Spark Curiosity: Recreating Dan Meyer's 101 Questions in Your Classroom (with a Twitter Twist!)

 Dan Meyer's "101 Questions" activity is a fantastic way to ignite student curiosity and foster mathematical thinking. The premise is simple: present a compelling visual (photo or video) and challenge students to generate as many questions as possible about it. It's a powerful exercise in inquiry-based learning. Here's how you can recreate it, adding a modern twist inspired by Twitter's character limits:

The core idea is that one takes a visual, add in a question and you get engagement. The magic of this activity lies in the open-ended nature of the questions. Students aren't trying to find the right answer; they're exploring possibilities and formulating their own mathematical inquiries.

It is important to adapt the activity for the "Twitterverse" in only 140 characters. To add a fun constraint and encourage concise questioning, we'll borrow from Twitter's character limit (though you can adjust this if needed). This forces students to be precise and thoughtful with their wording.

Here's the Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Choose a Compelling Visual: Select a photo or short video clip that is visually rich and mathematically intriguing. Think about images with patterns, quantities, changes over time, or anything that sparks curiosity. Dan Meyer's website and Visual Maths resources are excellent places to find inspiration. Consider using a time-lapse video, a photo of a complex structure, or even a simple image with hidden mathematical depth.

2. Present the Visual: Show the photo or video to your students. Give them a moment to observe and absorb what they see.

3. The 140-Character Challenge: Explain that each student will create as many questions as possible about the visual, but each question must be limited to 140 characters (or your chosen limit). This encourages them to be concise and prioritize their most burning questions.

4. "Tweet" Your Questions: There are a few ways to manage the question generation:

   • Digital Platform (Recommended): Use a platform like Padlet, Google Classroom, or a class forum. These platforms allow students to easily post their questions and see what others have written. This creates a shared space for exploration.
   • Low-Tech Option: If technology is limited, use sticky notes or index cards. Students write their questions on individual notes and then post them on a large whiteboard or bulletin board. This allows for a physical representation of the collective curiosity.

5. Explore the Questions: Once everyone has posted their questions, take time to review them as a class. Discuss the different types of questions that have been generated. Are they focused on quantity, measurement, change, relationships, or something else entirely? Categorize the questions together.

6. Choose a Question (or Several): As a class, select one or more of the most intriguing questions to investigate further. This could lead to a full-blown math investigation, a research project, or a simple estimation activity.

7. Dive Deeper: Work together to answer the chosen question(s). This is where the real mathematical thinking happens. Students might need to gather more data, make calculations, or develop models to find solutions.

8. Reflect and Share: After the investigation, have students reflect on the process. What did they learn? How did their understanding of the visual change? Encourage them to share their findings and explain their reasoning.

Tips for Success:

• Model Questioning: Before starting the activity, model some good questions yourself. Show students how to ask open-ended questions that encourage exploration.
• Embrace All Questions: Even seemingly "simple" or "obvious" questions can lead to interesting mathematical discussions. Encourage all contributions and create a safe space for students to ask anything.
• Connect to Curriculum: Try to choose visuals that connect to the math concepts you are currently teaching. This will help students see the relevance of math in the real world.
• Extend the Activity: This activity can be extended over several days or even weeks. You can revisit the questions periodically and see how students' thinking has evolved.

By combining the power of visual stimuli with the conciseness of a "tweet," this adapted "101 Questions" activity can spark curiosity, promote mathematical thinking, and create a truly engaging learning experience for your students.

The website this activity is based on appears to be gone but it is such a cool thing that I wanted to keep it here.  You can find blog entries posted by Dan Meyer still around if you look for them but this has a bit of an updated twist.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.