What? So what? Now what?
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Three questions, in this order
After a lesson, most of us jump to a verdict (that was awful) or a fix (I need to be quicker). These three questions slow that down just enough. You do it on your own, in two minutes, before the next group arrives. Nothing is saved or handed in.
For exampleWhat? So what? Now what? Two minutes. Three lines.
With your learners
- After a practical or an assessment, give out a slip with three boxes: What did I do? So what did I find out? Now what will I do next time?
- Two minutes, in silence, before anyone packs away.
- Read five slips, not all of them. Start the next lesson with one Now what you noticed.
Your jobWrite your own three lines about a lesson from this week.
Think of one lesson from this week. No learners' names. Nothing is saved: print it if you want to keep it.
My three lines
What? [what a camera would have seen] So what? [why it matters, and my part in it] Now what? [one thing, on a named day]
Run it on the walk back to the staff room. Two minutes, three lines, after any lesson, good or bad.
Why this works in your room
Two minutes of reflection turns a lesson into something you can use.
For your learners: The thing that did not work today is different the next time they meet it.
For you: You leave the lesson with one action and a day to do it, and not a feeling about how it went.
When, and how long
Straight after the lesson.
Before the next group, or on the walk back.
Two minutes. Three lines.
What?
Only what a camera would see.
What did I do? What did they do?
How many? How long?
So what?
Why it matters.
What did it mean for their learning?
What was my part in it?
Now what?
One thing, on a named day.
What will I do differently, and when?
Could someone film me doing it?
Watch out for
A verdict or a wish.
That was a disaster is a verdict.
Manage my time better is a wish.
On the day
Check you did it.
Did I do the Now what?
Write one line on what changed.
Elsewhere in Bradford ThreadWorks
Lesson WeaverTransfer an old lesson plan, to rework the lesson you have just looked back on.Open Lesson Weaver (opens in a new tab)
RAISEReading your feedback, for the same three questions after a lesson visit.Open RAISE (opens in a new tab)
Prompts to paste into Copilot
Copilot is good at telling a wish from an action. Change what is in brackets, and leave out learners' names.
Sharpen my Now what
Here is my reflection on a lesson. What: [what happened]. So what: [why it matters]. Now what: [what I plan to do]. Tell me whether my Now what is something I could be seen doing on a named day. If it is not, give me three sharper versions.
Ask me, do not tell me
Act as a colleague helping me think. I taught [subject] to [level] learners and [what happened]. Ask me one question at a time, six at most, moving from what happened, to why it matters, to what I will do. Do not give advice unless I ask for it.
Where it comes from
The three questions were first set out by Terry Borton, a teacher, in 1970. Gary Rolfe and colleagues built them into a model for professional reflection in 2001. It is used widely in teaching and nursing because it is short enough to be used.
Borton, 1970; Rolfe, Freshwater and Jasper, 2001
Why it ends in a day
Understanding a lesson changes nothing in the room. People are far more likely to act on a plan that names when and where they will do it than on a good intention.
Gollwitzer, 1999 (opens in a new tab)How sure is this?
Fairly, for the last line. Plans with a when and where are well supported. The three questions are widely used, but we have not found a study showing they improve teaching. Describing before judging is common sense, not a proven effect.
No source claimed