Different types of Inquiry questions
Factual questions Conceptual questions Debatable questions
Knowledge/fact-based Enable exploration of big
Content-driven ideas that connect facts
Skills-related and Topics
Supported by evidence Highlight opportunities to
Can be used to explore compare and contrast
terminology in the Explore contradictions
statement of inquiry Lead to deeper
Frequently topical disciplinary and
Encourage recall and interdisciplinary
comprehension understanding
Promote transfer to
familiar or less familiar
situations, issues, ideas
and contexts
Encourage analysis and
application
Enable the use of facts
and concepts to debate a
position
Promote discussion
Explore significant ideas
and issues from multiple
perspectives
Can be contested
Have tension
May be deliberately
provocative
Encourage synthesis and
evaluation
 Example of factual, conceptual and debatable questions
CONCEPTS: INTERACTION CHANGE
BIG IDEA: Human/environmental interactions can become unbalanced, leading to changes with unintended
consequence

INQUIRY QUESTIONS:
FACTUAL:
Does our country have areas of dense population?
What issues in our region would suggest the danger of overpopulation?
What areas of the world have very dense population centres?
CONCEPTUAL:
Why do nations develop concentrated population centres?
What would indicate that a population centre is overpopulated?
How do increasing human/environmental interactions change the environment?
How might these interactions lead to scarce natural resources?
How do communities with scarce natural resources meet their survival needs?
How can scarce natural resources lead to conflict between groups of people or nations?
DEBATABLE:
How can governments ensure that their citizens have the necessary natural resources for survival?
Should nations with plentiful natural resources be required to share with nations who have scarce natural
resources?

JANUARY 2014- E.Cosh Adapted from Developing MYP units (excerpt from the forthcoming MYP: From principles into practice. For use from
September 2014/January 2015) & IB position paper: Erickson, L. 2012 Concept-based teaching and learning