Title: Developing understanding in physics through better questions

Abstract: The main focus of the paper is to stress the importance of asking questions that call for application and analysis, and to show how such questions can be used to promote pupils’ understanding in physics. In addition, such questions, by requiring students to clarify their lines of reasoning, also develop their ability to communicate their thinking verbally. Our ultimate aim in all this should be to convey to pupils the beauty of theories, experiments and problems in physics, to make the subject enjoyable and exciting to them, and thereby encourage more students to take up physics at secondary and tertiary levels. For this to happen, we must create structures that encourage professional dialogue and interaction among secondary teachers, university, physicists, curriculum advisers and teacher educators.