Quescussion

A quescussion is a discussion conducted entirely in questions. No statements, answers, or opinions are allowed. Each participant must respond to the previous contribution with another question. This constraint is deceptively powerful. It forces learners to think deeply about a topic because asking a good follow-up question requires understanding what has already been asked and identifying what remains unexplored.

The format works best when the opening question is genuinely thought-provoking. "Why do people migrate?" might open a Humanities quescussion. "What would happen if plants could not photosynthesise?" might open a Science one. Each subsequent question deepens, redirects, or challenges the thread of inquiry.

Learners initially find the rules frustrating. Their instinct is to answer. But the frustration is productive because it highlights how habitual statement-making is and how rarely we sit with questions long enough to let them develop. After a few minutes, learners begin to ask increasingly sophisticated questions because the simple ones have been exhausted.

Quescussion develops the skill of questioning itself, which is fundamental to all forms of inquiry. Learners who can ask good questions are better researchers, better readers, better scientists, and better citizens. The format also levels the playing field: learners who are reluctant to state opinions often flourish when the only requirement is curiosity.

Quescussion develops the "Plan" strand of thinking skills by building the capacity for inquiry, critical questioning, and intellectual curiosity. It supports the Four Purposes by developing "ambitious, capable learners" who can direct their own thinking and "ethical, informed citizens" who ask challenging questions about complex issues.

Rainbow Curriculum's Thinking Tools lens helps you plan where deep questioning strategies are used across your curriculum, ensuring that question-generation is valued as a thinking skill in its own right.