August 2025 Protocol of the Month: Hypothetical Questioning

Hypothetical questions are the thinking playgrounds of the classroom, they invite students to step beyond memorizing facts and start thinking critically, creatively, and empathetically. Anytime thinking is activated, good things happen!  Try it out and let us know how it goes.

Hypothetical Questioning (Questioning, Discussion, Collaboration)
 
Description: Hypothetical questioning activates the part of the brain that requires students to go beyond the implicit and stimulates them to get creative, to problem-solve, to evaluate, and to judge, among other things. When framed in a “What if . . .?” type of question, students must consider how they or others “would feel or act in a potential, or imaginary, future scenario.”  Since there are no right or wrong answers, all students can contribute without fear of being wrong. Hypothetical questioning can occur at any time during a lesson, but most especially as a bellringer to get students curious about the upcoming lesson. Adapted from Jonathan Sandling’s blog post, How to Ask Hypothetical Questions in Lessons.
 
Application: Use hypothetical questions in most subjects at any grade level. In history subjects, visit “alternate history scenarios” websites that can supply ready-made questions. 
 
Process: Have a topic/lesson in mind when creating the hypothetical questions that are directly or indirectly related or use premade questions; fill-in the blanks before using the questions with students. Examples include: 

1. What would the world be like if ____________________ had never existed?
2. If you could remove one of ________________’s personal characteristics, what would you choose?
3. What if _____________________ was never invented? 
4. What if there was no such thing as _____________________?
5. What if the __________________ defeated the _______________? 
6. What if _____________________ had decided not to sell ________________? 
7. What if _________________ suddenly stopped working? 
8. If you could design a ________________, what would perfection look like?
9. If you could go back in time and give _______________advice, what advice would you give them?
10. If you could choose one___________________to control, what would you choose?
11. If you could put (change) just one word, ________________, into any document in history, where would you put it?
12. Do you believe that if _______________ happened, the ______________would be a better place?
13. If _____________________ had a theme song, what would it be? 
14. What if ______________________ became President of the United States?
15. What if you were able to ask ___________________ any question, what would it be? 

Set-up question (with possible follow-ups) according to the overall objective, i.e., at-home preview activity, bellringer, enrichment session, follow-up, point-counterpoint activity, debate, and/or lesson wrap-up.  Encourage discussion and acknowledge varying points of view.


For reference or for more information: 
Adapted from Sandling, J. How to Ask Hypothetical Questions in Lessons for Teachers
https://jonathansandling.com/how-to-ask-hypothetical-questions-in-lesson-for-teachers/
What if? 50 Ideas for Alternate History Scenarios 
https://www.scifiideas.com/posts/50-ideas-for-alternate-history-scenarios/#:~:text=What%20If%3F%2050%20Ideas%20for%20Alternate%20History%20Scenarios,were%20no%20such%20thing%20as%20horses%3F%20More%20items 
What if Questions to Ask- Your One-stop Guide https://thepleasantconversation.com/what-if-questions/