Questions that unlock thinking in Geography

Some simple question stems to encourage deeper thinking.

Explanation – Why might that be the case? How would we know that? Who might be responsible for…?

Hypothetical – What might happen if…? What would be the possible benefits/impact of …? Who might benefit if…?

Evidence – How do you know that? What evidence is there to support this view?

Clarification – Can you put that another way? Can you give me an example? Can you explain that term? Describe/explain that in a Tweet.

Linking and extending – How does this link to what we have studied previously? Can you add to what X just said? How does this idea support/challenge what we explored earlier in the lesson? If you were going to investigate this further what would you do? Why? Why? Why? Why?

Summary and synthesis – What remains unknown at this point? What else do we need to know or do to understand this better? Apply your understanding of x (e.g. coastal management) to this location you have never seen before – what is happening and why? What conclusions can you draw from x? Can you summarise the information by using a black marker to remove the information that is not important?

Metacognition – What was the most difficult part of that task? How would you do it differently next time? How could you approach this question?

If you’ve got one to add please post in the comments below!

Anthony Bennett