Assessment for learning is an essential process in a successful learning environment whereby teachers can methodically and periodically evaluate their students’ understanding of a given topic and measure how much progress has been made. Research into assessment for learning has been ongoing for some time; almost  Progress of American civilization half a century ago, David Ausubel advocated the idea that in fact, what students already know when they enter the classroom is the most significant factor in influencing their learning, and that teachers should be proactive in establishing what the students’ prior knowledge is and consequently tailor their teaching to enrich this knowledge (Ausubel, 1968). According to Wiliam (2011), it appeared for a time that the universal view of education was that as long as teaching practice was considered of acceptable quality, then there was no need for it to be adapted to the needs of the individual student. Wiliam (2011, p.3) elaborates on this, and notes that it had previously been acceptable to believe that “well-designed instruction” was satisfactory enough to ensure that all students could progress, and that any misunderstandings or inability to improve were the fault of the individual student. This viewpoint is reinforced by the research of Crooks (1988), who observed formal assessment processes such as tests and informal assessment processes such as oral questioning by teachers and comprehension based questions of texts. Following this investigation, he concluded that ‘Too much emphasis has been placed on the grading function of evaluation and too little on its role in assisting students to learn” (p.468). Crooks found that teachers were neglecting to nurture and monitor the progress of their students, instead opting to focus on summative assessment. This corresponds with Wiliam’s (2011) perspective that the individual needs of the students were ignored in favour of subjecting them to seemingly arbitrary formal assessment. Crooks (1988) also argued that there was a need for systematic change in the amount of time allocated to both formal and informal assessment, as the overuse of formal assessment can result in: “reduction of intrinsic motivation, debilitating evaluation anxiety, ability attributions for success and failure that undermine student effort, lowered self-efficacy for learning in the weaker students, reduced use and effectiveness of feedback to improve learning, and poorer social relationships among the students.” (p.468). Crooks had clearly observed many teachers simply miss opportunities to ensure that they were using the correct processes to secure progress. As mentioned in my intro Progress of American civilization duction, I had had a similar experience when observing the class on which my own investigation is based; similar assessment for learning opportunities such as oral questioning had likewise been squandered by the teacher when it could have in fact been a perfect opportunity to ensure that all students were making good progress. It is credible, then, that informal assessment – or assessment for learning – processes such as oral questioning or adjunct questioning can be vastly beneficial for students to ensure that they can further their own understanding and make satisfactory progress. Benefits of Questioning As mentioned above, questioning is an integral part of the teaching and learning experience. According to Tofade, Elsner and Haines (2013, p.1) the purpose of questioning is “to stimulate the recall of prior knowledge, promote comprehension, and build critical-thinking skills”. This corresponds with Ausubel’s (1968) view that the most important information that students possess is actually what they already know when they walk through the classroom door. Therefore, it is vital that this is appropriately utilised and that the prior knowledge is addressed and built on in order to promote further understanding and to improve comprehension. According to Redfern (2015, p.28), questioning is expected to take up “between 35 and 50 per cent of teachers’ instructional time”. Given that lessons are usually only one hour long, this is a substantial amount of contact time dedicated to asking questions. This suggests, then, that Redfern believes that questioning is of the utmost importance and an essential factor of creating a successful learning environment. This viewpoint is echoed by Harris (2016) who argues that good questioning is an indication of being an outstanding teacher. Of course, ‘good’ questioning is a vague Progress of American civilization  term which first needs to be defined before it can be identified. Research into the effectiveness of questioning has been extensive; in 1948, a team of academics led by Benjamin Bloom aimed to analyse and organise questions and responses and classroom objectives into a comprehensive and legitimate model. By the mid-1950s, the group, consisting of Bloom, Engelhart, Furst, Hill and Krathwohl, had achieved their goal an>