Questioning
To me the word question is essential to learning. A learner asks questions and seeks answers. Questioning leads to deeper understanding and increased knowledge. Questioning is essential to growth.
Over the last few weeks this word had caught my attention in the news, my twitter feed, conversations and my rss reader. Questioning seems to have a more negative connotation then positive in my recent experience. I have been wondering if this impression prevents our students from asking questions. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines Question as follows.
1: to ask a question of or about
2. to interrogate Intensively: Cross-Examine
3: a: Doubt, Distribute
b: to subject to analysis: Examine
The examples listed were primarily for the meaning Doubt and Dispute. When we question a decision, authority, or idea we use the word to mean we doubt or disagree. Did we actually ask a question? Did we seek to understand why a decision was made? Did we ask about the pros and cons? Did we ask about other options?
When you are questioned by someone do your defenses go up? Or do you welcome the chance to help someone gain clarification and understanding? Do you learn from the process of answering questions?
What do you think?
8 thoughts on “Questioning”
I find myself falling into the doubt/dispute category, Beth. I think that habit and insecurity are mainly the cause, with insecurity reinforcing the action. Thank you for helping us become more aware of our motives. I think that now I can begin to change!
I really appreciate your ideas and views…Really its great..First lesson for learning is always questioning…More and more we ask..more knowledge we get..
Beth,
I agee that questioning is the key to educational understanding and learning. However, I do not believe that it has a negative connotation. I force my students to ask the dumb questions so that I can stimulate the learning environment and get “the not so talkative” students to participate in the discussion.
I believe that the questioning process give additional clarity to educator and learner.
Calian
Calian,
I find that to be primarily true in the relationship between teacher and student. But that connotation seems to get lost in the conversations between teachers, admin, school boards, State boards, the media and parents. When we ask questions about what we are doing, why we are doing it, and what other options there might be the word question can take on whole ‘nother meaning.
Hi Beth,
Couldn’t agree more with your most recent comment above. In my opinion, the asking and answering of questions between students and teachers is an essential component to learning. In my Language Arts class, we use the Junior Great Books curriculum http://www.greatbooks.org/index.php?id=32 which contains many short stories that are though provoking and lead the reader to ask many questions. After reading each story, my class spends almost an entire class period (30 minutes) raising questions about the plot, characters, theme, setting, etc. in order to examine those topics further. After compiling a list of questions, we have a class-wide “shared inquiry discussion” which entails exploring the questions raised and answering them together by sharing different ideas and opinions. This process has been incredible for helping my students become critical thinkers and learners. I wish this type of questioning and answering would become more mainstream among teachers, administrators, and policy-makers.
Andrew,
I wish we all practice what we preached and practice good questioning in our class as you do. In our dealing with each other at faculty and department meetings we should honestly ask questions and give thought full answers. When we chat about current events in faculty work rooms we need to get in the habit. Our students watch us and model what we do. To often they see one behavior in a classroom and another out side. Questioning, wondering, curiosity is a habit of mind, that needs a good work out now and again.