The Three Questions

By: Jon J. Muth (based on a story by leo tolstoy)

ISBN:978-0439537636

QUESTIONS EXPLORED:

• When is the best time to do things?
• Who is the most important one?
• What is the right thing to do?

WHAT I LOVE:

This picture book uses simple language and a quiet pace to slow the reader down. The simplicity of story and the beauty of the words cause me to stop, breathe, and think. All of these activities are excellent ways to prime the pump for more meaningful questions. I’m also reminded that even in the quest to “ask better questions,” the goal is not always to find a complicated question. Often, the most powerful questions are simple, and their very simplicity is what makes them transformative.

PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION:

 What is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do? Nikolai knows that he wants to be the best person he can be, but often he is unsure if he is doing the right thing. So he goes to ask Leo, the wise turtle. When he arrives, the turtle is struggling to dig in his garden, and Nikolai rushes to help him. As he finishes work, a violent storm rolls in. Nikolai runs for Leo’s cottage, but on his way, he hears cries for help from an injured panda. Nikolai brings her in from the cold, and then rushes back outside to rescue her baby too.

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 Asking better questions

By: Norah Morgan and Juliana Saxton

ISBN: 978-1551382098

QUESTIONS EXPLORED:

• How might we improve the quality of questions that we ask for the sake of thinking, learning, and discussion?
• What kinds of questions help us tap into what we already know?
• Which questions help us build a context for shared understanding?
• How might questions challenge our creative and critical thinking?

WHAT I LOVE:

Written in an easy-to-access style, this book is far more than a book for educators. As adults, many of us no longer have teachers to stretch and challenge us. As a result, we become our own teachers. We learn to facilitate our own learning process. And our primary tool? Questions.

This slim volume packs a punch on each page. It invites us to consider the power of our words, and how those words guide us toward outcomes. You might use this book to boost your skills as a discussion facilitator. Or, you might use it to improve the quality of discussion inside your own mind. Either way, it’s sure to be a transformative read.

PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION:

Asking Better Questions explores the compelling role of questions in creating a powerful learning environment. Research tells us that the person who asks the question is the active learner, yet too many classrooms still revolve around teacher-generated questions.

This revision of a classic teacher resource recognizes that it takes time and diligence to become an effective questioner. Based on extensive classroom experience, this comprehensive guide:helps teachers understand why questions are so important to teaching and learning;suggests an uncomplicated way to classify the questions teachers need to ask in order to acquire information, build understanding, and generate reflection;promotes a simple three-part classification of questions—questions that tap into what is already known; those that build a context for shared understanding; and those that challenge students to think critically and creatively;offers models, techniques, activities, and examples which promote better questioning by teachers and students;allows for various entry points based on the interests and needs of the classroom teacher.

The book recognizes that “thinking” and “feeling” are the essential components of a classroom that respects and encourages questions. It is committed to helping teachers ask the appropriate question at the right moment, providing a variety of teaching stances, roles, and situations that will elevate language and encourage divergent thinking.

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