Traditional methods outlined in TM’s aren’t appealing to today’s students. If we start with “What do you know about our topic for today?”  This direction is only interesting to the student who is sharing what they already know. Look around the room and kids are fidgeting, doodling, or even sending notes to classmates. Some may roll their eyes at the student who always has something to say.

Asking “What do you want to learn,” is a little better, but it requires prior knowledge of the topic. If the students haven’t been taught how to wonder or question it can make them feel inadequate when they see classmates making a long list of what they are curious about.

Are you frustrated with the lack of ability to sustain attention in your class? After years of deliberating over how to engage this new generation of dopamine motivated students, I stumbled on the most powerful tool for getting full engagement and maintaining it. What is it?

Their Questions!

Restructuring homework as a tool to motivate children to ask questions is easier than one may think. At first the process associated with stimulating effective questioning by students takes time. Once they learn how to ask questions, and then how to find the answers themselves, more time is available and teachers find they are able to cover more material than ever before and are amazed at the incredible retention rate. This leads to less reteaching.

‘Seek and ye shall find,” makes perfect sense when we understand the basic principles of neuroscience. A question alerts our brain what to focus upon. It allows us to see what we may not have paid attention to in the past. The answers may actually be found in our subconscious mind that picks up an incredible amount of information without us being aware.

When children ask questions they seek the answer. Their brains won’t be happy until an answer is found. This gives the brain a dopamine release.

Homework offers the feedback as to whether enough questions were asked, and what questions need to be asked the next day. So simple, yet so amazing.

Please give it a try and comment on the wonders that are revealed.

Let your class ask questions about their homework. Help them see the value of listening to classmates’ questions. They will ask questions that will make homework so much easier.

Ask More, Learn More-Creating a Culture of Curiosity , which hit Number 1 on Amazon in three categories on August 10th will offer a more in-depth explanation of the power of questions, how to help students overcome their fear of asking them, and questions for multiple situations.