Developing Effective Questions for Civic Students

Sure, maybe we encourage our students by saying "The only dumb question is the one that isn't asked." But let's face it: some questions sidetrack us; some are repetitive; some are simply rude or irrelevant. How can we promote an environment that stimulates valuable questions that enhance learning?

Model the sort of inquiry we desire. When the textbook says that "Accidents are the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. today," raise appropriate questions, so your students can hear what a critical thought process should sound like. For example, I wonder how they define 'accident' and what are they in,cludinglexcluding? When was that statement written ? Do we have any reason to believe that accidents have always taken fourth place, or might the role of accidents have changed from one century to the next? What are the first three causes, and what about fifth?
Utilize materials that mesmerize the children. Start with their favorite TV commercials or popular music as subjects for critical analysis. A sermon by prominent member of the clergy in the 1960s is memorable to this day because it challenged passages from the hit song by Simon and Garfunkel -- "I am a rock; I am an island, " that glorified tough-skinned isolation and escapism. The jolt of applying questions to otherwise un-examined materials helps youngsters remember to transfer inquiry to other documents and communications.
Guide students beyond trivial pursuit questions and help them probe the essence of meaningful problems. Instead of bombardment by disconnected multiple-choice entertainment (or easy-to-grade tests), focus learners on the enduring issues that matter. Energize them to ask what sorts of strategies lost or won the battle, not just the exact date. Ask about characteristics of persuasive leadership and motivating people for sacrifice, not about the names of the ships that were sunk. Get at the issues underlying the surface facts.

As students hear questions that stir them, they become interested in practicing the genre. As they practice it, they become more adept at the intellectual rigor of critical inquiry. As, we stimulate and reward this approach in assignments and assessments, students will internalize it and enjoy its intrinsic benefits.

Additional Lesson Information:

More Lesson Plans

Kids Around Town
LWVPA-CEF
226 Forster Street
Harrisburg, PA 17102
717-234-1576
or in PA 800-692-7281
annrappoport@comcast.net

Home| About KAT | The KAT Model | Order Materials | Lesson Plans

Join the Discussion | Resource Exchange | Your Projects | Suggestions