Questions tickle the brain and spark curiosity

This is the idea from Day 1 of the 40 Gameful Days of Summer, a personal challenge I am trying to complete to share more gameful ideas with you in a series of videos posted on IGTV. You can watch today's video and then please leave a comment to let me know if the tip was helpful or something that you are doing already. My hope is that these videos will open up some discussion about gameful ways to making more engaging learning experiences.

Tickle the brain 

What happens as soon as I ask you a question? Can you stop yourself from thinking about it? Really? Don't worry, you are not alone. The brain lights up when we are asked a question. It's like a little itch you need to scratch, but in a good way. 

So instead of starting out by telling people a bunch of information, have you tried starting with a big question? Then people get curious and are more engaged with finding out the answer. You may even want to let them explore on their own a little before you give them more information.

Questions can create curiosity, add some suspense and mystery, and surprise and delight that can take the learner in an expected direction. And questions aren't just for the beginning of a lesson. How about one at the end to get people thinking and curious about what comes next? Leave them with a cliff-hanger and wanting more.

Summer Reading

“A beautiful question is an ambitious yet actionable question that can begin to shift the way we perceive or think about something – and that might serve as a catalyst to bring about change.”