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Adapted from the following: McKenzie, Jamie Learning to Question, to Wonder, to Learn Traver Rob What is a Good Guiding Question? SSABSA Support Materials 2005. Why question? Why bother? Isn’t thinking enough? What’s the difference, anyway?
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Adapted from the following: McKenzie, Jamie Learning to Question, to Wonder, to Learn Traver Rob What is a Good Guiding Question? SSABSA Support Materials 2005
Why question? • Why bother? • Isn’t thinking enough? • What’s the difference, anyway? • Isn’t questioning and thinking part and parcel of the same whole? • No. Not exactly. • You can have one without the other.
Thinking is often proclaimed by state and national leaders as a chief goal of schooling, but the brand of thinking that results from these lofty goal statements may fall short of the mark, amounting to what Shakespeare might call “a tale told by an idiot” or what Pink Floyd might call “another brick in the wall.” Jamie McKenzie
From Jamie McKenzie Types of thinking
The types of thinking on the left side are the ones that require the least amount of questioning
These all share a focus on memorising and absorbing rather than generating and producing. If we expect our young ones to become thinkers, capable of developing ideas and insights instead of merely copying and pasting the thinking or the ideas of others, then questioning becomes paramount, and the importance of the right side of the diagram becomes evident. (Jamie McKenzie)
Guiding questions • Are open ended • Create multiple answers (they cannot be answered with a yes or no) • Focus the inquiry on the specific topic • Are non judgemental • Require high level cognitive work to answer them • Contain emotive force and intellectual bite • Invigorate the study • Are succinct – a handful of words yet demand a lot
What is a good sneaker? • Are our immigration policies fair? • What is a good book?
In refining your guiding question it may be useful to: Identify what you want to investigate Ask if there is a relationship between the parts of your question Ask who, what when, where, why, and how Make sure that the question is clearly written and that each word cannot be misinterpreted Be sure that the question can actually be researched
A Hypothesis • Is a carefully worded, untested statement that provides a focus for the research. • A good hypothesis always leads to discussion and debate • A good hypothesis takes time to word and may need to be reworked
The Twilight series will have an effect on the reading habits of children. • Women in politics are judged more than their male counterparts, dissuading them from the career.
Leading Questions • Contain their own answers • Why is sexism bad? • Why are Smarties better than M&MS? • This type of question advocates the conclusion rather than exploring the idea
Generic Questions • Lack personality and intrinsic interest • You will find these types of questions during such things as job interviews. They are fine for that situation but not as a research focus.
Other question types Open questions • Encourage descriptions, lists, opinions. • Used in surveys, interviews etc. Closed questions • Require only a short answer, usually yes/no. • Traditionally used in tests. • Can be used in interviewing & surveys.
Are you ok? • Is all grass green? • Other examples? • How are you feeling? • Why is grass green?
Focus Questions • Indicate the course of the study • Directs research in a meaningful way
Example of hypothesis & focus questions • The AFL needs to revisit the rules for selecting the Brownlow Medal” • Focus Questions • What are the current issues surrounding the awarding of the best and fairest? • Has there been a change in attitude the game over the last decade and how has it affected the medal? • Should the rules be changed?
Brainstorming and mind-mapping your research question or hypothesis may lead you to many other connected issues, which you then narrow down to several focus questions. • It is from here that you conduct your investigation
Hypothesis, Guiding questions and Focus questions take time to formulate
You may find that you have to revisit the questions once you have begun your research. That is part of the research cycle
The Research Cycle (one model) Jamie McKenzie
Many year 12 subjects expect this model or something similar • Home Economics • Physical Education • Tourism • Child Studies
Use Inspiration software or any other graphic organiser for brainstorming
Use Wordle to see if you are really on track Wordle is a toy for generating "word clouds" from text that you provide. ... The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. ... www.wordle.net