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Beautiful Questions in the Classroom
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Beautiful Questions in the Classroom
Transforming Classrooms Into Cultures of Curiosity and Inquiry

First Edition

Foreword by Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana, The Right Question Institute



April 2020 | 208 pages | Corwin

 "What does it mean to learn? Most of us eventually realize that genuine learning is less about delivering the right answers and more about asking the right questions. In an age of automation, questioning is a uniquely human skill, one we should foster in school and in life. This book is an essential read for educators at every level.”

      Daniel H. Pink, author of ‘WHEN’, ‘DRIVE’, and ‘A Whole New Mind’

“For teachers around the world there is a moral urgency to work with young learners in innovative ways that nurture agency, curiosity, agile thinking and problem solving. The role of questions in this cannot be underestimated.”

      Kath Murdoch. Consultant in Education and Author of ‘The Power of Inquiry.’


Why does engagement plummet as learners advance in school? Why does the stream of questions from curious toddlers slow to a trickle as they become teenagers? Most importantly, what can teachers and schools do to reverse this trend? Beautiful Questions in the Classroom has the answers. This inspirational book from Warren Berger and Elise Foster will help educators transform their classrooms into cultures of curiosity. The book explores the importance of questioning and how inquiry leads to learning, innovation, and personal growth.

 Readers will find:
- Strategies to inspire bigger, more beautiful student questions
- Techniques to help educators ask more beautiful questions
- Real-world examples, case studies, practical ideas, and question stems
- Videos showing strategies at work

Great teachers help students to ask bigger, more beautiful questions. This book will prepare and inspire educators to develop a powerful teaching approach that creates a classroom full of student driven inquiry.

 
Publisher’s Acknowledgments
 
About the Authors
 
Foreword
 
Introduction
 
Chapter 1. Why Questioning Matters Now More Than Ever
What This Means for Students and Their Teachers

 
Critical Thinking Is Even More Critical Now

 
Questions Give Humans an Edge Over Technology

 
Producing Future Leaders

 
 
Chapter 2. What Discourages Student Questioning?
The Decline of Kids’ Questions

 
The Five Enemies of Classroom Questioning

 
 
Chapter 3. Model the Behavior
Become a “Beautiful Questioner”

 
Start With Why

 
Become a Student of Your Own Work

 
Adopt a “Beginner’s Mind”

 
Be Curious in the Classroom

 
 
Chapter 4. Create a Culture of Inquiry in the Classroom
Foster an Appreciation of Questioning

 
Create a Stimulating Environment for Questioning

 
Make It Safe to Question

 
Make Questioning a Team Sport

 
Provide a Basic Questioning “Starter Kit”

 
Reward and Celebrate Questioning

 
 
Chapter 5. Inspire and Activate Student Questions
Provoke Curiosity

 
See Think Wonder

 
Release the Questions!

 
The Question Formulation Technique

 
The Origins of the QFT

 
Learning to Use the QFT in Classrooms

 
The Question Focus

 
The Question Generation Stage

 
 
Chapter 6. Help Students Improve and Take Ownership of Their Questions
Improve the Questions That Have Been Generated

 
Other Ways to Improve Questions

 
Evaluate and Prioritize Questions

 
Reflect on What Has Been Learned

 
Take Ownership of Questions

 
Turn Questions Into Projects

 
Help Students Find Their Own, Personal Big Beautiful Questions

 
 
Chapter 7. Be a Questioning Leader (in Your School, Community, and the World)
Ask Questions That Clarify

 
Ask Questions That Help You Rethink and Reinvent

 
Ask Questions That Help You Help Others

 
Ask Questions That Can Help You Enact Change

 
Taking Action

 
 
References
 
Resources
 
Index

Select a Purchasing Option

ISBN: 9781544365466
£31.99

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