WONDER QUESTIONS: ENGAGING, MOTIVATING AND ILLUMINATING STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

Abstract

“Write a Wonder Question for this topic. (A Wonder Question is anything you wonder about after having done the pre-work. It should be related to the lecture topic but does not have to be directly covered by it.)” I have taught introductory physics courses using a Flipped Classroom design since 2012, and this question is always the last question on the pre-lecture quiz my students have to complete before each lectureand it is by far the highest return-on-investment pedagogical tool I use. Wonder Questions are valuable in three ways: they force students to connect the new material with previous knowledge; they give me an insight into what students are interested in learning so I can make my lectures more motivating; and they offer me an opportunity to reorganize the course material I choose to present in class in order to answer student Wonder Questions. In this talk, I will explain how I integrate Wonder Questions in my courses, give several examples of Wonder Questions, and show how I use them to presentand have students work withcourse material in a new light during class.