Self-explanation prompts are questions that encourage students to explain their reasoning. In this article Kelly, Laura and Julie explain the benefits of using self-explanation prompts for teachers, describe how they align with the Australian Curriculum, and provide instructions for creating them.

Research shows that students benefit when they explain their mathematical reasoning (e.g., Booth et al., 2015); however, not all students will do this on their own without being prompted (Berthold, Eysink, & Renkl, 2009). Self-explanation prompts are questions posed to a student that encourage the student to explain what they have learned…