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Lesson 1, Task 2 - Good Questions, Better Questions

In an article titled, Answering the Questions That Count, David Ronka, Mary Ann Lachat, Rachel Slaughter and Julie Meltzer put forward the idea of ‘evidence-based questioning’. The authors argue that it is not enough to just collect data. There needs to be questions that drive the collection and exploration of this information. These should be rich and provide the basis for deep inquiry. It is not enough to ask,
‘How can I improve writing outcomes?’
There needs to be respect to context and a certain concreteness to what is asked, such as,
‘How will we ensure that our assessment supports student-centered, evidence-based decision making?’ or ‘ How can I organise/group to enable students to help one another?’ 
It would be easy to suggest that such questions are simply SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, measurable and time-based). However, as Vivian Robinson points out in Student-Centred Leadership,
When goals involve new challenges, how can you possibly know if it is achievable, if it is realistic, and how long it will take you to achieve it? In the absence of such knowledge, it may be better to set a learning goal or a broader performance goal that expresses your shared commitments and helps keep you focused.
Therefore, questions around data need to be clear enough to commit to, but open enough to adapt to the unknown.

Gary Jones describes these differences as background and foreground questions. A background question contains the issue at hand, while the foreground unpacks the action, intervention or innovation. To frame such a question, Jones suggests focusing on four elements:
P — Pupil or Problem. How would you describe the group of pupils or problem?
I — Intervention. What are you planning to do with your pupils?
C — Comparison. What is the alternative to the intervention/action/innovations
O — Outcomes. What are the effects of the intervention/action/intervention?
 This format provides means for pinpointing problems, a consistent structure and an ease on the time-pressure associated with such an activity.
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