Do you have any questions? Questions are powerful as they lead to deeper learning by directly involving the learner in their education. As we learn to ask better questions we force higher levels of involvement, uncovering deeper learning. Questions are one of many student engagement strategies we can use to trigger deeper thought and involvement. In short: Questions help students engage in higher levels of thought, leading to deeper understanding of the subject matter. This is a good thing. As we learn to ask better questions we tap into a very powerful method for higher levels of thought, expression, and engagement. Too often students assume that teachers have all the answers or are always right. Often as teachers we fall into the same trap leading to a show and tell style of teaching which is boring for both the student and the teacher. Learning isnt about having the answers or being right and instead is more about the journey taken to reach those conclusions. It is not a showcase for how knowledgeable the teacher is! The important part of the process is the journey along the paths of thought that lead us to an answer. If you give students all of the answers, they will pass your tests and maybe even your course. If you teach them to truly think, then youve engaged them in deeper learning which will hold them in good stead for a wide variety of future endeavors. Put the power of questions to work by increasing the quantity and quality of questions you ask your students. Ask more. Tell less. Great teachers figure out the right questions that inspire students to WANT to search for the answers. Real learning can only happen when students come up with their own conclusions, which in turn elicits more questions, creating a cycle of discover. Learning is a journey and questions are powerful vehicles that lie at the heart of how we engage students. Questions ignite and invite continuous learning, opening the doors to new learning opportunities. The rabbit hole can be as deep as your student wants to be, so encourage the exploration! Using provocative questions will help students to flex their mind muscles, to think for themselves, and to engage in deeper levels of thought. Marilee Adams in her best-selling book, Change Your Questions, Change Your Life gives a great example of how simply changing a question can lead to amazing results. She reflects that one of the most important questions of early civilization was How can we get ourselves to water?. It was a key question of survival. Over time, however, that questions changed.. can you think of how? (I cant help myself.. I just love questions!) As nomadic groups got larger they became less likely to want to travel, and so the question changed to How can we get the water to come to us?. This simple change of question lead to things such as: irrigation, water storage, digging of wells etc, which lead to the establishment of civilizations! Amazing! Put the power of questions (more and better questions) to work in our classroom, I guarantee youll enjoy your classes more, and you students will the better grades that come as a natural consequence of deeper learning Any questions?
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 07:08:57 +0000
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