5 Ways to
Make Better Questioners
Questioning helps us learn, explore the unknown,
and adapt to change.
That makes it a most precious “app” today, in a world where
everything is changing and
so much is unknown.
And yet, we don’t seem to value questioning. In our workplaces
and in our classrooms
it is the answers we reward—and questions
are barely tolerated.
To change that is easier said than done.
But here are some
suggestions on how to encourage more questioning
in the classroom and
in life beyond the classroom,
where we’re really going to need it.
Questioning can be scary, an admission to the world
that you don’t know the answer.
Create an environment where questioning becomes a strength, where it is welcome and desired.
One activity to kick it off: Have groups
“questionstorm” an issue— no answers allowed!
Questioners are the ones breaking new ground in
music, movies, and the arts.
They’re the explorers, the mavericks, the rebels.
They’re the explorers, the mavericks, the rebels.
How cool is that?
Share their stories. Show where questioning
took them.
Let kids tap into their imaginations and innate
question-asking skills.
Make inquiry an engaging part of any challenge.
“Can you turn that statement into a
question?”
“Can you open your closed questions and close your
open ones?”
“Can you use ‘the 5 whys’ to get to the root of a problem (like why do kids stop asking questions)?”
Make grappling with a question & sharing it with others a rewarding process.
Praise and celebrate the questions that are
asked—even the off-beat, crazy ones.
Turn questioning into a habit.
Observe the familiar in fresh ways. Be willing to be considered “naïve.” Question assumptions.
Make a great question an ongoing project,
a report, or an original creation of some kind.
Discuss how questioning is used and what
was learned.
If you’re a teacher, ask yourself
How might I encourage more questioning
in the classroom?
How might I instill the habit of inquiry
in my students?
Knowing the answers may help them in school
Because…
but knowing how to question
but knowing how to question
will help them in life.
Read more on the power of questioning in our lives.
AMoreBeautifulQuestion.com
Read more on the power of questioning in our lives.
AMoreBeautifulQuestion.com
RightQuestion.org
Read more on the power of questioning in our lives.
AMoreBeautifulQuestion.com
RightQuestion.org
Edutopia bit.ly/BetterQuestioners
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