CUBE ChatShaala — 22 September 2026
From Curiosity to Hypothesis: Learning Through Questions
1. Sonal’s Curiosity: How Does Moisture Affect Earthworms?
Today’s session began with Sonal’s curiosity after she shared an image showing several earthworms on the soil surface.
This immediately raised a question:
«“How does the level of moisture affect the survival of an earthworm?” 
»
We started thinking about how an earthworm might respond to different conditions—dry soil, moist soil, and soil with excess water. This further led us to another question:
How can we culture earthworms and provide them with suitable conditions for survival?
« “One observation can become a question, and one question can open the door to many more questions.”»
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2. Connecting Today’s Question with My Earlier Observation
This reminded me of an activity I had done in Class 11 in Kiran Ma’am’s presence, where we had cultured earthworms in a plastic cup.
We used wet tissue paper inside the cup. Since tissue paper is mainly made of cellulose from plant material, we became curious about whether the earthworms would consume or interact with it.
After observing the setup for a couple of days, the tissue appeared to have been partly consumed or broken down. This made us curious about the food, moisture and environmental conditions required by earthworms.
It was interesting to see how an observation from the past could connect with a completely new question in today’s ChatShaala.
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“Learning becomes deeper when we connect what we observed yesterday with what we are questioning today.”»
3. From Earthworm Survival to Regeneration
After discussing moisture and culturing earthworms, our discussion moved towards another fascinating question:
What happens when an earthworm is cut at different positions? Can different parts regenerate?
Instead of directly giving us an answer, Himanshu Sir guided us through questions and encouraged us to first think about the problem ourselves.
We were asked to develop our own hypotheses and then think about the reasoning behind them.
This made the process much more interesting because we were not simply receiving information—we were building the explanation together.
4. How Questioning Helped Us Find the Answer
One of the most interesting parts of today’s session was the way Himanshu Sir used questioning as a way of guiding our thinking.
He asked us questions about:
- the head and tail of the earthworm,
- the position of the clitellum,
- where the cut was being made,
- and what the position of these regions could mean for our hypothesis.
During this discussion, we understood that the head/anterior region is closer to the clitellum than the tail/posterior region is.
Instead of simply telling us what to think, Sir’s questions made us stop, think, connect the concepts and gradually reach our own understanding.
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“A good question does not always give us the answer—it helps us discover the answer ourselves.”»
This was one of the strongest learning points for me today.
5. Arya’s Hypothesis — Cut at the 7th Segment
Arya’s Hypothesis
Cut at the 7th segment
Tail → Head
Arya proposed her hypothesis and also stood by it with reasoning.
Her hypothesis led us to discuss the position of the clitellum and its relationship with the head and tail regions. Because the clitellum is located towards the anterior/middle part of the earthworm, the position of the cut becomes an important factor when thinking about regeneration.
What I found valuable was that Arya was not simply giving a direction as her hypothesis—she was also trying to explain why she thought that direction could be possible.
« “A hypothesis becomes more meaningful when we can also explain the ‘why’ behind it.”»
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6. @Sailekshmi Hypothesis — Cut at the Clitellum
Sai Lakshmi’s Hypothesis
Cut at the clitellum — around the 15th segment
She considered regeneration in both directions:
Head → Tail
Tail → Head
Her hypothesis gave us another opportunity to question the idea more deeply.
One thing that stood out during the discussion was that the hypothesis itself was presented, but the biological reasoning behind why she expected that outcome was not initially clear.
Rather than treating this as simply right or wrong, it became a useful learning point:
If we make a hypothesis, we should also ask ourselves:
- Why am I making this hypothesis?
- What observation or concept supports it?
- Can I explain the reason behind my prediction?
This is where questioning helped us understand the difference between making a prediction and supporting that prediction with reasoning.
« “A hypothesis is the beginning of an explanation, not the end of the thinking.”»
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7. Himanshu Sir as Our Guide in the Learning Process
What made today’s session special was the way Himanshu Sir guided us as a facilitator of our learning.
He did not simply provide the final answer. Instead, he:
Asked questions → listened to our hypotheses → questioned our reasoning → connected our ideas with the concept → helped us find the answer ourselves.
Whenever we reached a point where our reasoning was incomplete, another question helped us look at the concept from a different angle.
This made the discussion much more engaging because we were actively involved in constructing the understanding.
« “Guidance is not always about showing us the answer; sometimes it is about asking the right question so that we can find it ourselves.”»
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8. What I Learned from Today’s Hypotheses
For me, the biggest learning was not only about earthworm regeneration.
It was about how we should think scientifically.
Today showed me that:
Observation → Question → Hypothesis → Reasoning → Questioning → Better Understanding
We may have different hypotheses, and that is completely okay. In fact, different hypotheses can create more questions and make the discussion richer.
But when we propose a hypothesis, it is important to also think about the reason behind it.
« “Different ideas do not have to compete; they can help us ask better questions.”»
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9. Learning Together with Collaborators
Today reminded me once again that learning is a collective process.
Sonal’s curiosity started the discussion.
Arya and Sai Lakshmi brought different hypotheses.
Our questions helped us examine those hypotheses.
And Himanshu Sir guided us through questioning and helped us connect our thoughts with the concepts.
So, the learning was not happening from one person to another—it was happening between all of us.
« “Learning grows when curiosity is shared, questions are welcomed, and everyone contributes a piece of the understanding.”»
And that is what made today’s CUBE ChatShaala session so interesting for me—as we questioned, hypothesised, discussed and learned together. 