1.3 The Art of Asking Questions[1]

Lesson Objectives

At the end of this section, the participants will:

• Understand the importance of asking skillful questions in peace education
• Understand different ways to think about asking questions

Guiding Questions

• What are the characteristics of a “good question?” Think of the last time someone asked you a good question. What was it?

If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes.
- Albert Einstein

Introduction

Questioning skills are vital to effective teaching, and are particularly important to solving the societal challenges that peace education seeks to address. As a teacher, you should be able to lead the students to learn what you want them to learn by asking the right questions. Furthermore, teaching your students how to ask effective questions is a core part of critical pedagogy.

According to Vogt, Brown and Isaacs (2003),

Questions open the door to dialogue and discovery. They are an invitation to creativity and breakthrough thinking. Questions can lead to movement and action on key issues; by generating creative insights, they can ignite change (p. 4).

The Art of Powerful Questions

Not all questions are created equal, however. Some questions will lead to a dead end (which, in itself, can be a learning process), whereas other questions can lead to life-changing realizations. According to Vogt et al (2003), powerful question:

• Generates curiosity in the listener
• Stimulates reflective conversation
• Is thought-provoking
• Surfaces underlying assumptions
• Invites creativity and new possibilities
• Generates energy and forward movement
• Channels attention and focuses inquiry
• Stays with participants
• Touches a deep meaning
• Evokes more questions (p. 7).

Three key components to creating powerful questions are construction, scope, and assumptions (Vogt et al, 2003).

Construction

Construction refers to the actual linguistic wording of the questions, which can impact its effectiveness. When asked, people rank the following question words from most powerful to least powerful as follows:

Figure 8: Question Pyramid 

Think of the very simple difference in asking a question such as “Do you like your job?” (which will elicit a yes/no response), compared to “Why do you like your job?” which gives the respondent more opportunity for reflection and possibility for deeper thinking in their response. This does not mean that yes/no questions are not important. In this example, it might be appropriate to ask someone if they like their job before asking why. While all questions can be valuable, it is important for peace educators to be thoughtful and artful in asking questions.

Scope

The scope of a question can be narrow or broad, depending on how it is asked. A narrower scope is often easier in terms of devising an action plan. For example, the question, “How can we create a peaceful world?” is a rather daunting question for anyone, and can result in great hopelessness and apathy as learners realize all that needs to be done. However, a more specific question, such as “What are some actions we can take to create a more peaceful classroom?” becomes much more tangible, as learners can immediately think of simple actions that can be taken.

Assumptions

The third element in creating a powerful question is bringing awareness to the assumptions that are implicit in the question. For example, the question, “How can we create a more peaceful classroom?” assumes that creating a peaceful classroom is a desirable goal for the people who are answering the question. Vogel et al (2003) provide the example:

So, contrast the question, ‘What did we do wrong and who is responsible?’ with ‘What can we learn from what’s happened and what possibilities do we now see?’ The first question assumes error and blame; it is a safe bet that whoever is responding will feel defensive. The second question encourages reflection and is much more likely than the first query to stimulate learning (p. 5).

Furthermore, examining hidden assumptions and beliefs is a key part of critical education and peace education. We should examine implicit assumptions as much as possible, in ourselves (“Why do I believe what I believe?”), about what we read and learn (“What are the assumptions in this news headline/textbook?”), and in regards to our culture, which is an important way to uncover our own ethnocentricities.

Closed vs. Open Questions

(This section has been adapted from the INEE Peace Education Programme, Verdiani, 2005)

Another way to think about questions is whether they are closed or open. Closed questions are those where there is a definite correct answer. If you are reviewing content, you can ask closed questions. They request one answer which is either right or wrong. (e.g. 3 + 2 = ?).

Closed questions:

• Have a single correct answer
• Rely on knowledge and comprehension

However, if the question is “What number combinations equal 5?”, then what is the

answer? The answers then may go to infinity depending on how well the child understands the concept of numbers. Many teachers assume that the answer they have in mind is the only correct answer, and often this is not so. There may be many correct answers. This question is an open question because there are many answers, each one of which may be correct.

In an examination, we tend to ask mostly closed questions to see if the child has the required knowledge, but often these are the only questions that we ask. Open questions do not have a single correct answer. They ask the student to think, to understand, to analyze, to synthesize and to evaluate. These are higher-level cognitive skills and very important in peace education. Sometimes teachers ask what sounds like an open question but they treat it as a closed question (i.e. they want the answer that they have in mind). This is called “Guess what the teacher wants to hear”, and it is a very unfair game to play. If you do play this game (whether you know it or not), then sooner or later the learners will not respond to questions at all as they cannot be sure of guessing correctly.

For example, a question such as “What do you think would happen if …?” is only truly open if the student is encouraged to say what they think will happen. If the teacher is sure that only one thing that happens is acceptable and accepts an answer that agrees with his/her own answer, then the question is actually closed.

Open questions are those that have a variety of answers (not a list of answers). Open questions are those where we try to find out if the child understands, if the child can put together two pieces of information to come up with an answer, if the child can discover an answer that is not expressly written in the book. Open questions involve higher levels of cognition such as analysis, synthesis and evaluation.

In peace education, where we are trying to develop attitudes and values, it is not enough to know that the student can reproduce what has been taught. If the children cannot understand, how will they discover that a statement may have bias? If they cannot understand and put together pieces of information, how will they solve problems, taking into account all the factors? If they cannot evaluate, how will they be able to judge fairly?

Appreciative Inquiry

A process that may be useful in your classroom and your professional development as a peace educator is called Appreciative Inquiry. It was developed by David Cooperrider and his colleagues at Case Western University.

According to Cooperrider and Whitney (2001), appreciative inquiry

is about the coevolutionary search for the best in people, their organizations, and the relevant world around them. In its broadest focus, it involves systematic discovery of what gives “life” to a living system when it is most alive, most effective, and most constructively capable in economic, ecological, and human terms (p. 3).

With most problem solving efforts, the focus is on what isn’t working and how to fix it. With Appreciative Inquiry, the focus is on what is working and how to leverage it (Vogel, et. al, 2003). Cooperrider’s research has shown that human systems tend to grow towards what they persistently ask questions about. Thus, by asking questions about positive possibilities, the system should tend to grow in the direction of possibility, rather than problem.

The Appreciative Inquiry Process follows the basic assumption that “an organization is a mystery to be embraced,” and follows the 4-D cycle, as shown in Figure 9:

Figure 9: Appreciative Inquiry 4-D Cycle (Cooperrider & Whitney, 2001)

Reflective Questions for Asking Questions

Here are some questions you might ask yourself as you begin to explore the art and architecture of powerful questions. They are based on pioneering work with questions being done by the Public Conversations Project, a group that helps create constructive dialogue on divisive public issues.

• Is this question relevant to the real life and real work of the people who will be exploring it?
• Is this a genuine question—a question to which I/we really don’t know the answer?
• What “work” do I want this question to do? That is, what kind of conversation, meanings, and feelings do I imagine this question will evoke in those who will be exploring it?
• Is this question likely to invite fresh thinking/feeling? Is it familiar enough to be recognizable and relevant—and different enough to call forward a new response?
• What assumptions or beliefs are embedded in the way this question is constructed?
• Is this question likely to generate hope, imagination, engagement, creative action, and new possibilities or is it likely to increase a focus on past problems and obstacles?
• Does this question leave room for new and different questions to be raised as the initial question is explored?
  
  

(Adapted from Sally Ann Roth, Public Conversations Project c. 1998, as cited in Vogt, et. al, 2003).

Questions for Comprehension and Reflection

1. What are the key components to consider when developing a question?
2. Write your own question for comprehension and reflection for this section, using the techniques discussed above. Then, answer it.
3. What plays a more dominant role in your classroom: questions or answers? Why? Are you happy with this assessment? Why? Why not?
4. Give examples of Powerful Questions that you ask students in the course of your teaching? Are students given opportunities to ask such questions in your classroom?
5. Develop a short lesson plan that focuses on engaging students in addressing and developing open questions.

References

Cooperrider, D. & Whitney, A. (2001). A Positive Revolution in Change: Appreciative Inquiry. Retrieved from http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/uploads/whatisai.pdf

Verdiani, A. (Ed.). (2005). Inter-Agency Peace Education Programme: Skills for Constructive Living. Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE).  Paris: UNESCO.

Vogt, E., Brown, J., & Isaacs, D. (2003). The Art of Powerful Questions: Catalyzing Insight, Innovation and Action. Mill Valley, CA: Whole Systems Associates. Retrieved from              http://www.theworldcafe.com/articles/aopq.pdf

Additional Resources

For more on Appreciative Inquiry, including multilingual resources, visit: http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu

[1] Note: Parts of this section were adapted from the INEE Peace Education Programme (Verdiani, 2005)