Animating questions about Learning Lites can prompt stimulating reflection and discussion.  In expanding horizons of discovery, they awaken curiosity, contribute to critical thinking skills, encourage appreciation of the power of ideas, and point to enlarged possibilities for meaning.  This questioning can occur around the family dining table, at work, over a cup of coffee, during a trip, etc.

 

Here are some general ones:

 

1)  What struck you most about the Learning Lite? 

 

2)  Can you identify with any aspect of the Learning Lite?  How?

 

3)  Do you feel the information in the Learning Lite is valuable?  

 

4)  In what ways might you be interested in learning more about the topic?

 

 

Particular Learning Lites categories can invite a range of inquiry.  

ARTS

 

1)  What types of art, including music and dance, are you especially drawn to?

 

2)  How important is artistic expression to you personally and society in general?

 

3)  What factors spark the artistic impulse?

 

4)  Do you personally know any artists? 

​

​

​

​

BOOKS & PLAYS

​

1) Are you familiar with the work the Learning Lite describes?

2) Would you be inclined to actually read the book? 
3) What kind of fiction or non-fiction are you generally drawn to? 

4) Do you have a favorite author(s)?

5) Can you think of a particular scene in a book or play that has especially remained etched in your mind? 

6) Why do you think it made such a strong impression on you?  

  

 

CULTURE

 

1)  What cultures particularly fascinate you?

 

2)  Do cultures only originate in the past or are new ones also being created today?

 

3)  Can a culture adapt without losing its genuine character?

 

4)  How important is culture?

​

 

GREAT FEATS                  

For example: Charles Lindbergh 

 

1)  What do you think Lindbergh thought about during all his hours of solo flying?  

 

2)  Are you interested in learning more about him?   

 

3)  Is there an achievement in your own life that you would consider a considerable feat or a source of pride?  If so, what made it so?  What did you have to overcome to achieve it?  

 

4)  What other accomplishments are you interested in pursuing in the future?

 

MYTH & FOLKLORE                  

For example: The Gordian Knot

 

1)   Did the action Alexander the Great undertook surprise you?

 

2)   Have you or someone you know reacted to a challenging situation in a similarly pragmatic way?  Why might some people think more pragmatically than others?  
Is being pragmatic always a good thing?  

 

4)  Even if the Gordian Knot event did not actually happen, can it still be said
to be true?    

 

5)  Why are myth and folklore important?  How do they reveal truth and insight?  

 

6)  Are myth and folklore still important in contemporary times?  What other
myths or legends  are especially pique your interest? 

 

 

NAMES

 

1)  Do you know the meaning of your name?

 

2)  Where do names come from?

 

3)  How do names tell stories?

 

4)  How important are names?

 

 

 

NATURE                     

For example: The Venus Flytrap 

​

1)  Are you aware of other animal or plant life that creatively capture or
frighten off predators?

 

2)  Do plants and animals actually possess intelligence or do they act more
on instinct?  

 

3)  Have you experienced any unusual animal or plant encounters?

 

4)  What are some of your favorite animals and/or plants?

 

 

PLACES                  

For example: Singapore

 

1)  Can you find Singapore on a map? 

 

2)  Have you or anyone you know ever traveled there? 

   

3)  What other places in the world might you be interested in learning

more about or visiting? 

 

 

SCIENCE

 

1)  Have you ever engaged in an experiment?  What was the experience like?

 

2)  What do you think are some of the greatest scientific discoveries?

 

3)  Do you know anyone who is a scientist?

 

4)   What attracts people to science?  What factors might discourage interest
in scientific pursuit?

 

 

WISDOM

 

1)  Do you agree with this Learning Lite?  If so, why?  If not, why not?

 

2)  Can you think of any examples in relation to it that apply to your life

situation or to someone you know?

 

3)  What is wisdom?  What is its color, what does it smell, taste, and feel like?

 

4)  Where do you find sources of wisdom?  Does it come from experience or

can it be taught? 

​

​

WORTHY WORDS

 

1)  What is the statement saying?  Are there any potential underlying

meanings as well?

 

2)  What may have prompted these words to be written?

 

3)  Do you have any favorite statement or quotes that you try to keep in mind?

​

TRY TO MAKE IT EXPERIENTIAL

​

Learning in conjunction with the experience is the most effective.  We all probably remember a teacher who brought a historical event or concept to life by dressing in a costume or having students participate in an active debate.  Learning Lites, too, can be utilized in experiential ways to make knowledge more memorable and impactful.  For instance, in the Learning Lite example concerning the explorer Ernest Shakleton, you could have people stand around his imagined grave.  They would each be asked to offer a few words about Shakleton’s life and achievements.  This type of learning prompts the processing and evocation of knowledge in helpful spheres of comprehension.

​

​