Beautiful Questions in the Classroom: Transforming Classrooms Into Cultures of Curiosity and Inquiry

by Warren Berger, Elise Foster

 "What does it mean to learn? Most of us eventually realize that genuine learning is less about delivering the right answers and more about asking the right questions. In an age of automation, questioning is a uniquely human skill, one we should foster in school and in life. This book is an essential read for educators at every level."

—      Daniel H. Pink, author of ‘WHEN’, ‘DRIVE’, and ‘A Whole New Mind’

"For teachers around the world there is a moral urgency to work with young learners in innovative ways that nurture agency, curiosity, agile thinking and problem solving. The role of questions in this cannot be underestimated."

—      Kath Murdoch. Consultant in Education and Author of ‘The Power of Inquiry.’

Why does engagement plummet as learners advance in school? Why does the stream of questions from curious toddlers slow to a trickle as they become teenagers? Most importantly, what can teachers and schools do to reverse this trend? Beautiful Questions in the Classroom has the answers. This inspirational book from Warren Berger and Elise Foster will help educators transform their classrooms into cultures of curiosity. The book explores the importance of questioning and how inquiry leads to learning, innovation, and personal growth.  Readers will - Strategies to inspire bigger, more beautiful student questions - Techniques to help educators ask more beautiful questions - Real-world examples, case studies, practical ideas, and question stems - Videos showing strategies at work Great teachers help students to ask bigger, more beautiful questions. This book will prepare and inspire educators to develop a powerful teaching approach that creates a classroom full of student driven inquiry.

Genres: Education, Teaching

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 2, 2020

About the author

I’m an author and speaker on innovation, creativity, and the power of questioning. I invite fellow curious thinkers to join me in exploring the power of inquiry to spark breakthrough ideas on my questioning site. My latest book is the updated 10th Anniversary edition of A MORE BEAUTIFUL QUESTION, published by Bloomsbury Worldwide, with new chapters on how questioning can help make you a better leader … a clearer thinker … and a more effective communicator, and much more

Reviews

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was all set to love this book.... but i didn't. A couple of chapters were decent - 3 and 4 have some info that will help teachers. But this is obviously not written by a teacher who can talk about their own experiences - it constantly refers to other teachers. The chapters on QFT are nothing new - and kind of a rip off. If you want to know what's there, just go to the Right Question Institute. The book just quotes from the site, so no need to buy the book.
So, yeah, disappointing.

[Kimijo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful Questions in the Classroom explores why student curiosity often declines as they progress through school and how educators can reverse that trend. Offering practical strategies, real world examples, and techniques for both teachers and students, this resource helps transform classrooms into cultures of curiosity, encouraging bigger, more meaningful questions and deeper engagement.

[Heather Stringham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Berger as a questionologist wants everyone to ask questions to add meaning to their lives. He finds this especially important for schools. This book guides educators through his process of getting students to ask more questions. It also references the Question Formulation Technique as well.