Thinking is an engagement of the mind that changes the mind.
—Martin Heidegger,What Do We MeanWhen we ask teachers what they want their students to be able to do, they
invariably emphasize the importance of thinking and problem solving.
Yet given the high degree of apathy among today’s students, how can we
engage students’ minds or, as Sizer suggests, guide them to “use their
minds well” (1992, p. 73)?
A student’s mind generally is engaged through some form of cognitive
dissonance: a provocation or an inquiry. Effective teachers create this dis-
sonance in two ways: (1) by raising a point of uncertainty or discrepancy
in the content or (2) by pressing students to raise such points as they try
to understand what is being presented. Ultimately engagement occurs
through student interest, and we can only foster the conditions in which
students’ interest might be piqued.
Questioning strategies provide a rich opportunity for developing stu-
dent engagement. All questioning should focus on drawing students into
the learning process. Learners must be presented with problems and ques-
tions, the answers to which are not readily known, if they are to become
aware of, draw forth, practice, and apply the Habits of Mind.
135Using Questions to Challenge
Students’ Intellect
Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick