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GUIDING QUESTIONS

"Success depends upon previous preparation, and without preparation, there is sure to be
failure."
—Confucius

"Pay attention to where you are going because without meaning, you might get nowhere."
—A. A. Milne

Ethel Edwards, a former curriculum director for mathematics in Topeka, Kansas, worked with
me on many projects when the Kansas Coaching Project partnered with USD 501. A
mathematics expert, a former state employee, and a district administrator, Ethel is a woman of
many surprises. A passionate educator deeply committed to students, she also happens to be a
former triathlete who completed Ironman competitions and a person who still likes to take her
Harley Davidson out for long rides on her vacations with her husband.

Ethel and I created a process, Intensive Learning Teams (ILTs), described in Unmistakable
Impact: A Partnership Approach for Dramatically Improving Instruction (2011). Intensive
Learning Teams bring together all the teachers who teach the same course—we started with
9th-grade math—so that they can collectively do planning. The teachers create the guiding
questions, learning maps, and formative assessments for a course.

During the first hours of our first ILT, Ethel and I realized that a special kind of magic was taking
place in the group. When teachers worked together to design guiding questions and
assessments, their instruction improved rapidly, and they developed a much deeper
knowledge of their subject, which helped their teaching become more efficient, precise, and
effective.

As teachers gained a precise understanding of expectations, they were able to clearly

communicate them to their students. This process was observed by instructional coaches when
they worked with individual teachers planning their units.
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PLANNING
Teachers had figured out what to teach, how to teach it, and how to assess the subsequent
learning. They realized that instruction took off like a rocket when they had a deeper
knowledge of the content, which made their teaching more efficient, precise, and effective.
They clearly understood what students were expected to learn and how to measure student
progress.

When we observed the seventh-grade teachers creating guiding questions and learning
maps, we noticed a shift in their thinking. Instructional coaches working with individual teachers
found that careful planning led teachers to think deeply about their instruction.

For example, Jenny MacMillan, an instructional coach in Beaverton, Oregon, spent time
working with Robin Turner on guiding questions. Jenny saw that Robin’s experience mirrored
what Ethel and I had observed.

Robin and Jenny collaborated to develop guiding questions because Robin wanted a clearer
understanding of her instructional targets. Jenny arranged for a substitute teacher to cover
Robin’s class so they could spend an afternoon together clarifying key questions for an
upcoming unit. This simple planning exercise proved extremely valuable.

After writing the guiding questions, Robin felt a renewed sense of clarity in her teaching.
She told Jenny, "This has helped me so much because I now feel like I am clearer. I know
where I am going with my students and what I want them to learn. I can ask better
questions as we go along, and I can check in with them more effectively."

Jenny reflected, "It’s clearer for her, and that gives her more focus in her teaching."

When teachers take the time to think ahead about what they will teach, instruction becomes
more focused, and student learning improves. In Where Great Teaching Begins: Planning for
Student Thinking and Learning (2011), Ann Reeves highlights the importance of teacher
planning in guiding student learning.

Effective guiding questions help students focus on the learning goals and provide a clear
roadmap for what they need to understand.
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Big ideas should guide students toward a complete understanding. Guiding questions help
students focus on what they need to learn in a unit. If students can answer these guiding
questions, they demonstrate mastery of the key knowledge and concepts.

The act of writing guiding questions compels teachers to create a focused approach to
instruction. It helps them better understand learning expectations for each unit.

Good questions should:

● Evoke deep thinking and rigorous learning.

● Be clear and easy to understand.
● Be limited in number to focus on essential learning.
● Provide a complete illustration of what will be learned.

Why Teachers Should Create Guiding Questions

1. Guiding Questions Improve Teaching Through Preparation

When asked why he was successful as a football coach, two-time national champion Urban
Meyer replied, "Well-prepared players make plays. I have yet to be in a game where the
most prepared team didn’t win."

This is true in the classroom as well. Preparation leads to success. When teachers carefully
plan what will be learned and how learning will happen, their instruction is more focused,
efficient, and accessible to all students.

Many teachers say that content planning helps them be more organized, which in turn helps
students stay on track.

2. Guiding Questions Shift Focus to Learning, Not Just Activities

To craft effective guiding questions, teachers must view learning from the students’
perspective. Instead of focusing on what activities to assign, they must focus on what
students will learn.

Wiggins and McTighe (2005) highlight a common mistake:

Activity-oriented instruction might be engaging but often fails to lead to deep

understanding or academic achievement.

For example, students may enjoy hands-on activities, but if those activities don’t reinforce
essential learning goals, they do not effectively support student growth.

The Role of Effective Planning

Educator Wendy Hopf emphasizes the importance of structured content planning. By
carefully designing lessons with guiding questions, teachers ensure that students are
actively engaged in meaningful learning.
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High-impact planning starts with the most fundamental question:

"What do I want my students to remember 5, 10, or 20 years after this class is over?"

This question forces teachers to be precise about what students will learn and how their
mastery of knowledge, skills, and big ideas will be measured.

Guiding Questions Emphasize the Most Important Learning

Not all knowledge and skills are equally important. For example, when reading Langston
Hughes’ poem "Dreams", remembering the exact date Hughes was born (February 1, 1902)
is not as important as understanding and personally connecting with the poem’s meaning:

Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go,
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

(From The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes, copyright © 1994, used with permission.)

When teachers do not plan effectively, the distinction between important and unimportant
content becomes blurred, making it difficult for students to focus on the most essential
learning. Good content planning ensures that the most important concepts receive the
attention they require.

Guiding Questions Provide a Clear Learning Target for Students

Guiding questions help students stay focused by giving them a clear target for each lesson.

As Richard Stiggins noted:

"Students can hit any target they can see and that holds still for them." (Cited
by Sparks, 1999, p. 3.)

When teachers clearly define what they are teaching, students are more likely to understand
and retain information.

Guiding Questions Support Formative Assessment

Guiding questions serve as a foundation for formative assessment. Teachers can use them
to:

● Check student understanding.

● Adjust instruction to meet student needs.
● Provide timely feedback that supports learning.

By focusing on big ideas and essential questions, teachers help students develop a deeper
understanding of the content rather than just memorizing facts.
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Guiding Questions Support Effective Teaching

Thinking deeply about what students need to learn is an essential part of effective formative
assessment. The process of developing guiding questions leads teachers to clarify
learning goals and structure their lessons more effectively.

Guiding Questions Facilitate Differentiated Instruction

Most classrooms include diverse learners, and teachers must often differentiate instruction
to meet the needs of all students.

According to Tomlinson (1999), differentiation involves modifying:

● Content (what students learn)

● Process (how students learn)
● Products (how students demonstrate learning)

Guiding questions help teachers identify where and how to differentiate. When teachers
create guiding questions, they gain a clearer understanding of the essential learning goals,
which allows them to adjust instruction for different learners.

The Challenges of Planning

Planning, like most aspects of teaching, is not always straightforward. On the surface, the
process seems simple:

1. Identify what students need to learn

2. Teach the material
3. Measure student progress

However, real-life teaching does not always follow this pattern. Some students grasp concepts
quickly, while others need more time and support.

As a Yiddish proverb states:

"Man plans, and God laughs."

Teachers must adapt their plans based on student progress. Sometimes, students show
unexpected interest in a topic, requiring teachers to adjust their lessons to capitalize on that
enthusiasm.

Real-Life Example: The 2000 U.S. Presidential Election

During the 2000 U.S. presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore, teachers
observed that students showed unprecedented interest in the election process. Many
educators adjusted their lesson plans to incorporate discussions about the electoral system,
recounts, and voting controversies.
This real-world example highlights how teachers must remain flexible in their planning to
respond to students’ interests and current events.
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GUIDING QUESTIONS AND FLEXIBILITY IN PLANNING

While lesson planning provides a structured approach to teaching, it must also be flexible
enough to accommodate students’ unique learning needs and real-world events. Teachers
must be prepared to adjust their plans based on students’ interests, challenges, and
progress.

Guiding Questions Provide a Learning Roadmap

Teachers should view lesson plans as a map for the journey, but they must be willing to set
the map aside whenever a more important learning opportunity arises.

Levels of Planning: Course, Unit, and Lesson

Planning can take place at three levels:

1. Course Level – Teachers outline big-picture goals, essential themes, and overarching
questions for an entire semester or year.
2. Unit Level – Teachers break down the course plan into units, specifying guiding
questions, key concepts, and assessments.
3. Lesson Level – Teachers develop day-to-day instructional plans that align with unit
and course goals.

Many educators find unit planning to be the most effective because it allows them to:

● Establish long-term goals while maintaining flexibility.

● Ensure coherence between lessons.
● Create meaningful assessments that align with learning objectives.

Some teachers prefer to plan at the lesson level, focusing on immediate objectives. However,
unit-level planning allows for a more structured yet adaptable approach.

Research on Unit Planning

Lenz, Schumaker, and Deshler (1998) developed the Course Organizer Routine, which
helps teachers:

● Write course-level questions.

● Identify essential topics.
● Create organized learning experiences.

Similarly, Wiggins and McTighe (2005) emphasized the importance of planning backward,
ensuring that each lesson contributes to students' understanding of big ideas.

Why Unit Planning is Preferred

According to research and practical experience, unit planning offers a balance between
structure and flexibility.

● Course-level planning is too broad to address daily classroom needs.

● Lesson-level planning is too detailed and does not always account for long-term
connections.
● Unit planning provides a structured yet adaptable approach to teaching.

Conclusion
Teachers must carefully balance structure and flexibility in their lesson planning. Guiding
questions help ensure that instruction remains focused and meaningful, while unit planning
provides the best framework for both consistency and adaptability in the classroom.
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REFINING LEARNING GOALS AND GUIDING QUESTIONS

Lenz et al. (1998) and Wiggins & McTighe (2005) advocate for using guiding questions
rather than just objectives to structure learning.

However, some educators prefer a different approach. Moss (2011) suggests using learning
intentions, which she defines as:

"Statements of what students will know and be able to do at the end of a

lesson or unit."

These learning intentions describe student outcomes and are designed to guide
instruction.

Similarly, Robert Marzano (2007), in The Art and Science of Teaching, recommends writing
learning goals in one of these formats:

● "Students will be able to..."

● "Students will understand..."

Learning Targets vs. Instructional Objectives

Moss and Brookhart (2012) make a distinction between learning targets and instructional
objectives:

● Instructional objectives guide teachers’ planning.

● Learning targets guide students' learning by breaking content into lesson-sized
chunks.

The Role of Essential Questions in Learning

Developing essential guiding questions allows teachers to focus instruction, ensuring that
students engage with big ideas rather than just memorizing facts.

Keith Lenz, a key researcher in instructional design, highlights this by stating:

"An effective way to create clear learning goals is to translate them into a
small set of 'big idea' questions that guide student learning."

Final Thoughts
Effective planning and the use of guiding questions help students:

● Stay focused on essential learning goals.

● Develop deeper understanding rather than surface-level knowledge.
● Engage with material in a meaningful way.
By framing lessons around well-structured guiding questions, teachers create an
environment that encourages critical thinking and student engagement.