Deeper Learning Competency Spotlight
Think critically and solve complex problems (b, c, f)
Learn how to learn (e, m)

Target Audience
Grades: 9–12
Content areas: Social science, science, ELA, math

The What
This process helps students better understand a particular context or problem prior to drafting questions for research. Your first step will be to facilitate an experience for students to unearth a problem. Students will then come up with a question to research; develop a hypothesis for what they might learn through this journey; and revisit this (PQH) process through reflection and iteration. Doing so results in a greater depth of empathy, content mastery, and problem solving skills. Use this strategy when launching a research process/project/unit or use it for the early stages of the Design Thinking process. For more information on Design Thinking, refer to CraftED Curriculum’s User Guide or its Pinterest board: Design Thinking/Making.

The Why
The PQH2 process helps build students’ skill sets related to empathy and problem-solving. In traditional research, projects, units, or other academic processes, students will typically pose a question, answer it, and complete the assignment with minimal reflection. In contrast, the PQH2 strategy encourages students to grow with a question, and perhaps even change their question and how they respond to it as they unearth more information and deepen their learning.

Deeper Learning Competency Spotlight
Master core academic content (g)
Think critically and solve complex problems (h) Work collaboratively (a, d)
Develop academic mindsets (c)

Target Audience
Grades: 9–12
Content areas: All

The What
This brainstorming strategy helps students think outside the box when generating an innovative solution to a problem or designing and building a prototype. In it, students will work together to push their peers’ thinking by applying unrelated terms to an assigned context and task.

Note: This strategy aligns nicely with the middle stage of Design Thinking, when students are brainstorming ideas and beginning to map out how they will design what they are building/creating.

The Why
Thinking like an innovator does not come naturally to most students. Students tend to be programmed to believe there is one correct, pre-determined answer. Therefore, when asked to create something that does not yet exist, they tend to experience some dissonance, and perhaps even discomfort. This strategy establishes that there is no one right way to go about the challenge with which students have been presented, and helps create a culture in which big, wild ideas are welcome!

Deeper Learning Spotlight
Master core academic content (h, i)
Think critically and solve complex problems (a, f, h) Work collaboratively (a, b)
Learn how to learn (k, l, m)

Target Audience
Grades: K–12
Content areas: engineering and design, with cross-curricular opportunities in all content areas

The What
This strategy is a series of steps to facilitate the process of having students design, make, and build an idea to test. It involves preparing students for the challenge; crafting structures to help keep them engaged and on task; and features tips for holding students accountable with a clear deliverable. This strategy addresses the Design Thinking stage, “creating a prototype” and prepares students for the “testing your design” stage. In addition, this strategy can serve as an excellent entry into the Maker Movement and can be used to provide tinker time or maker challenges.

The Why
The Maker Movement is gaining steam because it is an engaging way to get students using their hands and minds. When students innovate and design, they need to prototype their ideas prior to testing them. Prototypes are a preliminary model of something, especially a machine, from which other forms are developed or copied. Without plans and structures, however, this process can be messy. This strategy ensures that structure is in place so deeper learning can happen. This strategy also provides an audience and purpose for student ideas, and facilitates iteration and reflection.

Deeper Learning Competency Spotlight
Master core academic content (d, e, f, g, h)
Develop academic mindsets (i, j, k)

Target Audience
Grades: 5–10
Content areas: All

The What
This strategy is a scaffold for interacting with experts so that students are prepared to make the most out of their data collection experience. An expert is someone who has authoritative, comprehensive, or demonstrated knowledge and skill in a particular discipline or area. Experts include scientists, chefs, artists, doctors, community leaders, professors, nutritionists, and so on. This strategy will help students prepare for interviewing experts.

The Why
Experts provide students with a beautiful connection between their academic content and the real world. The process of learning from an expert brings content to life and helps students see the applicable value in their studies. In addition to serving as an authentic data source, interacting with experts gives students an opportunity to develop the valuable lifelong skill of communicating with professionals and the chance to imagine themselves in a particular workforce.

Deeper Learning Competency Spotlight
Master core academic content (d, e, f, g, h) Work collaboratively (a)
Communicate effectively (b)
Learn how to learn (b, m)

Target Audience
Grade: 3–10
Content area: All

The What
Introduces various formats for students to record what they learn and process while in the field or when interacting with an expert.

The Why
When students interact with the field it is crucial that they be active learners. Therefore, they must have an ongoing way to process and learn during such experiences. Structuring their documentation format enables a teacher to scaffold skills such as analyzing and synthesizing information. Real world exploration documentation can later be used as a form of data during research projects and papers.