ABSTRACT
Questioning forms a key feature of athlete/student-centred approaches to coaching and teaching but presents a significant challenge for practitioners (Wright and Forrest, 2007; McNeill et al., 2008; Forrest, 2014). In Positive Pedagogy the prime aims of asking questions are to stimulate thinking and promote interaction between athletes and between the coach and athlete(s) from which learning emerges (see Vygotsky, 1978; Fosnot, 1996). This means that coaches must do more than ask simple yes/no questions. They need to employ questioning that is open-ended, stimulates thinking, fosters curiosity and promotes interaction between the coach and athletes and between athletes. This chapter begins by discussing why coaches need to ask questions and what
the aim of questioning is in Positive Pedagogy. Just as athletes need to know why and when they should take particular action or perform a skill and not just how, coaches need to know why they are asking questions. After suggesting why coaches need to ask questions I then discuss what questions to ask and when to ask them.
