Last week I had the privilege of being a guest speaker in our 5th grade. I was there to talk about “Questions.” In their email, the teachers instructed me to “…come in and chat about ‘Posing Questions that Matter’ in regards to data collection. For example, why do some questions make us go, “OOooO”? While others we may not care about at all.” And so I did. The 5th grade is beginning a Project-Based-Learning unit in which they will need to develop an “impactful question” that will drive their data collection and analysis. I guess I was the unit’s “kick off.”
So, for 45 minutes I posed 32 questions (with very few answers from me) to our 5th grade. My objective was to provide a structure for the students to begin constructing their individual and collective understanding of the kinds of questions that matter…the ones that make you go “OOooO!”
My first question was: “What is the most common question the human race asks?” It took nine guesses to get the right answer. Not bad. The next question was: “What is the most useless answer (which also happens to be the most common answer) to the most common question the human race asks?” We had the correct answer by the third guess. Interesting, isn’t it? The first question took nine guesses and the second one took only three. Why? I have no idea. But, here’s a thought: One difference between the way I solicited responses to the first question versus the second was a 20-second pause for reflection. With the first question I said: “Who knows the answer to blah, blah, blah?” And hands shot into the air and answers were blurted out. With the second, however, I said, “Ok, I’m going to show you the second question, but I don’t want anyone to raise their hands with an answer until you think about it for 20 seconds.”
45 minutes later we were done with 30 of our 32 questions. I had two questions left. I ended the exercise by not allowing the students to share their answers to the last two questions. I said, “Think about these last two, and if you think you have a good answer send it to me by email.” Obviously, one of my objectives in doing this was to see how many of the 55 students would actually take the time to send their Superintendent an email. Well, 14 did. And that fact fascinates me. I truly have no idea what a 25% response rate from 10-year-olds (to a gentle nudge by the schools’ Superintendent) means. It’s an interesting thing to reflect on. Isn’t it? I mean I don’t even know if I should be insulted by the fact 75% didn’t respond or flattered that 25% did. Either way it’s fascinating. And so are their responses. Here they are:
My first of the last two questions was: “What do you think is the most important question in the whole wide world?” Here are a few of the responses I’ve received thus far:
- “Why do we, humans, pollute our beautiful world?”
- “I think the most important question is ‘Why did you do that?’ because it is important to know the reasons of the choices that other people and yourself make.”
- “I think the most important question is just the word ‘why?’ Nothing else is as important.”
- “Do you love me?”
- “Why can’t we live in peace and unity?”
- “What earth and world will we leave for our grandchildren? I think this is the most important and my grandfather told it to me.”
- “What are dreams?”
- “How can I help?”
- “Am I happy?”
And, here’s one last answer. This one, from a “critical thinking” perspective, definitely deserves special recognition. The student wrote:
“I think not only one, but multiple questions are important. The questions, Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? are the most important questions anyone can ask. For example, someone calls [on the phone]. You ask ‘who?’ It’s British Airways. ‘What?’ They are calling to organize your flight. ‘Where?’ From Mumbai to London. ‘When?’ 3:00 am on Thursday, March 7th, 2013. ‘Why?’ You are going on a business trip. ‘How?’ By a plane, of course.”
My last question was: “What do you need to do to be a good person?” To which they said:
- “Make the right choices and think wise.”
- “To be a good person you should be who you are because God makes no mistakes.”
- “Forgive and try to forget.”
- “Care, share and respect others and myself.”
- “Think.”
- “Play, stop, play, stop, play.”
- “Smile.”
- “Say sorry and mean it.”
As usual I learned more from our students than I am sure they learned from me.