Does curiosity build a good unit or program?

1. Does curiosity build a good unit or program?

2. Writing a good driving question It doesn’t matter what you call it – driving question, essential question, compelling question or key question. Every unit or program you plan needs to have a question to hook your students’ interest.

3. Inquiry learning The driving question that you come up with forms the basis of inquiry learning. The question needs to be juicy enough that it piques the interest of your class members.

4. QCAR Standards: some givens The standards ask us to plan learning experiences that are differentiated. The A level students need work that will be challenging, and the C-E students need work at their level. A good driving question will provide opportunities for students to ‘opt in’ to the learning at their level, and you can maintain an inclusive environment.

5. Let’s take a look at a sample driving question.

6. Let’s start with an age old unit for Middle Phase about coal mining. What’s this unit really about? Energy.

7. What’s a question we could pose about energy? How about: What are the forms of renewable and non-renewable energy? This is okay, but it is still purely content based. If you did this unit, the most you could really grade the students is a C, as there is no higher order thinking involved.

8. Let’s go a step further and pose this as a question: What would happen if we ran out of coal? This is an improvement, but it’s probably not open ended enough to really push those ‘A’ level students.

9. So how about a question with student appeal? Why is Homer Simpson a danger at the power plant? From here the students can go off in a whole lot of directions – nuclear power and its pros and cons, which countries use it, nuclear waste, what the alternatives are and so on.

10. If that doesn’t ring your bell you could try something very topical like: How big is my carbon footprint? This allows you to get the spread from A-E with less complex activities still picking up on the energy issues but the higher order thinking encompassing topics such as whole household usage analysis or pulling apart the statistics Al Gore used in An Inconvenient Truth.

11. Let’s look at the levels of these driving questions again so you can see the depth - • Coal Mining • What are the forms of renewable and non-renewable energy? • What would happen if we ran out of coal? • Why is Homer Simpson a danger at the power plant? • How big is my carbon footprint?

12. Hook your students with an interesting driving question that is connected to the real world and you will reap the rewards. Your students will select the ICT tools that will assist them in conducting their inquiry and you will be able to facilitate them on their journey.

13. What else should you consider? Productive Pedagogies QCAR Framework Assessment of Learning and Assessment for Learning Designing quality assessment tasks

14. How suitable is your question? Will it generate a task that is intellectually challenging? Will that task be authentic? How trustworthy will the task be in generating sound evidence about student performance? Will the task support all students in the production of a performance of the best quality? http://education.qld.gov.au/qcar/pdfs/placemat.pdf

15. Intellectually challenging tasks • have depth and breadth • require higher order and critical thinking • allow learners to demonstrate their thinking and understanding, as well as valued attributes and attitudes • promote learners’ ability to use the metalanguage of the domain • The intent of the task must be clear from the outset • http://education.qld.gov.au/qcar/pdfs/placemat.pdf

16. Authentic tasks • are set within an appropriate context for learners • are engaging and target realistic audiences • have genuine and valued purposes • involve negotiation • Learners must recognise and be motivated by the purpose and relevance of the task • http://education.qld.gov.au/qcar/pdfs/placemat.pdf

17. Credible tasks • require relevant and adequate learner performances • have clear and explicit criteria • provide opportunities for learners of all backgrounds to demonstrate their achievement • demand a variety of performances throughout the assessment schedule • The connections to the educational intentions must be clear to all audiences • http://education.qld.gov.au/qcar/pdfs/placemat.pdf

18. Accessible tasks • are scaffolded and provide opportunities for learners to reflect • are designed to facilitate engagement with the requirements • provide examples and resources to assist learners • assess only literacies that have been explicitly taught • All learners must be confident that they understand the intent and specific requirements of the task • http://education.qld.gov.au/qcar/pdfs/placemat.pdf