Blog Post #2- Questioning and Implementation
“Why is the sky blue?” From a young age, children question their reality by asking questions to try and make sense of their environment and experiences. But what happens to that quest for knowledge as they get older? One might argue that every invention or new technology has stemmed from someone asking these “childlike questions of “why” something is the way that it is. Warren Berger wrote a book called, A More Beautiful Question where he argues that we live in an age where “knowing” an answer is obsolete and accessing and manipulating known information is more valuable (Berger, 2014). So if this manipulation is truly the most important element in this 21st century age, than asking the right questions become the nucleus of reinvention.
According to Dictionary.com, questioning is to, “ feel or express doubt about or raise objections to” (2002). As individuals, it’s natural to question our current situation to try and achieve better understanding. But what does this mean in a work environment? Berger would argue that when people question decisions or raise inquiries about structure within their professional context, they are seen as insubordinate (Berger, 2014). Which is an interesting concept if you think about it. The goal of every business to be as efficient as possible, so one would think that business leaders would encourage reinvention so as to maximize their resources and create a more streamlined process. But this simply isn’t the case.
I think about my own past work environments as an example. A few years ago there was a decision to implement a new reading program that had gotten several poor reviews and didn’t have the data to support school integration. When an educator questioned this decision and offered a different solution, the administration brushed her to the side and claimed she was “causing waves” within the school by focusing on the negative side to this new program. Regardless of whether or not this proposed program was the best solution for the district, the fact that the school quickly dismissed her suggestion and labeled her a “trouble maker” illustrates a possible challenge when encouraging adults to foster their inner inquirer.
When thinking from an educator’s lens, what does this mean for our students? Looking back on my educational experiences as a student K-12+, I have lots of practice with memorization, but little experience with questioning and moving those inquiries from “asking to action” (Berger, 2014). Why is this the case? Many might claim that the rigorous standards imposed by states and school districts might cause educators to rush through content so the students can at least have some exposure before the mandatory standardized tests. I reflect on several times where students came to me with questions and wonderful proposed solutions. I wanted to foster that creativity and push them to ask more questions! However, the regimented timeline for my grade level mandated that I had to move on.
So how can we change this and integrate more inquiry into our teaching? One suggestion made by Berger through his example of the “question-based school” is teaching through interest (Berger, 2014). By fostering student’s specific desires and giving them room to explore and the autonomy to represent their thinking in different ways, you can keep the spirit of inquiry alive and prompt them to extend their thinking across contexts. Thinking about my own classroom, another way to prompt questions is by having a “Maker Space.” By having this area, it might foster creativity and help students brainstorm solutions to proposed problems. In the district where I work, my students are use to have answers explicitly given to them, so they really struggle coming up with thinking that’s unique or “out of the box.” I think by having a “Maker Space” it will get the children thinking about creation and how they can use their own ideas for formulate more effective solutions.
One final way one could encourage questioning in the classroom, is by implementing more Project Based Learning (PBL). As educators, it is important to recognize that we are given non-negotiable curriculum limitations and specific content to be taught. However, we have the power to frame the content in a way that forces students to ask/explore driving questions. This exploration will allow students to display the content in a way that utilizes their interest and give the child ownership of the content. Furthermore, by have the students take that individualized approach, it most likely will create more intrinsic motivation to be successful and transfer that knowledge to other contexts.
References:
Berger, W. (2014). A more beautiful question: The power of inquiry to spark breakthrough ideas. Bloomsbury Publishing USA.
Questioning (2002.). In American Heritage Idioms online. Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/questioning
According to Dictionary.com, questioning is to, “ feel or express doubt about or raise objections to” (2002). As individuals, it’s natural to question our current situation to try and achieve better understanding. But what does this mean in a work environment? Berger would argue that when people question decisions or raise inquiries about structure within their professional context, they are seen as insubordinate (Berger, 2014). Which is an interesting concept if you think about it. The goal of every business to be as efficient as possible, so one would think that business leaders would encourage reinvention so as to maximize their resources and create a more streamlined process. But this simply isn’t the case.
I think about my own past work environments as an example. A few years ago there was a decision to implement a new reading program that had gotten several poor reviews and didn’t have the data to support school integration. When an educator questioned this decision and offered a different solution, the administration brushed her to the side and claimed she was “causing waves” within the school by focusing on the negative side to this new program. Regardless of whether or not this proposed program was the best solution for the district, the fact that the school quickly dismissed her suggestion and labeled her a “trouble maker” illustrates a possible challenge when encouraging adults to foster their inner inquirer.
When thinking from an educator’s lens, what does this mean for our students? Looking back on my educational experiences as a student K-12+, I have lots of practice with memorization, but little experience with questioning and moving those inquiries from “asking to action” (Berger, 2014). Why is this the case? Many might claim that the rigorous standards imposed by states and school districts might cause educators to rush through content so the students can at least have some exposure before the mandatory standardized tests. I reflect on several times where students came to me with questions and wonderful proposed solutions. I wanted to foster that creativity and push them to ask more questions! However, the regimented timeline for my grade level mandated that I had to move on.
So how can we change this and integrate more inquiry into our teaching? One suggestion made by Berger through his example of the “question-based school” is teaching through interest (Berger, 2014). By fostering student’s specific desires and giving them room to explore and the autonomy to represent their thinking in different ways, you can keep the spirit of inquiry alive and prompt them to extend their thinking across contexts. Thinking about my own classroom, another way to prompt questions is by having a “Maker Space.” By having this area, it might foster creativity and help students brainstorm solutions to proposed problems. In the district where I work, my students are use to have answers explicitly given to them, so they really struggle coming up with thinking that’s unique or “out of the box.” I think by having a “Maker Space” it will get the children thinking about creation and how they can use their own ideas for formulate more effective solutions.
One final way one could encourage questioning in the classroom, is by implementing more Project Based Learning (PBL). As educators, it is important to recognize that we are given non-negotiable curriculum limitations and specific content to be taught. However, we have the power to frame the content in a way that forces students to ask/explore driving questions. This exploration will allow students to display the content in a way that utilizes their interest and give the child ownership of the content. Furthermore, by have the students take that individualized approach, it most likely will create more intrinsic motivation to be successful and transfer that knowledge to other contexts.
References:
Berger, W. (2014). A more beautiful question: The power of inquiry to spark breakthrough ideas. Bloomsbury Publishing USA.
Questioning (2002.). In American Heritage Idioms online. Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/questioning