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An essential question is an incredibly powerful tool for discovery learning and critical thinking skill development. Essential and herding questions are also one of the 10 shifts of practice of future-focused learning. If you consider what learning actually is, it is usually the answer to a need or what springs from curiosity around a personal connection. This usually involves the asking of essential questions to drive the learning. However, when they're working with EQs, teachers often ask, "How can I make essential questions better?" 1. Move the question higher on Bloom's Taxonomy 2. Remove specificity

One of the transformations occurring in modern learning is students becoming creators of knowledge. It's why we've defined essential questions as one of the 10 shifts of practice in future-focused learning. In essence, this shift means moving from answering the questions to questioning the answers. It's about the quest of pursuing an answer to a question that isn't easily obtainable. This is, of course, the essence of an essential question.

Essential Questions: 3 points to add depth - Read about the power of 'why?', open-ended questions and the perspective of age to add layers to responses.

The key to teaching for understanding is to foster ongoing inquiry into important "big ideas." A natural way to actively engage students in such inquiry is to use a few Essential Questions (EQs) to frame a curriculum unit. The explicit use of EQs sends a powerful signal that learning something deeply is about making meaning, not simply the acquisition of factual knowledge and discrete skills.

The need for "deep embedding of the Essential Question (EQ) into the unit design and lessons that make it up. "

"Asking students a series of essential questions at the start of a course signals that deep engagement is a requirement."

The Internet is a swelling ocean of information. Navigating through the steady flow of that information ocean can be hazardous. This is certainly true of a student who is not information fluent. The driving question is what are some smart online research strategies? Luckily this falls within the realm of the Essential Fluencies, namely Information Fluency. This involves the 5As process: Asking the right questions Acquiring the knowledge Analyzing the content for relevancy and credibility Applying the knowledge to our use Assessing the effectiveness of our message

"Driving Question which is so important in STEM and PBL. You will discover multiple resources in this series along with some great ideas for finding student success in student owned inquiry. "

Productive classroom discussions-those that enable students to invent, create, imagine, take risks, and dig for deeper meanings-can only take place in a climate in which students feel safe to offer their ideas. Teachers can create such a climate by being mindful of the essential conditions of interactive teaching.