by Terry Heick
You care, but it’s a tired cliché: a limp comes out of your mouth, barely alive: “How was school?”
You can use a slight variation like: “What did you learn in school today?” ” but in one sentence, everything that is wrong with “school”.
First, detachment: you literally have no idea what they are learning or why. (You leave that to school because that’s what school is for, right?) This means you know very little about what your children are learning about the world, and can only talk about it in vague content area terms (e.g. math, history).
Then there’s implication: they don’t talk about how they were moved, impressed, or changed, except in the rarest cases; you have to take it away from them.
And there is also the question of form: you ask as if a developing learner is able to articulate the nuances of their own learning to create a conversation that does everything but make it seem like they haven’t learned anything at all. So what to do?
Well, this idea of shape has some legs, doesn’t it? Show me. Demonstrate it. Let’s look at some artifacts that demonstrate thought and affection. Let’s see the impact of your work and efforts. This would actually make a very good article in itself. But let’s stick with the old format of questions asked on the car ride home or around the dinner table.
What are the alternatives to “What did you learn in school today?” » Here are some ideas.
25 alternatives to “What did you learn at school today?” »
- When did you feel most interested and curious today?
- Was there a moment today when you were particularly confused? How did you respond?
- What is the hard thing to believe? Not confusing, but surprising?
- If you were more ____ today, how would that impact your day?
- When were you most creative today?
- Tell me one funny thing you learned, one useful thing you learned, and one amazing thing you learned.
- What does a successful school day look like to you? Envy ?
- What different reasons do your friends go to school for?
- Who worked harder today, the teacher or the students?
- How else could you have learned what the teacher taught you?
- How do your teachers show they care?
- What do you know and how do you know it?
- What would you like to know more about?
- What is the most important thing you learned today? The least?
- Tell me about a chance you took today and how it turned out.
- What is one thing you learned from a book?
- What is one thing you learned from a friend?
- What is one thing you learned from a teacher?
- What’s still confusing you?
- What was something you said or heard that stood out to you for any reason?
- Based on what you learned today in ______ class, what do you think you will learn tomorrow?
- Tell me three facts, two opinions and one idea you heard today.
- What should you do with what you have learned?
- When did you surprise yourself today?
- What’s stopping you from being an (even more) great learner?
More “Questions to Ask Students After School”: Alternatives to “How was school?” »
A few readers offered their own alternatives.
Drew Perkins: “What big questions did you ask today? »
Heather Braum: “What did you discover?
Heather Braum: “What surprised you? »
Heather Braum: “Where have you traveled? »
Eoin Linehan: “Why are you learning this?
Eoin Linehan: “How do you know you are learning? »
Kristine Kirkaldy: “What did you learn/do that made you smile today?”
Ms. Moore: “What was your favorite part of school today?” »
Amanda Couch: “Tell me your favorite moment at school today. »
Deb Gaskin: “If you had been in charge of the lesson, what would you have emphasized or done differently? Why?”
Robin Smith: “What was your ‘good’ for today? What was your ‘bad’?”
Laura Cobb: “What did you improve today?
Laura Cobb: “What challenged your thinking? »
Laura Cobb: “How have you contributed to the learning of other students? »
Jackie Gerstein: “What touched your heart today? »
Jackie Gerstein: “Have you experienced anything in school that motivates you to make a difference in the world? »
Jackie Gerstein: “Have you had any “aha” feelings today – understanding or seeing something different than you did before?
Jackie Gerstein: “Did you have any fun learning experiences today? If so, when and how?”
Jackie Gerstein: “Have you invented or created anything new today?” »
