Examples of Driving Questions and Switches to Consider
If you want to teach students to write good driving questions, there are some helpful tips you can follow. Here are some examples of questions that can help you get started:
The formula for writing a driving question
Writing a driving question is a critical component of a project. It guides students in thinking and learning and should guide their project planning. A good driving question should be reframed and not sound like a standard that is simply rewritten into a question. It should be clear, concise, and easy for teachers to understand. Here are a few tips for writing a driving question:
Begin by defining the purpose of your driving question. Write it so that it links to the standards for the content you’re teaching. Then, branch off to include sub-questions to guide student research. When writing a driving question, be sure to link the question to a core learning objective of the teacher. If the question is strong, it provides a clear context and an idea for the activities planned.
A good driving question should include multiple answers to allow students to explore the options. For example, if the question is about cleaning up a river, give the student two choices. This way, they can determine which answer works best for them. They should also be open-ended. The goal is to make students think and feel that the questions are provoking discussion and raising new questions. Here are some examples of driving questions, as well as a few simple switches to get you started.
Using the Formula for writing a driving question in your PBL lesson planning is an effective way to engage your students. If you’ve used PBL, you know that driving questions are an excellent way to engage students in critical thinking. While directed questions are fine for a PBL project, open-ended driving questions encourage students to consider many different perspectives before they make their decision. These questions can also be helpful for focusing on PBL projects.
Types of driving questions
Driving questions support the learning goals of students and incorporate academic vocabulary. They also foster critical thinking. Different types of driving questions focus on a specific role or product, and they follow a pattern. PBL projects can also be structured around question stems. Creating a driving question for your project is an important part of teaching critical thinking. It is important to choose the right question for your PBL project since the right question will motivate your students to engage in critical thinking.
Good driving questions pose real-world dilemmas and encourage students to learn from their answers. Students should be motivated to investigate a problem and find a solution through the process. This approach will lead to important content and skill learning. Here are some examples of good driving questions and some tips on writing good driving questions. And remember, don’t forget to use the question-forming process with creativity. Just remember that there’s no one right answer because different people have different perspectives.
Teachers can also create their own driving questions in class. Try using the Question Formulation Technique to narrow down the list of questions. If you can’t decide on one question, consider making your students the agents of the project. Students can even vote on their favorite question. This way, they can be agents in creating their own driving questions. You can also try creating a song about a particular driving question and share it with your students.
Good driving questions should be relevant to your students. They should spark student curiosity and inspire them to ask further questions and figure out answers. The questions should motivate your students to think critically and to seek deeper understanding. They should have multiple paths for learning. Without student motivation, they are meaningless. However, they should be relevant to the learning standards. There are three different types of driving questions:
Importance of open-ended inquiry
The best driving questions elicit students’ creative thinking by posing relevant, real-world dilemmas. They should spark further questions and discussion while pushing them towards a solution. The process of investigation leads to important skills and content learning. The table below provides examples of good driving questions and simple switches to consider. Here are three tips to get students started on creating their own driving questions. They will find them much more interesting and effective than those that force them to answer pre-conceived answers.
Use a provocation or a series of sub-questions to guide students’ research. When a driving question leads to sub-questions, students can branch off from it and make further connections to their own research. This way, they can refine and improve their questions. They can also use a whiteboard or paper to brainstorm. Once students have a list of questions, they can begin to group them by similarity.
A good question will be able to spark curiosity and scaffold a student’s understanding of the topic. Many teachers have predetermined objectives or standards in mind when they design a unit of study. While many teachers are comfortable using these types of questions, it is important to be sure to create open-ended questions that propel students forward to investigate the topic. If you want to learn more about driving questions, check out inquirED’s Inquiry Journeys curriculum.
If you’re teaching a topic with deep content, open questions can help students think deeply and creatively. When used in the right way, open-ended questions can lead to a culture of learning that can extend far beyond what’s required. While this approach requires time and planning, it has many benefits for students. A classroom environment where students are encouraged to think and reason deeply is a much more productive place to be.
National Core Arts Standards
Creating compelling project-based learning is not difficult. Using the National Core Arts Standards can help you start the process. A standard in visual art, for example, asks students to create a work of art that effectively communicates a message. The student’s answer to this question could be a driving question. A student artist might be asked to create a piece that communicates a particular message, such as a poem or an essay.
The National Core Arts Standards focus on four processes that contribute to the creation of art. These processes support the creation of artistic literacy. Moreover, the standards support the development of common values, lifelong learning, and community engagement. Whether an arts education classroom is an effective way to enhance students’ personal and professional growth will depend on the implementation of the NCAS. The AOEU is committed to developing these standards for the benefit of the arts.
Developing a positive self-image through the arts is essential for students in all grades. It’s important to promote arts education to all students, not just those who are naturally talented or want to become artists. Regardless of skill level, there are specific skills that students should be able to perform in dance, for example, and the same is true of other arts disciplines. Similarly, a student should be able to read and write about certain things in music.
The new standards reflect 21st Century learning expectations and allow for more flexibility in integrating the arts into the curriculum. While the new NCAS does not differentiate between visual and performing arts, it does emphasize the similarities between the two. By using the National Core Arts Standards, students should be able to create artworks that highlight these differences. If the art standards are aligned with 21st Century learning expectations, they will be ready to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Writing a driving question for your project-based learning unit
Whether you are teaching driving, technology, or a content area, a driving question is a great way to guide student learning. This type of question requires in-depth research, collaboration, and student engagement with the project content. This type of question also has a number of benefits for the teacher. It will prevent students from simply going to Google for answers and will prompt them to explore their content knowledge.
The first step in writing a driving question is to determine what you want to teach. While every PBL unit is unique, the basic structure of a good question is the same. A driving question should be open-ended, allowing for deep inquiry, align with the learning objectives, and be engaging for all students. You can use the same format when determining the driving question for your project-based learning units, such as the essential question or the problem statement. However, let your students write their own questions, and consider letting them write the questions themselves.
A driving question is a great way to start a project-based learning unit. This type of learning combines project-based activities with audience-presented products. The students share their final products with a relevant public audience. This audience should be written into the driving question. This is a great way to differentiate project-based learning from a traditional classroom assignment. A driving question must also be compelling and irresistible.
Another benefit of a driving question is that it helps focus a project. Students may choose to focus their projects on a particular product or role. By creating a driving question for your project-based learning unit, you will ensure that students will be engaged in the learning process. It is important to remember that writing a driving question is not easy. After all, it can make or break a project.