For me, commitment results in action. So when I want to know how committed I am to something, I look at what I’m doing. At Christian schools, we’re committed to helping students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. And in my experience, teachers who are committed to using questions to help students make connections take action:

1. They have identified effective Biblical perspective questions like “How can you relate to culture?”
2. They ask their Biblical perspective questions.
3. They frame each of their classes (and each of their units) around their Biblical perspective questions. 
4. They use one or more of their questions to start a unit. 
5. They have their students journal on a question. 
6. They use questions as a springboard to having their students read the Bible and articles by Christians.
7. They use their questions to review a unit.
8. They use Biblical perspective questions as the basis of unit and semester assessments.
9. They post their questions on a bulletin board. 
10. They prominently feature their questions on their course syllabi and Web site. 

Question: How committed are you to using questions? (In other words, how are you using questions?)
 
Help your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. Use questions. Today.

Do you want to learn how to more effectively use questions to help your students make connections? If so, keep reading.
 
I’ve found a way to more effectively use questions. It’s time-tested. It doesn’t cost any money. It’s easy and fun. And it works.
 
What is it?
 
Talking to your fellow teachers. Talking to your fellow teachers about how you can more effectively use questions to help your students make connections.
 
Need a place to start? Ask your fellow teachers questions like:

1. What questions do you ask your students?
2. How do you feel about using questions to help your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches?
3. How do you use questions to help your students make connections?

Help your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. Learn to use questions more effectively. Today.

You’ve identified the 3 Biblical perspective questions you want to use:

1. What is the significance of words?
2. How does God want you to live?
3. What’s your responsibility?

(Here’s a list of 99 effective Biblical perspective questions.)
 
Reflect: Want to help your students who are visual learners reflect on your Biblical perspective questions? Want to receive a daily reminder to ask your Biblical perspective questions? If you answered “yes” to either of these questions, then keep reading.
 
I want to share a strategy that I’ve used. I’ve used it with secondary students in Bible, social studies, and English, and teachers I know have used it with K-12 students in all subjects. We think it works. We find helps visual learners; in fact, we find helps all learners reflect on Biblical perspective questions. We also find that it helps us as teachers to ask our questions.
 
What’s the strategy? Post your Biblical perspective questions in your room. Put them on a colorful bulletin board, making sure the print is big enough to be easily read from anywhere in the room. Once your questions are up, your visual learners can see them. Once your questions are up, you can see them—which will be your daily reminder to ask your questions.
 
I’ve found that as a result of posting my questions in my classroom, I asked my questions more consistently. And when I asked my questions more consistently, my students made more connections between what they were studying and what the Bible teaches.
 
Help your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. Post your Biblical perspective questions in your classroom. Today.

To connect God’s world and Word, your students need to think. Asking questions is an effective way to get your students to think and to make connections. Watch this video to learn 5 things about using questions:



Want to work with your colleagues to get better at using questions? If so, then purchase Use Questions (US$25), a discussion-based kit with 7 sessions. These 7 interactive sessions will help you…

• Evaluate and improve your use of questions to help your students connect God’s world and Word.
• Analyze and explain why God asks questions.
• Analyze and explain how questions help students connect God’s world and Word.
• Understand and apply the characteristics of good questions.
• Document and then ask your students questions to help them connect God’s world and Word.
• Get your students to respond sincerely to the questions you ask.
• Increase your commitment to using questions to help your students connect God’s world and Word.

Download a sample session.

Purchase Use Questions (US$25). This kit is 1 of a 4-part series:

1. Help Your Students Connect God’s World and Word
2. Use Assessment
3. Use Questions
4. Meet Student Learning Needs

You want to want to help your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. So, you’ve worked to develop a list of effective Biblical perspective questions to ask your students. Questions like “What’s wrong with the world?” and “How should Christian respond to suffering?” Good.
 
Question: How often do you ask your Biblical perspective questions? Once a day? Week? Month? Semester? Year?
 
To help your students better connect what they study and what the Bible teaches, how often do you need to ask them? Remember, the goal is not to have a list of effective Biblical perspective questions. The goal is to help your students make connections—and to do that, you need to ask your questions.
 
Help your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. Ask Biblical perspective questions. Today.

Asking questions is good way to help your student connect what they study and what the Bible teaches—provided that the questions you ask are effective. Here are 5 examples:

1. How can you use your learning to serve others?
2. How are God's mercy and justice related?
3. How aware should you be of culture?
4. How can art express your beliefs?
5. How can you be a good caretaker?

(Here’s a list of 99 effective Biblical perspective questions.)
 
Effective Biblical perspective questions:

• Grab your students’ attention
• Require upper-level thinking
• Allow a variety of acceptable answers
• Help your students connect course content, life, and a Biblical perspective
• Are essential—universal, timeless, at the heart of learning

So, how effective are your Biblical perspective questions? What can you do to make your questions even more effective?
 
Help your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. Use effective Biblical perspective questions. Today.

To get an idea of how you can more effectively use questions to help your students make connections, complete the following self-assessment for 1 class you teach: ___________________ (name of class). Next, use your self-assessment data to develop action plans.
 
Rate each statement below. Use the following scale: 4 Strongly Agree • 3 Agree • 2 Disagree • 1 Strongly Disagree

___ My Biblical perspective questions are effective.
___ I ask my Biblical perspective questions.
___ My Biblical perspective questions are posted in my classroom.
___ I talk with my fellow teachers about using questions to help students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches.
___ I am committed to using questions to help my students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches.
 
Now, ask yourself 4 questions about the data: 

1. How many 4s, 3s, 2s, and 1s do I have?
2. What excites/concerns me about the data?
3. What can I do to more effectively use questions to help my students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches?
4. What will I do?

 
*Here are additional resources that can help you target Biblical perspective:
Tutorials
Videos
Self-assessments
Testimonials

Your juniors are writing about social issues. You want them to apply a Biblical perspective to their issues.
 
Question: How can you help your students apply a Biblical perspective to their issues?
 
Answer: By having your students coach each other by asking the following 4 questions:

1. What social issue are you writing about?
2. What excites/frustrates you about this issue?
3. What Biblical teaching applies to this issue?
4. What’s a Biblical response to this issue?

Help your students apply a Biblical perspective to issues. Use peer coaching. Today.

Help you students develop a Christ-centered worldview. Ask them questions about creation-fall-redemption-restoration.

Your seniors are working on essays. You want them to apply a Biblical perspective throughout their essays. You don’t want them to put Biblical perspective only in their conclusions.
 
Question: How can you help your students apply a Biblical perspective throughout their essays?
 
Answer: By having your students coach each other by asking the following 7 questions:

1. What’s your thesis statement?
2. What’s the Biblical perspective component of your thesis statement?
3. What do you like/dislike about your Biblical perspective component?
4. How many paragraphs are in your essay? In how many paragraphs do you apply a Biblical perspective?
5. How many main points are in your essay? How many of the main points do you apply a Biblical perspective to?
6. On a scale of 1-5 (5 being high), how permeated is your essay by Biblical perspective?
7. What will you do?

Help your students apply a Biblical perspective throughout their essays. Use peer coaching. Today.

Help your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. Ask open-ended questions.

Your sophomores are writing essays. You want them to use effective thesis statements. You want them to effectively include Biblical perspective in their thesis statements.
 
Question: How can you help your students effectively include Biblical perspective in their thesis statements?
 
Answer: By having them reflect.
 
Question: How can you do this?
 
Answer: By having your students coach each other by asking the following 5 questions:

1. What’s your thesis statement?
2. Where did you include Biblical perspective in your thesis statement?
3. What do you like/dislike about the Biblical perspective component of your thesis statement?
4. On a scale of 1-5 (5 being high), how effective is the Biblical perspective component of your thesis statement?
5. What question do you want to ask ____ (teacher’s name) about this?

Help your students effectively include Biblical perspective in their thesis statements. Use peer coaching. Today.

You want your 7th graders to connect what they study and Biblical principles. And you want your 7th graders to support their Biblical principles with Bible verses.
 
Question: How can you help your 7th graders use relevant Bible verses?
 
Answer: By having your students coach each other by asking the following 5 questions:

1. What Biblical principle(s) did you use?
2. What Bible verses did you use to support your Biblical principle(s)?
3. What’s satisfying/unsatisfying about the verses you used?
4. On a scale of 1-5 (5 being high), how relevant are the Bible verses you used?
5. What question do you want to ask me about the Bible verses you used?

Help your students use relevant Bible verses. Use peer coaching. Today.

Your 8th graders have finished the rough draft of their essays. The prompt required them to connect course content and a relevant Biblical principle.
 
Question: How can you help your students use a relevant Biblical principle?
 
Answer: By having them reflect on their rough drafts. By having them reflect on the relevance of the Biblical principle they used.
 
Question: How can you do this?
 
Answer: By having your students coach each other by asking the following 5 questions:

1. What’s your thesis?
2. What Biblical principle did you use to support your thesis?
3. What’s satisfying/unsatisfying about the Biblical principle you used?
4. On a scale of 1-5 (5 being high), how relevant is the Biblical principle you used?
5. What question do you want to ask ____ (teacher’s name) about your Biblical principle?

Help your students use relevant Biblical principles. Use peer coaching. Today.

You just finished your peer coaching session. During your peer coaching session, your peer coach helped you to focus and work smart by asking questions, questions that provoked you to think. You really appreciate that your coach asks you questions, instead of giving advice—because getting asked questions really gets you thinking and helps you take responsibility to achieve your goals.

You think that using peer coaching with your students might help. And you’re thinking, “How could peer coaching help my students apply a Biblical perspective?”

To find out, explore the following list of 5 questions:

1. How can peer coaching help your students use relevant Biblical principles?
2. How can peer coaching help your students use relevant Bible verses?
3. How can peer coaching help your students include Biblical perspective in their thesis statements?
4. How can peer coaching help your students apply a Biblical perspective throughout their essays?
5. How can peer coaching help your students apply a Biblical perspective to issues?

Remember: The real question isn't "How could peer coaching help your students apply a Biblical perspective?" The real question is "How will you use peer coaching to help your students apply a Biblical perspective?"

Help your students apply a Biblical perspective. Use peer coaching. Today.


*To learn more about coaching, click here.

If you want to get your students to develop a Christ-centered worldview, get them thinking. If you want to get your students thinking, get them to respond to the big questions of life, for example:

1. Who is God?
2. What’s creation like?
3. What does it mean to be human?
4. What’s good?
5. What’s wrong with the world?
6. What’s the solution?
7. How should you live?

Help you students develop a Christ-centered worldview. Ask them a question. Today.

Question: How can you help your students develop a Christ-centered worldview?

Answer: By asking them difficult questions, for example:

1. Who is God?
2. Who are you?
3. What’s the problem?
4. What’s the solution?
5. How can you be in the world but not of it?
6. When do you wage war and wage peace?
7. How should you use your body?
8. How should you use wealth?
9. How valuable is life?
10. What’s good?

Help your students develop a Christ-centered worldview. Ask them a difficult question. Today.

Here's a set of DRAW questions you can use for a discussion of “What questions should your students respond to?”
 
Define: Get the facts defined.

1. Who are your students?
2. Where are your students from? Where will they live in the future?
3. What questions do you ask your students?

Respond: Get the facts responded to in terms of feelings/experiences.

1. What excites/concerns you about your students considering difficult questions in your classroom?
2. What excites/concerns you about your students considering difficult questions after they leave school?

Analyze: Get the facts, feelings, and experiences analyzed.

1. What would your students say are the difficult questions they want to think through?
2. What would parents say are the questions they want their children to respond to?
3. What difficult questions do you think graduates wished they had been asked?
4. What would youth pastors say are the challenges teens are facing?
5. What would Christians in the workplace say are the crucial questions for Christians in the subject area you teach?
6. What would your fellow teachers say are difficult questions your students should respond to?

What’s next?: Get next steps considered.

1. What are 5-10 difficult questions you want your students to respond to?
2. How can you get your students to respond to your questions?
3. What will you do?

You want your students to connect what they study, the Bible, and their lives. You’ve heard that asking questions is an effective way to help students make connections. And you want to use questions to help your students.

Question: How can you get started?

Answer: By taking the following self-assessment. Rate each item, using the following scale:

4: Strongly agree • 3: Agree • 2: Disagree • 1: Strongly disagree

___ I want my students to connect what they study, the Bible, and their lives. (Watch)
___ My students connect what they study, the Bible, and their lives. (Read)
___ I understand how using questions can help my students connect what they study, the Bible, and their lives. (Read)

___ I understand why God asks questions. (Read, Discuss)
___ My students would say that I value asking them questions. (Read, Discuss)
___ I can give a colleague a clear description of what using questions looks like. (Read)

___ I know what questions I want my students to respond to. (Read, Discuss)
___ When faced with an issue, my students know what questions to ask. (Read, Discuss)
___ I can identify and explain 6 characteristics of a good question. (Read, Discuss)
___ I ask good questions. (Read, Discuss)
___ I ask my students questions about creation-fall-redemption-restoration. (Read, Watch)
___ I have documented the questions I want to ask my students. (Read, Discuss)

___ I know what I want my students to learn when I ask a question. (Read, Discuss)
___ My students sincerely respond to the questions I ask. (Read, Discuss)
___ I use questions effectively. (Read, Discuss)

___ I ask questions to help my students connect what they study, the Bible, and their lives.
___ I want to learn more about using questions to help my students make connections.
___ I am committed to helping my students connect what they study, the Bible, and their lives.


Now, ask yourself 4 questions about the data:

1. How many 4s, 3s, 2s, and 1s do I have?
2. What satisfies/concerns me about the data?
3. Which items would it be helpful to learn more about?
4. What will I do?

Additional resources:

1. Video: Why ask questions?
2. Tutorial: Use questions to help students understand and apply a Biblical perspective
3. 99 questions
4. Ask questions—help your students increase their understanding and application of a Biblical perspective 
5. Teacher and student testimonials regarding how using questions helps
6. To learn more about using questions, explore these 11 questions

You want your students to connect what they study, the Bible, and their lives. You’ve heard that asking questions is an effective way to help students make connections. So, you want to learn more. Good.

Question: How can you learn more about using questions?

Answer: By exploring the following list of 11 questions. The list comes with readings and discussion guides:

1. Why use questions? (Read, Discuss)
2. Why does God ask questions? (Read, Discuss)
3. How valuable are questions? (Read, Discuss)
4. What does using questions look like? (Read)
5. What questions should your students respond to? (Read, Discuss)
6. What questions should your students ask? (Read, Discuss)
7. What makes a good question good? (Read, Discuss)
8. What question do you want to ask your students? (Read, Discuss)
9. What do you want your students to learn (when you ask a question)? (Read, Discuss)
10. How can you get your students to sincerely respond to questions? (Read, Discuss)
11. How can you use your questions effectively? (Read, Discuss)

Remember: The real question isn't "How can you learn more about using questions?" The real question is "How will you use questions help your students connect what they study, the Bible, and their lives?"


Additional resources:

1. Video: Why ask questions?
2. Self-assessment: To get started with using questions, take this self-assessment
3. Tutorial: Use questions to help students understand and apply a Biblical perspective
4. 99 questions
5. Ask questions—help your students increase their understanding and application of a Biblical perspective 
6. Teacher and student testimonials regarding how using questions helps
7. Ask your students questions about creation-fall-redemption-restoration

You want your 8th graders to make connections. You’ve assigned them an essay requiring them to connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. And you’re ready to collect their rough drafts. Good.
 
Question: How can you help your students make better connections?
 
Answer: By having them reflect on the connections they made in their rough drafts. How? By asking them to respond to these questions:

• What connections did you make?
• What’s satisfying/unsatisfying about your connections?
• What helps you make connections?
• What question do you want to ask me about your connections?

Ask your students to write responses to these questions. Then, ask them to staple their responses to their rough drafts. Tell them you’ll answer the question they asked you about their connections.
 
Help your students make connections. Ask them questions. Today.

You want your students develop a Christ-centered worldview. You want your students to better connect what they study and what the Bible teaches.
 
Question: What can you do?
 
Answer: You can reflect on questions like:

• How can you help your students make connections?
• How can you help your students use relevant Biblical principles?
• How can you help your students use relevant Bible verses?
• How can you help your students include Biblical perspective in their thesis statements?
• How can you help your students apply a Biblical perspective throughout their essays?
• How can you help your students apply a Biblical perspective to issues?

Help your students develop a Christ-centered worldview. Reflect on questions. Today.

Dan Beerens, vice president of learning services at Christian Schools International, focuses on Christian education in his blog Nurturing Faith. In this blog entry, he discusses how essential questions can help teachers help students develop a Christ-centered worldview.

What should we be focusing on instructionally when providing a distinctively Christian education? Given a finite amount of time with students, what should our curriculum be? How can we make powerful curriculum choices that will impact and nurture a student’s faith?

We find ourselves awash in information and knowledge, but not necessarily wisdom! A key distinctive of a Christian education is that we are nurturing faith through educating towards wisdom: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). But how do we practically start with God in every discipline and build toward student wisdom? How do you provide a Christian education that equips the mind and nurtures the heart toward God’s truth?

We must begin with an acknowledgment that the Creator of the universe is the source of all wisdom. David Claerbaut states in his new book Faith and Learning on the Edge: “In short, to engage learning from any other than a God-centered direction is to begin and end in the wrong place.” He emphasizes that if we are really truth seekers “we must start with God in every discipline.”

We also need to consider that the word curriculum really means “a journey – a race to run.” What are we asking students to run toward? Truth. Whose truth? Our curriculum should lead students on a journey toward truth – as revealed by God through His creation and His Word and through what has been discovered by man in his search for truth. While we have articulated this objective historically in different ways, our attempts may fall short if we do not help the learner make these connections.

Through the work of Wiggins and McTighe, we have been encouraged to think about what is really essential for learners. Identifying Essential Understandings and Essential Questions assists both the teacher to focus on what is really important for the learner to know and do, and to incorporate Christian perspective into the unit plans. The beauty of Essential Questions is that they address the essence of what we want students to learn, require higher level thinking, are intriguing and thought-provoking, allow for a variety of acceptable answers, and connect and apply course/Biblical content to their lives....

Essential questions are a powerful tool because they help to answer what to teach (i.e. standards + faith perspective), engage the learner, and assist in meeting the mission of Christian schools – that of equipping minds and nurturing hearts for service.

Harold Klassen of Transforming Teachers shares his WHWW questions:

• Where’s God in this?
• How has sin affected this?
• What does the Bible say about this?
• Why did Christ make this?

How could you use Harold’s WHWW questions?

Here's a set of DRAW questions you can use for a discussion of “What question do you want to ask your students?”
 
Define: Get the facts defined.

1. In one of your classes, what are your students studying?
2. What connections are your students making between what they study and what the Bible teaches?

Respond: Get the facts responded to in terms of feelings/experiences.

1. How do you feel about asking questions?
2. How do you feel about asking questions that help students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches?

Analyze: Get the facts, feelings, and experiences analyzed.

1. Which questions from the list do you like, feel comfortable with, and have some answers for?
2. Which questions from the list do you think your students will find engaging?

What’s next?: Get next steps considered.

1. What question will you ask your students?
2. When will you ask it?
3. How will you invite your students to respond to your question (journal writing, small group discussion, brainstorming….)?