Essential Questions

I know that many times we often wonder how 'the people in charge' come up with and implement so many different initiatives.  We also wonder if  these initiatives are actually worth their weight.  In the case of essential questions, I believe that the implementation of having a question to guide instruction is useful and important.  Every teacher asks questions, but the level of questioning varies from classroom to classroom.  The purpose of an essential question is to stimulate student thinking and inquiry, and to develop and deepen students' understanding of important ideas and processes so that they can transfer their learning within and outside school (Understanding by Design, McTighe & Wiggens, 2004).

I recently read Essential Questions:  Opening Doors to Student Understanding by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggens.  This book offers a very deep understanding on the topic of Essential Questions; such as what makes an essential question, why use essential questions, how to design and evaluate essential questions, and how do we use these questions beyond the classroom.

Why use essential questions at all?  According to McTighe and Wiggins, some great reasons for building units around important queries include (page 17)

• Signal that inquiry is a key goal of education.


• Make it more likely that the unit will be intellectually engaging.


• Help to clarify and prioritize standards for teachers.


• Provide transparency for students.


• Encourage and model metacognition for students.


• Provide opportunities for intra- and interdisciplinary connections.


• Support meaningful differentiation.

A key point I got from this book is the defining characteristics of essential questions (page 3).  An essential question

1. Is open-ended; that is, it typically will not have a single, final, and correct answer.


2. Is thought-provoking and intellectually engaging, often sparking discussion and debate.


3. Calls for higher-order thinking, such as analysis, inference, evaluation, prediction.  It cannot be effectively answered by recall alone.


4. Points toward important, transferable ideas within (and sometimes across) disciplines.


5. Raises additional questions and sparks further inquiry.


6. Requires support and justification, not just an answer.


7. Recurs over time; that is, the question can and should be revisited again and again.

 This book discusses in great detail the difference between essential and nonessential questions; some listed below (page 1).

Essential Questions

Not Essential Questions

How do the arts shape, as well as reflect, a culture?	What common artistic symbols were used by the Incas and the Mayans?
What do effective problem solvers do when they get stuck?	What steps did you follow to get your answer?
How strong is the scientific evidence?	What is a variable in scientific investigations?
Is there ever a ‘just’ war?	What key event spared World War I?
How can I sound more like a native speaker?	What are common Spanish colloguialisms?
Who is a true friend?	Who is Maggie’s best friend in the story?

I suggest Essential Questions as a beneficial read to anyone who is in a classroom, supervises teachers, or works with children in any capacity.