The Skill of Asking a Good Question

Ask most people to picture a strong science student, and they will probably describe someone who knows the right answers. But the students who go furthest in science are often the ones who have learned something quite different: how to ask a good question.

A story published this month by CSIRO captures this idea beautifully, and it is well worth reading in full.

Over twelve weeks, a group of Year 5 students took part in an inquiry-based learning program. It began with something ordinary, a pencil, and a simple challenge: look beyond what you already know, and ask better questions.

• Why is it shaped this way?

• What is it made from?

• What could we build with a thousand unused pencils?

From there, the students moved on to unfamiliar objects, and then to the natural world.

The turning point came when one student noticed a small raised pink dot on a leaf in the school grounds. Using a species identification app, the class identified it as pink wax scale, a type of soft scale insect. That single observation opened up a term of genuine scientific inquiry.

• Why is it on this tree and not others?

• What does it eat?

• How does it spread?

When the students found that most of the available information focused on removing the insect rather than understanding it, they learned an important lesson about how information can be limited or one-sided, and they contacted a university specialist for help.

By the end, the students were investigating integrated pest management, the role of ladybirds and parasitic wasps, and questions that do not yet have neat answers. They even chose, entirely on their own, to present what they had learned to their school community.

We are sharing this story because it reflects what we believe at teachSTEM: that curiosity is where real learning begins.

When students are handed answers, they learn to remember. When they are trusted to ask questions, observe closely, and follow the evidence, they learn to think. Inquiry-based learning does not replace teacher-led instruction. It complements it. Its particular strength is in building the curiosity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills that sit underneath all good science, and that transfer to every other part of a young person’s learning.

It also does something quieter, but just as important. It makes room for uncertainty. One of the most powerful outcomes in the CSIRO story was that students became more comfortable with not knowing, and less concerned about being “right”. For any young person who has decided that they are simply “not a science person”, that shift matters enormously. Science stops being a test to pass, and becomes a way of looking at the world.

You do not need a laboratory to begin. You need a leaf, a question, and permission to be curious.

If you are an educator, a parent, a support worker, or simply someone who cares about how students learn, we recommend the full story.

Click here to read the full story on the CSIRO website.