The Power of Essential Questions

1
The Power of Essential Questions

• The Question is the answer!
• Anu Pande
• Liberty
  High School

2
Today we will examine

• Content objective Participants will be able to
  write and connect an Essential Question to a
  lesson.
• Essential Question Why are EQs crucial to
  learning? Blooms levels
• How do you write and connect an essential
  question to the lesson? Connect to your
  assessment?
• Which Essential Question should I choose?
• How do I implement the uses of the EQ?

3
Essential Questions are

• At the top of Blooms Taxonomy-students
  EVALUATE(make a thoughtful choice between options
  that are clearly stated) SYNTHESIZE (invent a new
  or different version) or to ANALYZE (develop a
  thorough and complex understanding through
  skillful questioning.
• Spark curiosity and connect to background
  knowledge
• Engage students in real life applied
  problem-solving suggested by NCTM and Science
  Standards, and across the professional literature
• Lend themselves to interdisciplinary connections
  and investigations that require APPLICATION.
• Students can learn to ask their own EQs

4
Which Questions Matter ?

• Prime questions
• Why?
• How?
• Which?
• Not what

5
Why?

• Why do things happen the way they do?
• Why requires analysis of cause-effect variables.
• Leads naturally to problem-solving
• Basic Constructivist tool-figuring stuff out

6
How?

• Basis for problem-solving and synthesis
• Used to pull and change things until a better
  version emerges
• Inventors favorite question
• How is about inquiry

7
Which?

• Requires thoughtful decision-making based on
  clearly stated evidence
• Who we will become-Which path will I follow?
• Choice with criteria and evidence

8
Essential Questions-

• Require higher level thinking not recall
• Enable students to make up their own minds!
• Foundation for Information Power, Engaged
  Learning and Information Literacy
• Great opportunity for formative assessment
• High achieving schools adopt a questioning
  toolkit-blended into each curriculum area

9

• The Depth of our Thinking is realized in the
  Quality of our Questions!
• Raising the bar
• Be sure your higher level questioning is also
  present in your assessments.