is to identify, detect and establish.

It involves eliciting information that can be compared to other information independent of the thing in question so that a statement can be made concerning what the questioner believes to be the case.

A doctor diagnoses illness.

They ask their patients questions to get information.

They may also examine them and look at their medical history and the history of illness in their family.

This information is then brought together and considered in reference to that which the doctor knows.

A further source may be called upon – perhaps a textbook or a second opinion.

If uncertainty remains, tests might be scheduled, the purpose of these being the obtaining of more information.

Let us think for a moment about a simple case, one in which the doctor does not need further sources or to schedule tests.

In this case, they note that the information which they have acquired fits with the knowledge they have concerning a certain type of common disease.

The doctor can diagnose this common disease by identifying that which the patient displays and conveys as commensurate with that which has been found to signify the disease in question.

The doctor is not certain in their diagnosis – they appreciate that there is always room for error – but they are confident that it is correct and that it represents what is most likely to be the case.

They prescribe a remedy or a palliative in accordance with what they have diagnosed.

Doctors are concerned with the human body and the human mind. Their area of expertise is medicine.

When they question, they do so to elicit the information that they feel will be relevant given the circumstances.

It is likely that in most cases this information will be of a type that can be referenced to the doctor’s knowledge and understanding of medicine.

Teachers are concerned with human thought and human action as it manifests in the developing child.

Their area of expertise is not quite as clear cut as that of doctors. The word ‘education’ is not precise. This is because it is catch-all for disparate aspects rather than a signifier of a discrete discipline.

Teachers need to be knowledgeable about a range of things: pedagogy, learning, specific subjects, thinking and psychology (more lay than professional).

Unlike the doctor, they do not need to know about any of these in significant depth. It is likely that they will know more about one area than the others, but their skill will come from a synthesis of the various elements.

This presents a small quandary which must be cleared up if a teacher is to use questioning for effective diagnosis.

Namely: What is being diagnosed?

We can put pedagogy to one side as this concerns what the teacher does or how they set up their lessons. This leaves us with four elements: learning, the specific subject, thinking and psychology.

If a teacher is using questioning to diagnose and then prescribe, they should first consider which of these they are most concerned with.

This will help them to ask questions that are more appropriate and to look for information that is most relevant.

Of course, these factors do not sit independently from one another. They interact and exert varying degrees of influence. As such, the teacher should always be aware of all four, even if they choose to focus on one specifically.

Here is some analysis of the four elements. This can help inform a teacher’s decision about what it is they are looking to diagnose.

Learning

This refers to the general act of learning.

It includes aspects such as how a learner learns, how they interact with what the teacher is asking them to do, what they perceive learning as involving, their general attitude to learning and that which might prevent them from learning.

If a learner does not appear to be grasping what is going on in class, the teacher may question them to try and diagnose why this is the case.

They may come to find that the learner does not understand what a task ought to entail and how it will help them.

The teacher can ‘cure’ this by explaining and exemplifying for them.

The Specific Subject

This refers to the content of the lesson.

It includes aspects such as knowledge of key terms, understanding of concepts, the ability to complete certain processes, being able to explain how things work and so on.

If a learner says they do not understand the work, this may be because they cannot come to terms with the content.

Diagnostic questioning in this case would help the teacher to identify what specifically the learner does not understand.

For example, perhaps they have misunderstood a key concept and are now running into difficulties because they are wrongly contextualising new material they encounter.

The teacher could follow up their questioning by rectifying the learner’s earlier error. They could then demonstrate how this change makes it easier to understand the new material.

Thinking

This refers to the general notion of thinking.

It includes aspects such as reasoning, analysis, making connections, problem-solving and so on.

A learner might give you an answer to a question that does not include any evidence of how or why they have come to that answer.

Diagnostic questioning can then be used to draw out the thinking that led the learner to give their answer.

It may be that the learner’s thinking was sound. If this was the case, it will still have been better to make the process explicit.

On the other hand, it may be that the learner came to the correct answer through incorrect means.

In this case, the questioning will have exposed the error, giving the teacher an opportunity to correct it (most likely involving an exploration of the thinking in conjunction with the learner).

Psychology

This refers to the psychological factors that are at play in the classroom.

It includes aspects such as motivation, self-confidence, the influence of past experiences, self-esteem and so on.

If a learner is reluctant to engage with a particular task, it may be due to a psychological factor that is creating inhibitions.

Diagnostic questioning can be used to try and find out what precisely is the issue.

The teacher can use the information they gain to suggest alternative approaches.

For example, a pupil might be reluctant to take part in group work intended to lead to a presentation.

Diagnostic questioning might reveal that they fear speaking in front of a large audience.

The teacher could then use this information to suggest that they have a scripting role in the group and do not have to speak, that they produce a written piece of work instead, or that groups present to each other rather than to the whole class.

Summary

• Diagnostic questioning involves asking questions to elicit information for a specific purpose.
• This purpose will most likely be problem-solving, the identification of error or the checking of what is known or understood.
• The specific area of focus will influence what questions are asked and how they are asked.

A final note regarding the whole class

Diagnostic questioning concerned with thinking can be used with all the learners in a class at the same time.

Here is how to do it:

1. Provide a means whereby all learners can make their thinking known to you. The simplest method is using mini-whiteboards.
2. Plan a series of questions based on the most common misconceptions concerning the topic.
3. Display or ask these questions in turn.
4. Ask learners to respond using the method on which you have settled (for example, mini-whiteboards).
5. Use discussion to explore the answers which are given. Identify and talk about any misconceptions. Rectify these errors, or let other learners rectify them, and discuss why they occurred in the first place and how they can be avoided in future.