Click here to see a visualization of the why/what if/how stages of innovative questioning.
A good questioner follows a path to questioning. The why/what if/how stages of innovative questioning opens many possibilities and valuable opportunities. The problem is that we are not fostering our students to be inquisitive human beings. As Louis C.K. points out, "we may profess to admire kids' curiosity, but at some point we just don't welcome those questions anymore" (Berger 2014). I wish I could say I am not guilty of this, but alas, I cannot. Thinking on this past school year, I can clearly picture a moment in time when I stifled a what if question that may have been the next break through thought. As an educator, I really had to step back and think about this. Did you know that a child between the age of two and five asks about forty thousand questions?? (Berger, 2014). As their beginner's mind begins to shift with the onset of formal schooling, kids tend to lose that state where they fear nothing and ask about all. When the academic rigor kicks in, the questions formulated by kids rapidly disappear. When I originally thought about this idea, my critical mind was directed to the concept that as kids get older they can seek out answers, which replaces the need for questions. Warren Berger (2014) clearly states, "the problem is, as kids stop questioning, they simultaneously become less engaged in school."
Many schools are transforming to correct this issue. They are taking the traditional desks and chairs view of a classroom and creating a space that is open to inquiry, discovery, and creativity. In our evolving world, I must build and foster creative thinkers and problem solvers and I believe questioning plays a significant role in that. Another thought that Berger (2014) explored was the question, who is entitled to ask questions? While stereotypes, cultural differences, and varied personalities exist, my job as a teacher is to create a safe, comfortable environment where all students feel that they can be heard. Not only their answers being heard but more importantly their inspiring questions. This is a very prevalent issue within my school. I work with some students who are the haves and some students who are the have nots. It's clear to me that the haves feel they can stand up in class and feel safe to ask questions. Berger tells a story about a boy named Jack Andraka. He was a born-and-bred questioner but still described that he didn't ask questions in school and he did all of his exploring outside of school. This suggests the fundamental problem. To tackle this problem, the classroom environment needs to be redefined to allow for multiple perspectives, inquiry based exploration, and the ability to question.
In A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger (2014) the question formulation technique was explained. I even had a chance to experience how this process works, first-hand. For starters, I was in a safe environment with my peers. We followed the process below to come up with our definition of what a makerspace it. This technique stems from a nonprofit organization known as the Right Questions Institute. This technique is one that has been designed for school-age kids by Rothstein and Santana.
1. Teachers design a Question Focus 2. Students produce questions (write down every question without changing or omitting anything)
3. Students improve their questions (make the closed questions open and make the open ended closed)
4. Students prioritize their questions (come to an agreement on about three)
5. Students and teachers decide on next steps
6. Students reflect on what they have learned.
The process seems simple but has impactful results.
In order to build better questioners and innovators, I must become one myself. Everything that I believe to be good teaching practice, I work hard to model for my kids. What if I designed a classroom that hosted a future inventor? My goal is to create that space where people come together to build and create following the ladder of why/what if/how.
So that it may turn out...
References
Berger, W. (2016). A more beautiful question: The power of inquiry to spark breakthrough ideas. Bloomsbury.
Tucker, A. (2012, December 01). Jack Andraka, the Teen Prodigy of Pancreatic Cancer. Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/jack-andraka-the-teen-prodigy-of-pancreatic-cancer-135925809/
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