According to what we have read, there are fundamental aspects to consider when designing a lesson plan; we have mentioned objectives, strategies, priorities and no it's time to talk about essential questions in order to promote our students understanding. As the author states, essential questions lead to more questions and at the same time they lead to deeper understanding.
Questions shouldn't be so global, best questions are the ones which engage students, the ones students consider relevant and the ones that promote connections and give the curriculum a coherence and consistency. Many times we ask the typical questions that do not promote a deeper thinking or a deeper comprehension.
After reading this chapter, I realize that if we use the correct questions and think more about we really want to get from our students, we will be able to promote critical thinking and a real comprehension not only related to reading skills but to all the skills.
This chapter is also very interesting since it provides us with some tips that will help when generating essential questions and one of the most important things is to make questions that we really want our students to answer, problems to solve or to investigate about.
Finally I would like to say that if we start working with this type of questions in our own classrooms, we will help our students develop more vocabulary, more self confidence and a more holistic view about the world. We must not forget how important it is to help students have clear goals and understand the material they are working with. Having a purpose is fundamental and develop a critical thinking will be useful not only during school years but also when working or facing different situations in life.
I totally agree with you! students need to develop critical thinking, and what better way that doing it by answering essential questions.
ResponderEliminarYes, I agree with you ... but I think that We must allow that students reach their own answers to the essential questions. We are facilitators and guides of education.
ResponderEliminarThat's right. I also thought of critical thinking when I was reading the chapter. As you mentioned, this kind of skills are the ones really useful in life.
ResponderEliminarI liked what you mentioned about developing skills that will be useful not only during the school years but also in the daily life. Then asking and answering essential questions become a significant tool in order to succeed in life, which is the main goal every human being want to achieve.
ResponderEliminarThose ideas are good, but I'd like to see a real proposal of how we can get those tools or what are those tools...
ResponderEliminarOnce we know them, we can start to work in...
Students need to develop critical thinking, for sure. And we have to do so much about it. They tend to do the less effort possible and even they are not capable of going beyond things....they just look the surface..they don't tend to analyze things... But as Dayana said, these kind of skills are useful in life since you need to be critic to what happen around you.
ResponderEliminarWe are also students, and I feel that I have no time for extra activities or extra readings for the MA programme. I just do whatever is compulsory for it. Maybe, students feel the same! Why not?
ResponderEliminarI liked what you wrote. It was clear and pertinent. I also agree with you in terms of the importance of questions as a way to engage students on their on understanding. I feel that Essential Questions connect the external events with our personal lives.
ResponderEliminar