Encouraging Students to Question the World Around Them

     We want our students to be thinkers, problem solvers, engineers, researchers, designers and so much more. That's a tall order for young children, but it certainly possible! Before we can get students to answer questions, however, we need them to start asking meaningful questions. 

     My students tend to need quite a bit of practice developing questions that push their thinking, and often stumble or give in when faced with a problem to which they cannot immediately find a solution. Without a doubt, this is something that teachers need to address sooner rather than later. 

     Introducing the idea of asking Open and Closed Questions gave my students a great start in developing deep, research-worthy questions. Here are the guidelines I gave my students:

STEP 1:

1. Ask as many questions as you can.
2. Do not stop to discuss, judge, or answer the questions.
3. Write down every question exactly as it is asked.
4. Change any statement into a question.​

STEP 2:

• Categorize the questions as closed or open.
• Closed Questions: They can be answered with yes or no or with one word.
• Opened Questions: They require an explanation and cannot be answered with yes or no or one word.

    In groups, students work to develop as many questions about a broad topic as possible. Every question is written on its own post-it note, as this allows us to be able to sort our questions either in groups or as a class later on. We continually return to these questions, revising them to make stronger ones and using some as a starting point for discovery!

   

    My class was able to use this strategy throughout content areas and the kids loved it! As a bonus, they even came to respect each others ideas and creativity a bit more over time. I hope you can give it a try!