Like many vocational teachers, I entered the education sector after working within my trade. My background as an electrician provided strong subject knowledge and practical experience, but teaching required the development of additional pedagogical skills. During the early stages of my teaching practice, I noticed that many of the questions I asked learners were primarily closed questions designed to confirm whether instructions had been understood. While this type of questioning can be useful for checking factual knowledge, it does not always encourage learners to explain their reasoning or engage more deeply with the subject matter. Through my training and classroom experience, I began to recognise that more purposeful questioning strategies could support deeper learning and provide greater insight into learner understanding. 

Questioning is particularly important within vocational subjects such as electrical installation, where learners must apply theoretical knowledge to practical situations. Tasks such as cable calculations, circuit design and fault finding require learners to explain their reasoning and justify the decisions they make. Effective questioning can therefore support learners in articulating their thought processes and making connections between theory and practical application. Developing stronger questioning techniques has the potential to encourage discussion, reveal misconceptions and support learners in developing a deeper understanding of electrical concepts. For these reasons, improving questioning strategies was selected as the focus of this professional development project.