Learning Concepts through Key Questions

So I've blogged on teaching in an information-rich, technology rich environment and getting away from the lecture/text book method of instruction, and I've blogged on teaching using essential questions rather than objectives to formulate curriculum. Now I'd like to take that a bit further and talk about using key questions when teaching concepts. In my training for International Baccalaureate, one of the many best practices that I was impressed with was their written curriculum (what do we want to learn) divided into five main elements: concepts, knowledge, skills, attitude, and action. Concepts are basically what we want our students to understand: form, function, causation, change, connection, perspective, responsibility and reflection. These are demonstrated through key questions for each concept:

• form: what is it like?
• function: how does it work?
• causation: why is it like this?
• change: how is it changing?
• connection: how is it connected to other things?
• perspective: what are the points of view?
• responsibility: what is our responsibility?
• reflection: how do we know?

In my former library, I painted these questions in giant quote bubbles over the library shelves, and every classroom posted these questions prominently for students to see and use. These key questions are wonderful for initiating inquiry from students and for helping with transdisciplinary skills. If you get in the habit of referring to these questions when teaching your units, and more importantly, getting the students to use these questions when learning, then you will be amazed at the connections students make, the wonder they develop, and the interest and engagement they generate. Try posting these questions in your room and integrate one into your instruction each week. You already are familiar with having students ask what are the connections through Readers and Writers Workshops (text-to-text, text-to-self, text-to-world), so try adding another this week and watch your students question, think, and reflect! Let me know how it goes!