Teachers Generating Solutions

Uninspiring Guiding Question

Mr. C's concern:

Guiding questions fell flat with the students...

"I tried using a guiding question once, but it fell flat with my students, so now I’m just more straightforward with starting the goals of my instruction. Now I focus a lot on cause and effect."

  • Why is this happening?

    Most likely, Mr. C created a question that is a straightforward idea that does not demand much thought from students and could be answered easily in one or two lessons. It is important for the guiding question to be an overarching question for the entire unit. A high-quality guiding question fosters active thinking and discussion. It should be open-ended with multiple possible solutions so that students are compelled to dig deeper and engage in text-based discussion.

Addressing Mr. C's concern:

How might teachers workshop this dilemma?

Mr. C describes the scenario in more detail to his colleagues:

When I was planning a unit on Pompeii and the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, I focused on how the eruption of the volcano impacted the people there. I turned that into a guiding question, “How did the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius impact the people of ancient Pompeii?”

Ideas offered by colleagues:
  • Daily Questions

    When students have a question to answer, it seems to give them a purpose or focus their attention. I have been using Daily Questions so that each day, they have a goal to work toward, whether we are reading, watching a video or doing a project. At the end of the class, I ask them to write their answers to today’s Daily Question as an exit ticket. The next day, I revisit that question and read a few of their responses. Then, I write a new Daily Question.

  • Write the Day’s Objectives

    I have gotten into the habit of writing the lesson objective or objectives on the board every day. This tells the students what the expectations are for each day in class. I think that is kind of like posing a guiding question.

  • Provide Discussion Starters

    My students always benefit from opportunities to talk about the lesson, especially the ELs in my classes. I always use a key question for the day, but at least twice in each class, I pose a discussion prompt related to the question. This allows students to practice using the language before they have to write about the question.

Which teacher move would you try?

A Coach's Comments:

These are all great ideas for getting students focused on the central purpose of your daily lessons. In addition to the daily questions or discussion prompts you prepare, you might try posing one overarching question that you track for the entire unit. A high-quality unit-level, guiding question is multi-faceted and abstract, with no one clearcut answer. A unit-level guiding question is a catalyst for daily discussions throughout the unit that foster active thinking, compelling students to dig deeper and engage in discussion. For example, instead of asking “What were the causes of the American Revolution?” it would be better to ask, “To what extent was the American Revolution a revolution for all the people living in the colonies?”