Every month Futuro Verde focuses on one of the values or elements of our learner profile. The first month of the school year sees a focus on risk-takers, while in March we will turn our attention to inquirers. These descriptors are often taken in isolation, but very often a student will display these in combination – inquirers can be risk-takers.
Inquirers are curious, they ask questions and love to find things out. A survey by British retailer, Littlewoods, showed what most parents of young children know. They ask a lot of questions – four year old girls asking the most at nearly 400 questions a day!(1) What was noticeable from the results was that the number of questions asked per day by children decreased drastically as they matured. In his Ted Talk, Do schools kill creativity?, Ken Robinson discusses how young children aren’t afraid to have a go, take a risk, ask questions and be creative. Importantly he goes on to comment that as children grow to be adults they lose that ability to take a chance and risk being wrong(2).
There are probably many different reasons children ask fewer questions as they mature, but traditional education may be to blame. Traditionally we don’t teach students how to ask questions, questioning is the teacher’s job and students are there to provide answers. Asking questions can also be seen as a lack of knowledge and a sign of weakness. Students don’t like to admit that they don’t know things. Why risk being ridiculed by your classmates?
What can parents and teachers do to make sure their students maintain and develop their childhood curiosity? Parents, it’s easier said than done, but: be interested in your child’s questions; answer them whenever you can; if you don’t know the answer, help them research. Nurture your child’s natural-born questioning skills. Teachers, some personal reflection might be needed. Who is asking all the questions in your classroom? A shift might be needed from where the lecturer asks the questions and delivers the information, to where you as the coach/facilitator assists the students in their own, individual lines of inquiry. Teach questioning skills. Don’t assume students know how to form open or closed questions. Finally, evaluate your classroom culture; is it a safe place for students to take a risk and ask questions? Some classroom rules and expectations might be needed.
Our learner profile expects our students to be inquirers and risk-takers, but they need parent and teacher support to be successful.
References:
(1) “Why Is Water Wet?” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 28 Mar. 2013. Web. Retrieved 03 Feb. 2016.http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSnMKW103a 70 MKW20130328.
(2) “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” Ken Robinson:. Feb. 2006. Web. Retrieved 03 Feb. 2016.https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity?language=en
Burger, W. “5 Ways to Help Your Students Become Better Questioners.” Edutopia. 2014. Web. Retrieved 03 Feb. 2016. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/help-students-become-better-questioners-warren-berger
Burger, W. “How Can We Teach Kids to Question?” A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger. 2014. Web. Retrieved 03 Feb. 2016. http://amorebeautifulquestion.com/can-teach-kids-question/