4 Ways to Encourage Great Questions in the Science Classroom

My sixth-grade science classroom is often a flurry of activity, where students work in small groups to explore simulations and design models. I’m always most interested in what I’m hearing, as opposed to what I’m seeing. Especially student questions like these:

• How is that working?
• Where did you find that?
• Wait, why is that happening?

These aren’t just science inquiries—they also delve into the process of learning. Even better, students are responding to their peers, which promotes comprehension and boosts critical-thinking skills. The tough part is getting to a point where students are proactively asking and answering one another’s questions. Below are four ways I cultivate a culture of questioning in my science classroom.

Include high-interest learning items

Students ask questions when they’re curious! In science, high-interest learning items are called phenomena. A phenomenon is an observable concept that students want to figure out, like watching a white blood cell chase bacteria around a microscope slide.

When students are driven to understand how something works, they’re tapping into epistemic curiosity, which stimulates areas in the brain associated with the anticipation of rewards. This “thirst for knowledge” is what drives learning forward, because students are continuously anticipating what’s to come.

Students are curious about all sorts of things, many of which aren’t teacher-planned. When our hydroponic garden didn’t grow, we looked into whether or not seeds expire. Several students were convinced that eclipses don’t happen on other planets, so we set up a flashlight demonstration on the floor. These student-driven moments are where epistemic curiosity can really shine, because we’re learning just for the sake of learning.

Incorporate divergent tasks

When I started teaching science, I relied on labs. Students finished the assigned work, which largely looked the same. Later, when I transitioned to project-based learning, I noticed that my static labs were like straightforward recipes: Students plugged in the same things and got the same results. After I broadened and reframed the scope of my assignments, I noticed that students’ learnings became more diversified.

Narrow, prescribed tasks are known as convergent tasks. Define the parts of a cell has a specific answer. Sometimes, convergent tasks make the most sense. But whenever possible, I prefer to use broader divergent tasks, which allow for multiple ways to approach the learning. Describe the different ways that cell parts can work together to form a system is an example of a divergent task.

Divergent tasks inherently drive more student questions, since the answers aren’t just one-and-done. Divergence promotes “deep thinking, requiring students to analyze and evaluate concepts,” according to a study on the subject. Students are not just trying to find the “best” answer—they’re working toward a more complex concept.

Adopt a coaching mindset

While students are working, I take on the role of a coach. Instead of being the only expert in the room who has all of the answers, I guide students so they can find the answers themselves.

The best method to coaching a student and meeting them where they are is asking lots of questions, like What do you think? Did that help? How could this work? These are all process questions, which review how students are learning. Process questions are higher-level and address what students can do. Here are some additional examples:

• Where did you find that text evidence?
• Did your notes help you understand that concept?
• What did that article add to your learning?

Compare the above to content questions, which serve as a lower-level review of what students are learning. Here are some examples:

• What do the mitochondria do?
• What are the phases of the moon?
• What is Newton’s Third Law of Motion?

The more questions I ask, the more questions I get in return. I actively encourage as many as possible, which generally creates a positive rapport. Inevitably, though, some students will veer off track with a few too many inquiries. In my classroom, those questions get shuttled into two places. If the question is quick and somewhat related, I ask students to work together to determine an answer. If it’s bigger or further away from the intended learning, I help students develop an ungraded passion project on a semi-related topic of a student’s choosing.

Don’t answer every single question

This is simple to say and hard to do. Teachers are helpers, and our job is to teach the students! However, if you want students to do the work of asking and answering, I recommend not answering every question yourself.

What I often tell students is that the person doing the work is the person doing the learning. They know I might flip a question back at them. So, too, might co-teachers and support staff. Everyone in my classroom is expected to stick to the same formula. Not answering takes practice, and a plan can be helpful. Most of my interactions sound something like this:

Student: “Mrs. Budrow, is an eagle an apex predator?”

Teacher: (After a pause) “Great question! What makes you think that?”

Student: “Well, I think they are at the top of the food chain because nothing else eats them.”

Teacher: “That’s a good start. That group over there was also researching eagles. Can you go ask them what they found?”

Instead of directly answering, I’m responding with questions that connect students either to a useful source or to a peer who can guide them. Of course, there are times when I absolutely will answer their questions. But when I see an opportunity to encourage students to answer for themselves, I take it.