EXPLORATORIUM INSTITUTE FOR INQUIRY

Ice Balloons

Positive Reinforcement

Although it is the new or unusual which is normally a stimulus to curiosity, more familiar objects may be ones which are more productive in encouraging children to express questions for investigation, perhaps because they are likely to already have queries in their minds which can be released by the invitation to express them.

Another way of stimulating questions without constant recourse to things which the children will not have seen before, is to draw attention to important aspects by putting things together with very different properties. For instance, when investigating bouncing balls, what do children think of how a ball of plasticene 'bounces.' Questioning why the plasticene becomes flattened gives an important clue to why balls bounce back.

Setting aside time for children to describe what they have done is an important part of science experiences which can be used to encourage questions and make it legitimate for children to express questions and admit that there are things they don't know but want to know. It is best for the questions to come from the children rather than the teacher. So instead of the teacher interrogating the children, they should be invited to respond to 'What do you still want to know about....?'

More generally, the simple request 'What questions would you like to ask about....' can be regularly extended, either orally in writing, on work cards or sheets. Resisting the temptation, as a teacher, to do all the question raising is also a simple but important guideline. Raising questions is something children must learn to do for themselves, and this won't be encouraged if all the questions they pursue are raised for them.

Ways to encourage questioning

Have things in the classroom which stimulate curiosity.

• Make sure that displays and collections have associated inquiry questions for the children to read, ponder and perhaps explore incidentally to the main work of the class.
• Introduce a problem corner or a 'question of the week' activity where materials and associated questions are on offer to the children as a stimulus to thought and action which might be incorporated into classwork.
• Make a 'questions to investigate' list that can be linked to popular information books.
• Ensure that in any teacher-made work cards there is a question framed to encourage children to see their work as inquiry-based and to provide a heading for an resultant work displayed in the classroom.

  (Ideas from Taking the Plunge 1985, p51)

• Have a question box in the classroom.
• When children are reporting on their investigations, ask them to say what they still want to know.
• Regularly ask "What questions would you like to ask about ....?"

Helping children to identify more clearly what they want to know and phrasing questions which can be answered by their own Inquiry

• Clarify the observation which gave rise to the question.
• Clarify what information is sought.