•“How is rap music like another form of poetry?”
•“How were the inventions of the industrial age a necessary form of
development for a culture?”
An essential question at this level might be this: “Is there such a thing
as a ‘good’ war?”
Composing Powerful Questions
Desirable questions elicit in students an awareness and engagement of
the Habits of Mind. If we want students to develop flexibility, remain open
to continuous learning, and think creatively, the questions that we com-
pose and present to them must signal conditional learnings rather than
absolute truths. Our questions must enable students to become more open
to novelty, alert to distinctions, sensitive to different contexts, and aware
of multiple perspectives. Our questions, therefore, should guard against
premature conclusions and routine ways of thinking and perceiving
(Siegel, 2007). In fact, many educators have turned to the practice of
asking essential questions (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005) that have the desir-
able characteristics described here in order to stimulate inquiry through-
out a unit of study.
These kinds of questions have three characteristics (Costa & Garm-
ston, 2007, pp. 44–47):
1.The questions are invitational. The teacher uses an approachable
voice, with a lilt and melody rather than a flat, even tenor. Plurals are
used to invite multiple, rather than singular, concepts:
•“What are someof your goals?”
•“What ideasdo you have?”
•“What outcomesdo you seek?”
•“What alternativesare you considering?”
The teacher selects words that express tentativeness or uses the condi-
tional tense:
•“What hunchesdo you have to explain this situation?”
•“What conclusions mightyou draw?”
•“What mayindicate his acceptance?”
Using Questions to Challenge Students’ Intellect 143