Here’s an example: I know nothing about photosynthesis, so I ask some questions about it. All lawyers know that “TRO” means temporary restraining order, while those in the movie profession know that when the camera moves in a circle around a room it is known as an “arc shot.” Cosmetologists talk about “graduation” in a different way than educators do. These are also terms that can be used as “keywords” as we search for more information with our web browsers. We might call these words “jargon,” or maybe “lingo.” They provide subtle meaning that those in the profession know and understand without explanation. Terms of art are the important words that have specific meaning within the subject and provide people with the specialized vocabulary to talk about it. These are the ‘dig and dive’ questions that teach us the terms of art for our subject. The answers to these closed-ended questions lay the foundation of a subject. Looking at the list of questions that have been generated during a Question Formulation Technique session can help shape the investigations you’re asking students/participants to conduct. Here are four powerful ways to use closed-ended questions in the classroom: Closed-ended questions help us build context So let’s take a closer look at our friend, the closed-ended question. They might believe that closed-ended questions are useful and important, but want to know more about how they work. While people tend to understand the theoretical or philosophical value of all questions (which creates the safe, judgment-free space for students to ask anything), they are skeptical about the practical value of all questions. A common question is, “Why do you have students change one open-ended to a closed-ended question and not just closed to open?” In the Right Question Institute’s courses, teachers are sometimes confused about the equal emphasis placed on closed- and open-ended questions. In education, the closed-ended question is often undervalued. We might be able to surmise why an owner sold, but only after answering a lot of closed-ended questions. Often, the closed-ended questions are the only ones we can answer based on available information in documents like city directories, architectural surveys, historical maps, legal papers, and newspapers. Nearly all of the questions people ask first are closed-ended questions such as: When was the house built? Who was the architect? Or, Who lived there? These closed-ended questions inevitably lead us to open-ended questions like: What were the previous owners like? Why did they sell? In my work as a local-history librarian, I am asked a lot of questions about houses.
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