Essential Questions

One of the early steps in successful project-based learning is for students to develop essential questions. Somewhere in the misty regions of their interests and passions, familiar topics, recent learning, and often the complete unknown, an essential question takes shape to guide inquiry and project work.

There are many variations on what makes a good essential question; here are some guidelines being used by students in a "Middle Earth 12" class at D.P. Todd in Prince George:

1. an essential question should spark the imagination 
2. an essential question introduces a problem that has a means of being solved 
3. an essential question has depth -- dimension and significance 
4. an essential question pushes thinking, creativity, and authentic inquiry
5. an essential question is broad enough to make connections between diverse fields, but still has a recognizable focus 

Middle Earth 12 is a senior Humanities course exploring society, history, language, and landscape by going in-between real and imagined worlds.  Here are some of the essential questions that the students in Middle Earth 12 are using for their first of two attempts at project-based learning:

• Can the use of creative writing and visual arts be used to understand and empathize with daily life in a medieval village?
• Why does the legacy of medieval mythology passed down to modern times leave us with the sense that dragons could be real?
• How did the design and construction of castles satisfy the social needs and engineering talents of past societies?
• How and why have monsters such as werewolves developed in modern literature and cinema?
• How has the character and moral purpose of Robin Hood evolved over time to fit modern society and new audiences?
• What do the Spartan, Aztec, and Ancient Chinese cultures have in common regarding the social impact of weapons, armour, and warfare?
• What has been the purpose of calligraphy and related forms of graphic expression in past societies and how has this changed?
• What part of the classic mythological record of Hercules is reflected in modern versions of the story such as Disney's "Hercules?"
• How have various past societies and cultures been shaped by military strategy and weapons technology?
• What patterns are in place in the lore and creation of Dark Souls characters such as Havel the Rock?
• What purpose do the Asgardian Weapons have within Norse Mythology?
• How and why do fictitious "cryptozoological" creatures come into the stories of past European and First Nations cultures?

One might notice a recurring theme here of medievalism and fantasy worlds (this is what drew many of the students towards the course), but there is also an undercurrent of critical inquiry -- applying concepts such as the benchmarks of historical thinking. The students are now involved in the next steps of PBL: asking more questions, planning their research, developing a system for organizing their learning, and putting some thought into the construction and presentation of their inquiry projects.