Small Shifts That Change Learning for Teachers Who Want To Move Toward PBL Without Turning Everything Upside Down
Article 1: Start with a Question, Not a Lecture
Most of us were trained to begin a lesson the same way: stand at the front of the room, introduce the topic, explain the key ideas, and then assign some work to reinforce it. It’s efficient. It’s familiar. And for many students, it works well enough.
But there is a small, simple, almost subtle shift that can change the entire feel of a classroom:
Start with a question instead of a lecture.
When we begin with explanation, we are asking students to receive information.
When we begin with a question, we are inviting them to think.
That difference matters.
A good question creates a kind of productive uncertainty. It gives students a reason to pay attention, a reason to wonder, and, perhaps most importantly, a reason to care. It also signals something deeper: your thinking matters here.
I remember noticing, even early in my career, that some students were already “with me” when I began a lesson, and some were not. The lecture format tended to widen that gap. Students who were comfortable with school moved forward. Others drifted further back.
A well-placed question has the opposite effect. It pulls more students in. Not all at once. Not perfectly. But noticeably.
A Small Shift You Can Try Tomorrow
You don’t need to redesign your unit. Just adjust how you begin. Instead of saying:
“Today we’re going to learn about Westward Expansion…”, try:
“Was Westward Expansion an opportunity, a mistake, or something else entirely?”
Give students a minute to think. Let them talk in pairs. Capture a few responses on the board. Then teach.
What you’ll often find is that the content lands differently. Students are no longer just receiving information; they are listening for ideas that connect to their own thinking.
Two Practical Ways to Begin
1. Use a “Choice Question”
Frame a question that invites multiple perspectives:
• “Was this decision justified?”
• “Which solution would work best?”
• “What would you have done?”
These questions lower the barrier to entry. Every student can have an opinion.
2. Let Students Guess First
Before introducing new content, ask students to predict:
• “What do you think caused this?”
• “How do you think this works?”
Even incorrect guesses are useful. They create a need to know, and that is where learning begins.
Why This Works
This shift is grounded in a simple idea: people learn more deeply when they are mentally engaged.
Starting with a question activates prior knowledge, surfaces assumptions, and creates a kind of cognitive “hook” for new information. It also changes the role of the teacher from primary source of answers to facilitator of thinking.
It is, in a small but meaningful way, a step toward Project-Based Learning. Because at the heart of PBL is not just doing projects; it is learning driven by questions, curiosity, and purpose. You don’t have to change everything to begin moving in that direction. Sometimes, it starts with something as simple as how you open a lesson.
One good question can change the room.
Small shifts, practiced over time, can change not just what students learn, but how they see themselves as learners.