Essential Questions

Essential Questions are designed to help educators ensure students understand the learning goals. If students are able to answer a essential question, they are one step closer to understanding the enduring understandings.

Essential questions are designed much differently from traditional recall questions. Essential questions are broad, usually with more than one correct answer. They may have ten or more correct answers that are completely different.

When students are able to successfully answer these questions, students have demonstrated understanding. Because of students' knowledge, background, and experiences, the answers may be different, but the enduring understanding will always remain the same.

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Example Technology Education Essential Questions

* How can systems thinking help solve technological problems?
* How can modeling help solve technological problems?
* How can research help solve technological problems?
* Why is scale important in design?
* How can the design process help solve technological problems?
* How can messages be communicated?
* How do you know what tools, material, or processes are needed to solve a technological problem?
* How can the use of computer software help solve technological problems?
* What are the ethical considerations when communicating messages?
* How can communications technology improve the quality of life?
* What is the purpose of communication technology?
* Why is there more than one way to communicate a message?
* Why should ethics be considered when communicating messages?
* Is deception ok, if there is a possibility or persuasion or economical gain?
* Is slander ok, if there is a possibility of persuasion ore economical gain?
* How can messages have more than one meaning?
* How has the change in communication technologies affected our way of life?
* Why does technology change faster now, then it has in the past?

Often students in grade Kindergarten through twelfth are presented with vast amounts of information, but too often students do not understand how and where to apply this knowledge. Technology Education allows students to apply history, math, science, English, and other skills to actual real world experiences.

Enduring Understandings deal with the Universals of Technology.

* Inventing
* Innovating
* Managing
* Computing
* Testing
* Observing
* Defining
* Designing
* Creating
* Interpreting
* Predicting
* Communicating
* Analyzing
* Experimenting
* Modeling
* Questioning
* Measuring
* Hypothesizing
* Visualizing