The document provides guidance on using questions to drive inquiry-based learning. It outlines different types of question starters and prompts that can be used at various stages of an inquiry cycle. These include question words, Socratic questioning techniques to clarify ideas, probe assumptions, and elicit different perspectives. The document also links key questions to different phases of an inquiry process, including framing the inquiry, tuning in, finding out, sorting out, reflecting and acting. It provides examples of question prompts to remember information, prompt deeper thinking, reflection, transfer of learning, and creativity.
3. +
Socratic Questioning
To Clarify
What do you mean by…?
Are you saying…?
Could you restate that in another way?
How does that connect with (the idea/ concept/text being
discussed)?
4. +
Socratic Questioning
To Probe Assumptions
What makes you say that?
Where did you get that idea from?
Might there be another way of looking at that?
5. +
Socratic Questioning
To Justify and Seek Evidence
Can you give me an example of…?
How do you know that…?
How might someone argue against that?
How can you be sure?
Why is this so?
What is your evidence?
What would you need to change your thinking?
6. +
Socratic Questioning
To Elicit Other Perspectives and Viewpoints
Might there be another way of looking at this?
If you were…what do you think you would say?
How does this compare with…’s view?
Who would agree with you? Who would disagree?
Have you always thought this way?
7. +
Socratic Questioning
To Explore/ Reveal Implications and Consequences
So if that is true, what would it mean for…?
What might that lead to?
What if this is not the case?
8. +
Socratic Questioning
To Think about The Question Itself
Why do you think I asked that question?
Is there a better way of asking about this?
Is we asked the question this way, how would out thinking change?
Was that a useful question?
9. SOLO
level
Verbs What Who Where When How Why
Identify
Define
Describe
Outline
Analyse
Distinguish
Explain
Argue
Evaluate
Justify
Predict
Prove
Prioritise
Theorise
11. +
Linking questions to a cycle of Inquiry
Phase and Purposes Key Questions
Framing the Inquiry
• Establishing the context and a
compelling question
• Making links with the system/
school curriculum
• Identifying understanding goals
• Identifying key skills and
dispositions
• Identifying possible indicators of
understanding
What do these students want and
need to learn and do?
What do we want them to come to
understand and be able to do?
What are the students revealing to us
in these initial conversations?
What is important to learn about this?
What are the big ideas?
Why is this worth doing? Is this worth
doing?
How can we connect this with our
students’ lives?
What do we know/ think/ believe about
this?
12. +Linking questions to a cycle of Inquiry
Phase and Purposes Key Questions
Tuning In
• Gathering data about students’
existing thinking, knowledge, feeling
and understanding
• Helping students make connections
with the key concept/s
• Providing purpose, the big picture
and authenticity
• Motivating, exciting, engaging
students
What are you wondering?
When you see this (image/ question/
word/ object), what does it make you
think about?
What does this remind you of in your
own life?
What connections can you make?
I wonder what you are thinking about
this?
What do we already think/ feel/ know
about this?
What do we need to know or think
more about?
Why might this be worth learning
about?
Let’s figure out what we already think
about this.
Let’s see what we can work out first.
What’s interesting about this?
What do we need to get better at
doing as learners?
13. +
Linking questions to a cycle of Inquiry
Phase and Purposes Key Questions
Finding Out
• Gathering new information to
address the compelling question
• Developing the research skills
that are required
• Learning how to organise and
manage the process of finding
out
• Having some shared
experiences that will allow us to
talk and share our thinking with
others
• Stimulating curiosity through
new experiences and
information
• Learning how to record
information gathered in efficient
ways
What would be the best way to find
out more?
Who could we ask? What could we
do?
What could be the best way to
remember what we find out?
What is this telling us?
How is this connection to what we
already knew?
How do we know whether this is
reliable information?
How can we check this?
Where has this information come
from?
How is this making us feel?
What skills will we need to use?
14. +
Linking questions to a cycle of Inquiry
Phase and Purposes Key Questions
Sorting Out
• Comprehending – making
meaning of the information
gathered
• Revealing new thinking and
deeper understanding
• Answering questions
• Reviewing/ revising early
thinking – synthesising
• Interpreting the information and
communicating with others
How is our thinking changing?
What patterns are you seeing?
What does this mean?
What questions does this make you
want to ask?
What are you noticing?
What questions have we
answered? Now what?
What’s the best way to explain this
to others?
What connections are we making?
How is this making a difference to
us?
How are we using what we are
learning?
15. +
Linking questions to a cycle of Inquiry
Phase and Purposes Key Questions
Going Further
• Opportunities for students to
pursue questions and interests
arising from their journey so far
• Learners to work more
independently on their
investigations
What are you most interested in
finding out about now?
How could you take this further?
How might you go about this
investigation?
What new questions do you have?
Is there something you think you
could do with this information? How
can you achieve that?
What personal learning goals can
you set during this task?
What do you need?
What do you need to do?
16. +
Linking questions to a cycle of Inquiry
Phase and Purposes Key Questions
Reflecting and Acting (activated
throughout the cycle)
• To help students apply their
learning to other contexts – to
put the learning to use
• To enable the students to reflect
on what and how they have
learned and set goals for the
future
• To assess final understanding
and growth in skills
So what?
What can we say now that we
couldn’t say then?
What do we think is the most
important thing we have learned
about/ to do?
What have we noticed about our
thinking along the way?
What is in our tool kit as a result of
this investigation?
What should we share with others?
How?
How ahs this changed us?
Now what?
What questions are we left with?
What have we learned about
ourselves? About learning?
17. +
Question Prompts
To remember
How many…?
What is/ was…?
When did…?
When was…?
What happened after…?
Who spoke to…?
18. +
Question Prompts
To Prompt Deeper Thinking
How would you explain…?
What do you think might happen next…?
What was the main idea…?
Can you clarify…?
Can you show how…?
What is a different way of saying…?
What was this not about?
What patterns are you noticing in…?
Can you see a relationship between… and …?
What new information did we get about…?
How does this confirm what you already know about…?
What is missing from…?
What’s wrong with…?
What examples can you find to show…?
What is the main message here?
19. +
Question Prompts
To Prompt Transfer
How could we use this again?
What does this remind you of?
Can you make a connection between…?
If…had not happened, how might this have been different?
Where is…?
Can we use…?
How does this connect to…?
20. +
Question Prompts
To Prompt Reflection
What’s the most important thing about…?
What makes you say that?
How would you justify…?
What would you have done differently?
How do you know?
How is your thinking changing? Why?
What is your point of view?
What might…think/feel/know about this?
21. +
Question Prompts
To Prompt Creativity
What might you do with what you have learned about…?
What new ideas can you contribute to…?
What might happen if…?
If…did not happen then how might…?
What would you have done instead?
What alternative strategy could you use?
Is there a different way to do/think about/ say…?
Can we see this from a different point of view?
22. +
Learning to Ask Different Kinds of
Questions
A question about change
How and why has the game of football changed in the last 20
years?
A question about how it works or how something happens
How do birds build their nests?
How does our voting system work?
A question about how it came to be
How did the pyramids get built?
How are guitars made?
23. +
Learning to Ask Different Kinds of
Questions
A question about why it is important
Why are polar bears important?
Why do we learn about fractions?
A question about how to do something
What do you have to do to make a kite?
How can you best throw a tennis ball?
A question about what people think/ opinions
What is the best way to stay fit?
Have mobile phones made our lives easier?
24. +
Learning to Ask Different Kinds of
Questions
A question about what is needed
What can we do to help people without a home?
A question about improvements
How could we help stop bullying in the playground?
How could we reduce the traffic on our roads?
How could I change my sleep habits?
25. +
Learning to Ask Different Kinds of
Questions
A question about caring/looking after
How do you look after babies?
How do museums preserve memories?
A question about feelings
How do people feel about asylum seekers being detained for long
periods?
A question about possibilities/predictions
What if we had a rubbish-free lunch policy?
What would happen if we planted bird-attracting plants in the school
grounds?