Practice 1: Asking Questions
and Defining Problems
Students can create the best questions!
How Can I Generate Questions? |
> Engage in discussion around phenomena (can be familiar or novel)
> Categorize and distinguish questions into groups > Distinguish between scientific and non-scientific questions > Identify the purpose behind the questions (questions are not just for their own sake) |
How Can I Use Variables to Ask Questions? |
> In groups, brainstorm different things that affect the phenomenon you are learning about.
> Use this list to narrow down a single variable that can be investigated. (The rest of the items on your list become your controls in the investigation). > Pose a researchable question related to the variable. > Identify what you are testing (the independent variable) and what you plan to measure (the dependent variable). > If your question contains both the thing you are testing and the thing you plan to measure, you have generated a testable question! |
What Are Some Strategies for Defining Problems? |
> Discuss a real or hypothetical scenario that needs to be addressed.
> Brainstorm possible constraints, challenges, concerns, and circumstances that might influence or limit the possible design of a solution or device. > Use brainstorming to define a specific problem to be addressed. > Make a list of what is already known about the problem and what still needs to be learned. > Identify how a successful solution to the problem might look and how success will be measured. |
Jedi Masters of this SEP can do the following: |
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