Q: I'm an undergraduate in education, and I'm baby-sitting several 5-year-olds this summer. They are driving me crazy with questions: why, why, why! How can I use their curiosity to develop their brains, even if I don't know the answers?

A: You're thinking like a good teacher. You want kids' pestering questions (e.g., Why does the traffic officer wear a green vest? What makes a rainbow?) to become great learning opportunities.

Research suggests young students learn more when you turn the questions back on them. Respond with questions that get them to:

-- Clarify their thinking. ("Why do you ask that?")

-- Challenge assumptions. ("Do all police officers wear green vests?")

-- Identify evidence. ("What happens when we see a rainbow?")

-- Consider implications and consequences. ("What if she didn't wear a green vest?")

Robert Sternberg, a leading scholar on developing higher-order thinking (HOT) skills, has outlined seven levels of potential responses to kids' questions. Granted, no parent or teacher has the time (or patience) to treat every question with a detailed HOT response, but the higher the level your response, the more thinking you're asking a child to do.

-- Level 1: Reject the question. ("Because I said so.")

-- Level 2: Restate the question as a response. ("Why is it so hot?" "It's hot because it's 97 degrees outside and 90 percent humidity.")

-- Level 3: Admit you don't know. ("I'm not sure, but that's a good question.")

-- Level 4: Consult an authority. ("Who might know the answer?")

-- Level 5: Brainstorm explanations. ("You think that she wears a green vest because it's bullet-proof?" "Who else has an idea?")

-- Level 6: Consider ways to evaluate explanations. ("Where would we find out more about green traffic-safety vests?")

-- Level 7: Follow through on evaluations. ("Let's look for information about the vests. We can search the Internet, or call or visit the police department to learn more.")

Research by Cristine Legare at the University of Texas shows that it's important for parents and teachers to be aware of where they're focusing children's attention when they ask for explanations.

Legare and colleagues showed 96 children, ages 3 to 5, a complex toy. It had colorful, interlocking gears with a crank on one end and a propeller on the other. They asked half the kids, "Can you explain this to me?" The other half were told, "Look, isn't this interesting?"

Children who were asked to explain their toy focused on the chain of gears working together to eventually turn the propeller when they turned the crank. This group was better able to re-create the toy and transfer their learning about how gears work to new projects. The group that was merely told it was interesting noticed the toy's colors and could remember the colors better than the first group.

The results make the case for explicit, intentional questioning. "We can't assume what we want to teach is something kids are just going to pick up on," said Legare.

Try these techniques and by summer's end, you'll be an expert questioner -- even if you don't know the answers!

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: My son wants to be assigned a particular fifth-grade teacher this fall because she coaches the school's robotics club. There's a "no requests" policy, but we can submit a profile of our child for consideration. Should I just call the principal and ask for that teacher or complete the profile and take our chances?

A: Don't call. The school's policy is clear: no requests. You won't be doing your son a favor.

The school encourages you to provide a profile, so use that process to make your case. Get specific: Describe your son's learning style, personality traits and social skills. Describe his successes and challenges from previous years. Is he organized or still learning to plan work? Does he make friends easily or is he shy? Describe why he's motivated by his robotics club experience.

Before you send in the profile, take a moment to reflect. It's impressive that your son is interested enough in his education to ask for a particular teacher. But why is he running this show? Acknowledge his wish, but don't cater to it. Otherwise you may set him up for disappointment, says retired Maryland principal Shirley Harden.

Just because the teacher runs the robotics club doesn't mean that she's the fifth-grade teacher best matched to your son. Tell him that you will let the school know what teaching styles work best for him and that you have confidence that the principal will make a good match, says Harden.

"Presumably, if your son continues in robotics, he'll get to work with her anyway," she says. "Explain that as learners, we benefit from different teachers' styles."

Harden reminds parents that a teacher is but one factor in a child's success in school.

"What you do at home every day is as important as what happens in the classroom," she explains.

Her get-ready-for-school advice?

-- Plan now for success: Look up the fifth-grade curriculum and build excitement by showing him what he'll be learning. A couple of weeks before school begins, transition from the summer schedule to the school schedule.

-- Build more downtime into each day. Don't schedule school days so tightly that he doesn't have at least a good half-hour to nurture independence and imagination (without digital devices).

-- Schedule evening meals together: "Enjoy each other's company and chat about the school day," says Harden. "Ask questions that get him to think: 'What surprised you today?' 'Who did you meet that was interesting?' 'What do you think your teacher will ask tomorrow?' Don't underestimate the value of these daily conversations."

-- Join in at school: Volunteer in ways that fit your interests and schedule. Consider joining the PTO or getting a membership to the School Improvement Team.

"When it comes to creating class lists, trust me: Principals, counselors and teachers put tremendous thought into them," says Harden. "Parents should have some faith in the process. Educators don't want mismatches any more than parents do."

So send your son off to school with confidence in his assigned teacher. If several weeks of school have passed and you don't think it's working, then talk with the principal.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: My son Ben, a rising high school freshman, had an academic setback this year. I know he can do better, but he now thinks he's "dumb." He's dropping his old friends and hanging out with slackers. How can I help get him back on track?

A: First, friends matter. A recent study from the National Science Foundation suggests that good grades are "contagious." Researchers found that students whose friends' average GPA score was higher than their own at the start of the year were more likely to improve their grades. Conversely, students with higher GPAs whose friends had lower grades saw their own grades drop over the year. So encourage him to retain healthy friendships.

Second, read "Turnaround Tools for the Teenage Brain," by educators Eric Jensen and Carole Snider (Jossey-Bass, 2013). While written for teachers, parents will find plenty of help in it.

The authors explain in plain English what recent research tells us about our brains. They offer actionable advice and suggest strategies to help teens develop an important understanding: Intelligence is not fixed. Hard work, effort and determination are key factors in getting good grades, and they often trump talent.

Third, let Ben in on what Jensen and Snider call the "great attitude secret." Cynical teens may not want to believe that our attitudes, negative or positive, have a tremendous influence on academic success, but the research is persuasive.

Jensen and Snider suggest three techniques to teach teens the art of attitude adjustment:

-- Maintain learned optimism. This means monitoring negative self-talk and being able to honestly "reframe" an event. ("I messed up this test, but I'll do better on the next one.")

-- Assume personal accountability. Learn to stop the blame game and begin to own one's success. ("I'm sorry! I forgot to write down that assignment. I will finish it in study hall.")

-- Develop a growth mindset. Recent research into the brain tells us that intelligence isn't fixed; it's malleable, and the brain grows and changes every day.

"This means that students aren't stuck where they are," says Snider. "There's always hope. Students need to know this."

Integrate the following approaches into your conversations with Ben:

-- Avoid labels such as "smart" and "dumb." Instead, discuss progress in terms of benchmarks, says Jensen: "Here's where you are now. Here's where we want you to be next month. What do you need do next to get there?"

-- Affirm signs of a positive attitude. If he has succeeded at something, praise his optimism. ("That powerful attitude kept you going and helped you succeed.") If he stumbled or made a mistake, let him know it's OK. ("It's all right to fail. We all do now and then. It's what you do after a failure that determines success.")

-- Make praise specific. ("I'm impressed with how well you researched your report!") When you praise for effort you foster perseverance, says Jensen.

"You're pointing out the steps to success," he says, "and showing him that continued hard work reaps untold benefits."

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)