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At the heart of learning are the questions to which we do not yet know the answers and the journey to the questions we have not yet asked. Such simple truths and yet understandings that can have fundamental consequences for approach to learning and growth.

A posting inspired by Patrick Rothfuss - 'It's the questions we can't answer that teach us the most. They teach us how to think. If you give a man an answer all he gains is a little fact but give him a question and he'll look for his own answers. That way, when he finds the answers they'll be precious to him, the harder the question, the harder we hunt, the harder we hunt the more we learn, an impossible question . . .'

"So suggests Dr. Dylan William in his excellent new book, Embedded Formative Assessment (published by Solution Tree Press, and recommended). A common use for diagnostic questions is to find out whether participants have understood your instruction - telling you whether you can go onto another topic or need to spend more time on this topic. And if participants get it wrong, you want to understand why they have done so in order to correct the misconception. Good diagnostic questions involve deep domain knowledge, as you have to understand why learners are likely to answer in a particular way"

In "Factfulness", Hans Rosling shares a valuable insight into why we must question our assumptions. In times when we are bombarded with information, when false claims abound, having a disposition towards scepticism seems vital. Rosling urges us to not only question the facts we are presented with but the internal biases which influence how we interpret these facts.

Adults love to ask "What if...?" questions too. It is a model that can be a catalyst for change when used in the right way and when combined with some other questions. 

"Every year Edge.org poses an Annual Question to dozens of scholars, scientists, writers, artists and thinkers. The respondents this year include the reasonably famous, such as Arianna Huffington, Steven Pinker, Brian Eno, Daniel Dennet, Sam Harris and 13.7's own Stuart Kauffman, as well as the not so famous (like me). "The 2013 question is: "What should we be worried about?" Respondents were urged to raise worries that aren't already on the public radar, or to dispel those that are" (Lombardo, NPR)

At first glance, teachers may point to the fact that today's curriculum is not about content knowledge any more. It's about skill development, creativity, collaboration and communication. At a simplistic level, that may be partly true. We can't escape the fact, though, that accuracy and understanding is still paramount. While an 8 year old will survive making the odd misinterpretation or copying the wrong information down, a 20 year old medical student can't be confusing a pharynx with a larynx or thinking a 3:4 ratio means 3/4 and 1/4. So the question needs to be asked - How well are we dealing with Quality Control and Fact Checking in the Differentiated, Personalised Classroom? This one question brings up a whole lot more questions that every teacher needs t0 consider.

After two days of talking about curriculum, integration, STEM, STEAM and HASS I am left with more questions than I started with. In some respects, the concept of curriculum integration is simple. It is after all something that Primary teachers almost take for granted. But for Senior and Tertiary educators the question of curriculum integration is inherently complex. At all levels questions emerge of what curriculum integration might achieve, what purposes it serves, what it could and should look like and how it should be supported by curriculum planners. In the current climate, with its debate around the role of education within an innovation economy, shaped by technology and confronting demands for a STEAM enabled workforce the shape of our curriculum is under pressure. 

"At the end of the day, the questions we ask ourselves determine the type of people we become." As we look to guide students and mentor/encourage other professionals, we have to get honest with ourselves and do some personal reflection. These questions challenged me to rethink some things for sure. "

This is a useful QR code creator that allows you to add a password to your codes. You can use this to protect private information or make the passwords the answer to a question to access a new question to create a chain of questions for a QR code quiz. Encode for a web link, message, contact details or maps. All without needing to sign up! Sign in to get analysis of your codes. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/ICT+%26+Web+Tools

Make review games for your interactive white board with Stu's Quiz Boxes.

This website points out the significance of having Driving Questions- DQ's. This helps focus the direct of the project. Good article.

We are driven by curiosity. It is an innately human quality that has driven us to explore, ask questions, investigate, wonder why and search for a deeper understanding. In a very fundamental way curiosity is the driver of all self-directed learning. It is our desire to find out more, unlock new knowledge and answer our questions (big ones and little ones) that compels us to learn. Sir Ken Robinson famously and provocatively asked "Do Schools Kill Creativity?". The same question might be asked about curiosity.

"Does the thought of answering questions at teaching interviews fill you with dread? For many, the answer is a resounding yes. Not only is the application process extremely time-consuming, but if you are lucky to reach the interview stage, you will deal with on-the-spot pressures too. Most schools will observe a lesson you've prepared before moving to formal interviews. If you reach this stage you've done well. However, this is often the point at which candidates struggle the most. After all, you can prepare a lesson, knowing to some degree how it will go. But how can you predict what will be asked in an interview? Answering questions at teaching interviews is a skill you need to develop. Fortunately, there's a way."

These two powerful questions framed a recent webinar presented by Professor David Perkins of Harvard Graduate School of Education's Project Zero. Answering these questions and helping teachers find meaningful and contextually relevant answers to these questions has been a focus of Perkins' work, especially in recent times. His book "Future Wise: Educating Our Children for a Changing World" introduced us to the notion of lifeworthy learning or that which is "likely to matter in the lives our learners are likely to live". This is a powerful notion and one that has the potential to change not only what we teach but also how we go about teaching what we do.

In this time of COVID19 and remote learning or emergency distance learning the value of encouraging students to investigate their questions should not be forgotten.