012: Not All Questions
Feb 03, 2022
This week's blog is written by Resonance Ed's Creator of Coaching Content, founder of Plan Z Professional Learning Services, and co-author of the book The Minimalist Teacher, Tammy Musiowsky-Borneman.
300 questions. That’s how many questions a four-year old may ask in a single day according to some studies. How many questions do you think adults ask per day? We can be sure that it’s not 300. It’s not even 100, or 50. Some studies report that adults ask less than 20 questions per day. We can formulate some ideas for why this is.
As we gain knowledge and understanding we may start asking less questions, it would benefit us to start asking more.
Here’s why.
Good questions can help us clarify our purpose.
- Not all questions are created equal, but they all have a purpose. Sometimes we ask questions to gather basic information needed to be able to get from A to B. Sometimes we ask questions for attention. And sometimes, we ask questions to gain clarity about something we are trying to learn, understand, and live.
- Good questions create clarity and support understanding. When we have clarity, there is little room for confusion.
- In practice: One of the most powerful questions we can ask ourselves and each other is: “What’s the purpose of this?” Answering this question with some ease means we are on track for our […] of success.
Inquiry cycles can help us broaden our perspective.
- Inquiry cycles are a way for learners to formulate questions about what they wish to gain more insight into.
- In an inquiry cycle, we can use question starters like ones created by Project Zero out of Harvard's Graduate School of Education. Using starters that differ from the way we would normally start a question can offer us a new perspective on what we are learning or insight into a problem we are solving. For example, we may often ask questions beginning with “Why did we…?” or “Why are we…?” More often that we realize, when we ask similar types of questions, we limit our responses. Asking “why” in this way can also add a feeling of judgement. However, by shifting the language slightly, we can gain further insight into a different perspective by asking “What if we knew… about…?”
- In practice: I’ve used these question starters with adults and younger learners, and I am always amazed at the questions asked and how those questions lead to such rich discussions.
The right questions can help us move past obstacles.
- In her post about leadership and asking questions on Vistage.com, Beth Miller wrote that, “[G]reat leaders respond in a more value-adding way: by asking the right questions and helping the employee find the best solution themselves.”, rather than simply answering questions of employees. “Leaders, who lead by questioning, rather than needing to always be in control, will see improvements in many areas.” One of these areas? Problem solving.
- In practice: Both when coaching adults and facilitating conversations with younger students, I ask what I think will be “the right” (and perhaps unexpected) question, that can help someone break through a barrier. I’ve asked young learners questions like: “What makes you say that?” or “Can you tell me why you think that is true?” to uncover some ideas I wanted to learn more about. Alternatively, I have asked teachers, “What did the student say when you asked them about…?” I have found this to be a groundbreaker! The response I hear once I’ve asked that question… “I haven’t asked them.” Sometimes obstacles remain as such because we haven’t asked questions.
Spending more time intentionally inquiring about our tasks and challenges would yield more refined and targeted outcomes, allowing us to tackle obstacles and move forward with our individual and communal successes.
References
PZ https://pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Question%20Starts_0.pdf
Teach Thought https://www.teachthought.com/learning/what-is-the-purpose-of-a-question/
