Balancing Creativity and Precision: The Art of Writing Questions

Throughout my career — as a mathematics teacher, instructional designer, and researcher in education — I have been drawn to one recurring question: How can we make complex ideas both clear and compelling for young learners?

My doctoral research explored how learning design principles shape understanding, motivation, and engagement in mathematics and science education. I studied how structure, language, and cognitive scaffolding influence what students learn and how they learn. This research continues to inform my practice every day, especially when I write explanations and questions for secondary students.

Clarity and engagement are often treated as opposites — as if we must choose between being creative or being precise. But effective learning design shows that the two can and must coexist. Precision gives knowledge its rigour; creativity gives it meaning.

1. Clarity Begins with Empathy

In both my research and classroom experience, I found that clarity is less about simplifying and more about connecting. Teenagers, especially in mathematics and sciences, can sense when a concept is being watered down. What they need are explanations that respect their intelligence while bridging abstract ideas to familiar contexts.

During my PhD fieldwork, I observed how learners constructed meaning when presented with multiple representations of the same concept — for instance, linking algebraic notation to visual patterns or real-world data. The clearer the narrative connection, the deeper their understanding.
When I write or design content now, I ask myself:

• What mental model is the learner forming as they read this?

• Is the example vivid enough to make an abstract idea visible?

• Does this explanation invite curiosity rather than simply transmit information?

Empathy in writing means seeing through the learner’s eyes — designing not just for accuracy, but for comprehension.

2. The Question as a Learning Design Tool

My years in the classroom taught me that a well-crafted question can be more powerful than a long explanation. In my research, I explored how inquiry-driven questions stimulate metacognition — prompting learners to reflect on their own reasoning rather than recall procedures.

For example, instead of asking,

“Find the area of this triangle,”
I might ask,
“A designer wants to cover this triangular section of flooring with tiles. How could she calculate how many tiles she needs?”

The question still demands precision, but it also situates learning in an authentic context. It transforms mathematics from an abstract rule into a meaningful challenge. This intersection of creativity and precision lies at the heart of effective question design.

3. Designing for Cognitive Flow

My doctoral work also examined how cognitive load and learning sequence affect student persistence. I learned that how we structure information is as critical as what we present.

In digital environments, where learners move through self-paced materials, I use design patterns that mirror cognitive flow, beginning with guided exploration, progressing through conceptual framing, and ending with independent application. Every sentence, every prompt, every visual cue plays a role in supporting that flow. Precision prevents overload; creativity sustains attention.

4. Learning Through Real-World Contexts

One memorable classroom project involved exploring probability using live social media data. Students collected hashtag trends, analysed frequencies, and compared predicted versus actual outcomes. Their curiosity skyrocketed once they realised mathematics was not just a school subject, but a way to decode the world around them.

That moment captured what my research always aimed to prove — that meaningful learning emerges when students can see the purpose behind the problem.

The Research Behind the Craft

My PhD research reaffirmed that learning design is both a science and an art. It demands evidence-based structure, grounded in cognitive theory, but it also requires creative empathy — the ability to anticipate how a learner feels, thinks, and constructs meaning.

Writing clear and engaging explanations for secondary learners is not about simplifying content. It is about making thinking visible. It is about balancing accuracy with imagination, logic with relevance, and precision with story.

That balance — between the measurable and the meaningful — is what turns education from instruction into inspiration.