Creating Driving Questions: A Guide for New Project-Based Learning Teachers
A well-crafted driving question is the foundation of an engaging and effective Project-Based Learning (PBL) experience. It sparks curiosity, encourages inquiry, and guides students toward meaningful learning outcomes. Instead of simply assigning a topic, a strong driving question challenges students to explore, analyze, and solve real-world problems in an authentic way.
What Makes a Great Driving Question?
A driving question isn’t just a lesson objective rewritten as a question. It should:
✅ Provide purpose and context – Connect academic content to real-world applications.
✅ Encourage deep thinking – Require students to research, analyze, and make decisions.
✅ Be open-ended – Allow multiple approaches and solutions.
✅ Lead to authentic outcomes – Result in tangible projects, presentations, or innovations.
Example:
Instead of "Learn about renewable energy," a strong driving question might be:
👉 "How can we design a solar-powered solution to meet our school's energy needs?"
This question shifts the focus from memorization to problem-solving, requiring students to engage with real-world applications.
Why This Matters More Than Ever
With AI tools like ChatGPT providing instant answers, the role of education is shifting from fact-based learning to critical thinking and creative problem-solving. Strong driving questions make students think deeply, fostering skills that go beyond what a simple search engine can provide.
Consider Socrates' method of questioning: instead of giving answers, he posed questions that led students to discover new ideas on their own. This ancient technique remains relevant today as we prepare students to tackle complex modern challenges.
Creating an Effective Driving Question: A Simple 3-Step Guide
Step 1: Identify the Real-World Connection
Look at your curriculum standards and ask, “Why does this matter in the real world?”
✅ Example: Standard: "Understand the water cycle."
Real-world connection: How communities access clean water.
Step 2: Make It Personal for Students
Ask, “Why would my students care about this?”
✅ Example: From "How does the water cycle work?"
To "How can we help our school save water?"
Step 3: Add Action and Purpose
Ask, “What can students create or do with this knowledge?”
✅ Final Driving Question:
"How can we design a system to collect and use rainwater in our school garden?"
This final version is open-ended, actionable, and relevant, making it a great driving question.
Examples of Strong Driving Questions
🔹 Math: "How can we create the perfect recipe for our class party using ratios?"
🔹 Science: "How can we design a playground that is both fun and safe using physics principles?"
🔹 History: "What lessons from past civilizations can help us design a sustainable city today?"
🔹 English: "How can we create a podcast that helps our community understand an important social issue?"
Getting Started Today
Start small. Pick one upcoming lesson and try crafting a driving question using the 3-step method. Here’s how:
✅ Identify a topic from your curriculum.
✅ Connect it to a real-world issue.
✅ Make it engaging and actionable for students.
Your first attempt doesn’t have to be perfect. The key is to start asking better questions—questions that lead students to think, explore, and create.
By focusing on real-world applications, student interest, and action-oriented learning, you’ll create driving questions that transform your classroom into an active, inquiry-driven learning environment.
Need Help Creating Driving Questions?
Want to design engaging PBL experiences in minutes? MasteryMate helps educators create structured, high-quality driving questions and project frameworks quickly and efficiently.
Click here to learn how to design PBL questions with MasteryMate
Final Thoughts
Crafting great driving questions is a skill that improves with practice. Start small, experiment, and refine your approach. The more you focus on student-driven inquiry, the more engaged and motivated your students will become.
Remember: It’s not about having all the answers—it’s about asking the right questions.
