Big Questions???
Big Ideas!!!
Enhancing the Learner’s capacity in the
Inquiry-based Classroom
(C) Noel E K Tan, 2008.

Starting Questions
• Inquiry-Based Learning: Learning
through discovery via the use of
questions
• Whose capacity are we enhancing?:
Learners’ ability to ask questions and to
think
(C) Noel E K Tan, 2008.

Inquiry Jigsaw
• How are people learning in the photos?
• What can we learn about the societies
where these photos were taken?
• What are the issues where the photos
are silent?
(C) Noel E K Tan, 2008.

Asking Bigger Questions
• Looking across all 6 photos as a set,
what questions might you ask to access
the Big Ideas?
• 1 Qn per A5 paper
(C) Noel E K Tan, 2008.

The Big Questions
• Factual: What facts are available?
• Inferential: What information is implicit or
suggested?
• Application: What new insights if facts applied
to a new situation eg cross-culturally?
• Interpretive: What new insights if an element in
the photo is changed?
• Predictive: What will the situation in the photo
be like if a background element was changed?
(C) Noel E K Tan, 2008.

Becoming a Facilitative Educator
• Factual - How do I teach/train? How are my students/
participants learning?
• Inferential - What might be inferred from the way I
teach?
• Application - If I were told to teach thinking, and not just
content how would I do it?
• Interpretive - What might I have to change?
• Predictive - What would my classroom/training room be
like if I were more facilitative? What would my
students/participants be able to do?