Essential Questioning

Questions form the structure within which we can wonder, think critically and solve problems.  Although questions may come naturally to us as children, we need to encourage our students to understand the art of good questioning.  This will become the foundation for their lifelong learning skills.

In our classrooms the essential questions we ask should guide our instructional practices and help us focus on the higher order thinking skills we want our students to strengthen.  "Essential questions can be used to effectively frame our key learning goals" (McTighe, Wiggins 4).

According to McTighe and Wiggins the defining characteristics of a good essential question are:

1. It is open-ended
2. It is thought-provoking and intellectually engaging
3. It calls for higher-order thinking
4. It points toward important, transferable ideas
5. It raises additional questions and sparks inquiry
6. It requires support and justification
7. It recurs over time- it will be revisited over and over again

During this school year we will focus on developing effective and meaningful essential questions, and incorporating them into inquiry driven instruction.