Titling class sessions with leading questions

The context: An undergraduate introductory survey course on the Old Testament. It is a required general education course, so it contains students from all different majors. pedagogical purpose: To pique students' curiosity in day's topic before they arrive class. help focus their reading and engagement with biblical text around an essential meaningful question. Description of strategy: Wherever class schedule posted (e.g., paper syllabus, weekly our Learning Management System (Blackboard)), do not see title for each session by “topic” or “content covered.” Instead, driving question reading. For example, instead “1 Kings 1–11 2 Chronicles 1–9,” read, “How can two stories Bible about same events read differently?” Instead “Book Job,” “Did God really allow that to happen Job just win bet Satan?” Isaiah,” “Was main job prophet predict coming Jesus?” This practice inspired concept using “essential questions” Edmund Hansen's Idea-Based Learning: A Course Design Process Promote Conceptual (Stylus, 2011), (see pp. 69–82). Why effective: I find my assume lot prevents them well. tells exact story as Samuel–Kings, looking differences noticing even when are blatant, such as, did incite David sin (2 Sam 24:1) Satan (1 Chron 21:1)? Titling question” rather than achieves four things: First, asking advance assigned texts, piqued because interesting has been asked it. Second, helps know what read. inevitably have assign large chunks be easy get lost details. With overarching question, big idea is. Third, gently begins process identifying challenging pre-understanding. suggests taken given may need reconsidered at least nuanced. By time class, already mentally prepared we questions long-held belief defenses come down little bit. Finally, generates own questions. Students regularly additional curiosities arisen original shaped close text.