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"It seems only fitting to explore the role of questions in education by asking questions about the process of doing so. I propose that we start with the customary way of framing this topic and then proceed to questions that are deeper and potentially more subversive of traditional schooling. 1. WHICH QUESTIONS? To begin, let's consider what we might ask our students. The least interesting questions are those with straightforward factual answers. That's why a number of writers have encouraged the use of questions described variously as "true" (Wolf, 1987), "essential" (Simon, 2002), "generative" (Perkins, 1992; Perrone, 1998), "guiding" (Traver, 1998), or "fertile" (Harpaz & Lefstein, 2000). What the best of these share is that they're open-ended. Sometimes, in fact, no definitive right answer can be found at all. And even when there is one - or at least when there is reason to prefer some responses to others - the answer isn't obvious and can't be summarized in a sentence. Why is it so hard to find a cure for cancer? Do numbers ever end? Why do people lie? Why did we invade Vietnam? Grappling with meaty questions like these (which were among those generated by a class in Plainview, NY) is a real project . . . literally. A question-based approach to teaching tends to shade into learning that is problem- (Delisle, 1997) and project-based (Kilpatrick, 1918; Blumenfeld et al., 1991; Wolk, 1998). Intellectual proficiency is strengthened as students figure out how to do justice to a rich question. As they investigate and come to understand important ideas more fully, new questions arise along with better ways of asking them, and the learning spirals upwards. Guiding students through this process is not a technique that can be stapled onto our existing pedagogy, nor is it something that teachers can be trained to master during an in-service day. What's required is a continual focus on creating a classroom that is about thinking rather

"Air pollution may be damaging every organ and virtually every cell in the human body, according to a comprehensive new global review. The research shows head-to-toe harm, from heart and lung disease to diabetes and dementia, and from liver problems and bladder cancer to brittle bones and damaged skin. Fertility, foetuses and children are also affected by toxic air, the review found."

"Hablar con los alumnos sobre un compañero que tiene cáncer o cualquier otra enfermedad que podemos considerar compleja, puede ser difícil, pero no imposible. Utiliza una máxima: es mejor hablar abiertamente sobre ello que ignorarlo. Padres, tutores y responsables educativos de un niño pueden y deben ser los responsables de ese dialogo. La segunda máxima: naturalidad. Si un compañero tiene cáncer o esté enfermo, los niños saben que algo va mal: no viene a clase y todo el mundo habla y cuchichea sobre lo que le ocurre. Los niños a menudo escuchan conversaciones por casualidad. Tienen una tendencia a preocuparse más si sienten que se les están ocultando aspectos importantes. No nos engañemos, no hablar del cáncer o cualquier otra enfermedad compleja no les protege, sino todo lo contrario, les hace vulnerables porque les perturba y desestabiliza emocionalmente, porque sienten que es "tabú" y que sus creencias acerca de que "se trata de una situación trágica", son totalmente ciertas, aunque no sea así. 10 Consejos para dialogar con tus alumnos sobre el cáncer y otras enfermedades"