WEBVTT 00:00:00.279 --> 00:00:06.969 Some studies show four year olds ask as many as 200 to 300 questions a day. 00:00:07.629 --> 00:00:12.040 Warren Berger author of a more beautiful question says that kids 00:00:12.070 --> 00:00:17.380 ask an average of 40,000 questions between the ages of two and five. 00:00:17.950 --> 00:00:22.720 But you also found that over the next couple of years, as kids go to school, 00:00:23.110 --> 00:00:26.020 the number of questions they ask declines. 00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:30.610 My reading suggests that toddlers asked the most questions and we 00:00:30.610 --> 00:00:36.160 adults ask the very least at around 20 a day, depending on our jobs. 00:00:36.580 --> 00:00:40.120 And mothers of course asked the most at around a hundred a day. 00:00:40.690 --> 00:00:44.080 I would argue though, that those questions probably aren't very deep, but rather 00:00:44.110 --> 00:00:45.430 things like, have you got your lunch? 00:00:45.490 --> 00:00:46.390 Have you brushed your teeth? 00:00:46.420 --> 00:00:47.230 Have you finished? 00:00:47.260 --> 00:00:48.400 Have you done your homework? 00:00:49.030 --> 00:00:51.790 Questions are the foundation of all learning. 00:00:52.460 --> 00:00:55.540 Scientists ask questions all the time. 00:00:55.750 --> 00:00:58.150 They ask things, like what will happen if? 00:00:58.810 --> 00:01:02.949 These are the types of questions, that get the old juices flowing. 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:09.610 Now as educators, the questions we ask students allow us to access 00:01:09.610 --> 00:01:13.630 their understanding where the gaps are and the misconceptions. 00:01:14.440 --> 00:01:16.360 In their learning and in their knowledge. 00:01:16.600 --> 00:01:21.100 And then the idea is to use those misunderstandings or those gaps 00:01:21.100 --> 00:01:26.619 in their knowledge, to drive our planning and the learning experiences 00:01:26.830 --> 00:01:29.470 to help those kids fill those gaps. 00:01:30.369 --> 00:01:34.449 Questions also help us to determine during the reflection. 00:01:34.929 --> 00:01:38.350 If we've met our intentions, whether or not our lessons were 00:01:38.350 --> 00:01:42.699 successful and where we can improve and where we can capitalize. 00:01:43.449 --> 00:01:44.679 But questions, 00:01:44.770 --> 00:01:46.449 most importantly. 00:01:47.439 --> 00:01:50.380 drive learning and curiosity. 00:01:51.070 --> 00:01:52.449 Think about it for a moment. 00:01:52.479 --> 00:01:56.529 If no one ever asked you a question, what would go through your head? 00:01:57.610 --> 00:02:01.899 It's the questions we ask ourselves and others, the drive knowledge 00:02:01.960 --> 00:02:05.499 or the pursuit of knowledge, or even just get us thinking. 00:02:06.520 --> 00:02:10.750 Inquiry based learning centers around questioning. 00:02:11.529 --> 00:02:14.829 If you listened to last week's episode with Jessica Vance you 00:02:14.829 --> 00:02:18.730 would have noticed just how her language is peppered with questions. 00:02:19.209 --> 00:02:22.180 Questions form the basis of any inquiry classroom. 00:02:22.839 --> 00:02:23.800 Those questions 00:02:23.800 --> 00:02:28.450 drive the inquiry process and through the inquiry process, we 00:02:28.450 --> 00:02:30.490 uncover the answers to questions. 00:02:31.240 --> 00:02:35.500 Questions that drive curiosity and the uncovering of knowledge and understanding 00:02:35.529 --> 00:02:37.750 are not those little simple ones. 00:02:38.469 --> 00:02:41.680 They require us to go deep and to look for answers. 00:02:42.099 --> 00:02:46.060 They're not shallow to which the answers can easily be found things 00:02:46.060 --> 00:02:49.870 like, when was the light bulb invented, or who invented electricity? 00:02:50.469 --> 00:02:53.079 These are just easy to look up and find the answer. 00:02:53.800 --> 00:02:58.659 But questions like, why do you think leaves change color in autumn? 00:02:59.440 --> 00:03:04.510 Or how does water get to our homes and out of our taps or faucets 00:03:04.510 --> 00:03:05.890 for those, for you in the US? 00:03:06.730 --> 00:03:10.240 Those require some digging to find the answers. 00:03:10.640 --> 00:03:14.379 Now you might like to follow blooming curious, because in next week's episode, 00:03:14.469 --> 00:03:19.029 I'll chat about the strategies to record children's wanderings and understanding. 00:03:19.450 --> 00:03:22.239 So you'll not want to miss out on that because I'll come with some 00:03:22.299 --> 00:03:24.249 interesting hands-on strategies. 00:03:25.179 --> 00:03:28.929 So you would have noticed then that those questions I just asked, 00:03:28.989 --> 00:03:34.420 started with why and how, they are more like the types of questions we 00:03:34.420 --> 00:03:37.209 want to ask in an inquiry classroom. 00:03:37.719 --> 00:03:41.940 Or they might be the types of questions that we want to use to get kids thinking. 00:03:42.670 --> 00:03:47.049 Then, there are the what if and the, I wonder questions that 00:03:47.049 --> 00:03:50.680 are great catalysts for creative thinking and for problem-solving. 00:03:51.099 --> 00:03:53.829 Things like what if the sun stopped shining? 00:03:54.579 --> 00:03:56.140 What if there was no more school? 00:03:56.649 --> 00:03:59.110 What if everyone stopped following rules. 00:03:59.680 --> 00:04:05.349 I wonder why geese fly a V-shape I wonder why snails have shells, but slugs don't. 00:04:05.379 --> 00:04:08.439 In Kath Murdoch's book Getting Personal with Inquiry Learning Kath 00:04:08.439 --> 00:04:13.209 agrees, that questions are central to inquiry, but she says that sometimes 00:04:13.209 --> 00:04:16.630 it can take a while for a learner to find the right question to ask. 00:04:17.049 --> 00:04:20.320 And that sometimes an initial question doesn't actually drive the 00:04:20.320 --> 00:04:25.210 inquiry, because a student might simply be driven to want to find 00:04:25.210 --> 00:04:29.590 out more about something without a question driving the investigation. 00:04:30.159 --> 00:04:33.309 And that's of course, perfectly acceptable and encouraged. 00:04:33.849 --> 00:04:38.890 That at these times, questions will arise as the inquiry unfolds. 00:04:39.249 --> 00:04:43.239 And this is also why it's important that educators have explicitly 00:04:43.239 --> 00:04:47.710 taught the structure and impact of different kinds of questions. 00:04:48.159 --> 00:04:51.309 And this has been it's handy to have a bank of question starters 00:04:51.309 --> 00:04:54.580 that support learners in choosing and refining their questions. 00:04:55.539 --> 00:05:00.309 In this publication of Kath's, Getting Personal with Inquiry Learning, it gives 00:05:00.309 --> 00:05:03.849 you lots of examples of questions to use, and I'll link to the book in the 00:05:03.849 --> 00:05:07.719 show notes, just know that it is an affiliate link to a great Ozzie bookstore. 00:05:08.799 --> 00:05:12.909 Now getting into the habit of asking deep questions can be quite 00:05:12.909 --> 00:05:16.630 tricky, especially if it's not something that's part of your makeup. 00:05:16.869 --> 00:05:20.830 And the good news is that like all skills that could be easily acquired 00:05:21.039 --> 00:05:25.479 with practice and to help you I've put together a list of question starters. 00:05:25.869 --> 00:05:27.039 Just to get you started. 00:05:27.400 --> 00:05:30.760 And you can get this list either on the blog post that accompanies 00:05:30.760 --> 00:05:36.340 this episode, or go to resources dot edslessons.com forward slash questions. 00:05:36.669 --> 00:05:38.739 I'll put the link in the show notes for you 00:05:38.890 --> 00:05:41.739 so you can just get it there after you've listened to this episode. 00:05:42.999 --> 00:05:48.549 Now the process of looking for the answers to questions takes us on a journey. 00:05:48.909 --> 00:05:53.440 And the typical journey we go on to uncover the answers is something like 00:05:53.830 --> 00:05:56.739 Kath Murdoch again, her inquiry cycle. 00:05:57.190 --> 00:06:02.890 It's a six step cycle that takes us on a path from tuning in all the way 00:06:02.890 --> 00:06:05.469 to taking action or taking it further. 00:06:05.919 --> 00:06:09.729 And I have a blog post and a resource that takes you through the step-by-step 00:06:09.729 --> 00:06:14.140 process of inquiry, which once again, I'll link in the show notes for you 00:06:14.140 --> 00:06:15.609 so make sure to check that out. 00:06:16.150 --> 00:06:18.400 Now learning never stops really. 00:06:19.030 --> 00:06:22.210 Even when your assignment is complete or the questions have been 00:06:22.390 --> 00:06:24.130 answered, guess what happens then? 00:06:24.280 --> 00:06:25.240 You see what I just did? 00:06:25.300 --> 00:06:26.170 I ask the question. 00:06:26.620 --> 00:06:27.280 That's right. 00:06:27.310 --> 00:06:29.560 We ask more questions. 00:06:30.109 --> 00:06:34.280 Questions to help the student learn about their learning, how they came 00:06:34.280 --> 00:06:37.939 to their conclusions and whether or not there's more to think about 00:06:38.150 --> 00:06:39.770 and more questions to answer. 00:06:40.219 --> 00:06:44.179 Because perhaps what the have is, is not sufficient for them to have 00:06:44.179 --> 00:06:46.039 a deep understanding of the concept. 00:06:46.849 --> 00:06:48.259 It really reminds me of a student 00:06:48.259 --> 00:06:49.759 I recently worked with. 00:06:49.999 --> 00:06:53.359 We were doing a social studies assignment and I was explicitly 00:06:53.809 --> 00:06:57.469 teaching the process of asking questions and finding and recording 00:06:57.559 --> 00:06:59.239 answers and this particular student. 00:06:59.599 --> 00:07:03.169 And this is typical of so many kids put in minimal effort because he 00:07:03.169 --> 00:07:04.759 just wanted to get the task finished. 00:07:05.590 --> 00:07:09.759 And so when it came to actually writing the report, he was unable to articulate. 00:07:10.509 --> 00:07:14.020 Or write a short paragraph to demonstrate his understanding. 00:07:14.409 --> 00:07:18.129 Simply because he didn't spend the time to get into the details. 00:07:18.679 --> 00:07:23.840 And what was great about this is when I asked him those deep questions that 00:07:23.840 --> 00:07:28.340 take learning further he started to understand that the reason he couldn't 00:07:28.340 --> 00:07:32.719 produce a decent piece of work that demonstrated his understanding of the 00:07:32.719 --> 00:07:37.820 topic that he chose was because he didn't do the research to begin with. 00:07:37.820 --> 00:07:42.500 This really struck me because it was out of his learning about the way he 00:07:42.500 --> 00:07:48.260 tackled his learning that he gained the most and consequently applied himself 00:07:48.290 --> 00:07:50.420 much better to future assignments. 00:07:50.990 --> 00:07:54.110 And it's this kind of teaching and learning that I believe makes 00:07:54.110 --> 00:07:58.250 questioning and inquiry based, learning so powerful for children. 00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:01.580 So here's your challenge as you go through next week. 00:08:01.820 --> 00:08:05.420 First of all, you've got to go and download the list of question starters. 00:08:05.900 --> 00:08:10.670 And then really get tuned into how often you ask questions and the 00:08:10.670 --> 00:08:12.440 types of questions you're asking. 00:08:13.310 --> 00:08:18.110 And then just casually as children are going through the day and their lessons 00:08:18.350 --> 00:08:20.870 start asking those deeper questions. 00:08:21.260 --> 00:08:25.250 And just see what happens and I'd really like to know how you get on with this. 00:08:25.250 --> 00:08:31.460 So really seriously, send me an email you can do so at contact@edlessons.com 00:08:32.030 --> 00:08:35.150 and tell me, and also let me know what you're struggling with and 00:08:35.150 --> 00:08:37.610 perhaps that can be a future episode. 00:08:38.390 --> 00:08:41.510 But all learning starts with curiosity. 00:08:42.020 --> 00:08:45.710 And I've got a free guide for you, how to encourage natural curiosity, and you 00:08:45.710 --> 00:08:51.620 can download that from edslessons.com and see how you can nurture curiosity 00:08:51.890 --> 00:08:54.650 just in your every day activities. 00:08:55.310 --> 00:08:58.819 And in fact, there's some question starters in that free eguide too. 00:08:59.700 --> 00:09:02.550 Now guys, I just want to thank you all for listening 00:09:02.550 --> 00:09:07.350 it really means the world to me that you chose to listen to this podcast 00:09:07.350 --> 00:09:09.270 out of all the thousands out there. 00:09:09.840 --> 00:09:13.470 So thank you so much your ongoing support really keeps me going. 00:09:13.920 --> 00:09:19.110 And if any part of today's episode resonated with you or you find something 00:09:19.110 --> 00:09:23.760 useful then please tap on the share button and share it with a friend or a colleague. 00:09:24.180 --> 00:09:28.590 And I'd really appreciate it so much if you left a review because that'll 00:09:28.590 --> 00:09:31.920 help push this podcast higher up the charts and so more people will find it. 00:09:32.580 --> 00:09:35.670 By the way to leave a review can be quite tricky. 00:09:35.970 --> 00:09:40.170 You have to go to the show where you can see the list of all the episodes. 00:09:40.410 --> 00:09:43.860 Then scroll all the way down to the bottom and then click 00:09:43.860 --> 00:09:45.240 where it says, write a review. 00:09:45.540 --> 00:09:48.420 That's what it looks like on apple anyway, and it's probably quite 00:09:48.420 --> 00:09:50.940 similar on the other podcast platforms. 00:09:51.930 --> 00:09:56.610 And if you would like more strategies and insights, just like these delivered 00:09:56.610 --> 00:10:00.960 to your inbox, then you should subscribe to my free weekly newsletter 00:10:01.050 --> 00:10:03.720 Get Curious and get on my mailing list. 00:10:04.020 --> 00:10:08.160 My subscribers get access to all the juicy bits and insider information. 00:10:08.190 --> 00:10:14.860 So go Get Curious by signing up at resources.edlessons.com/getcurious and 00:10:14.860 --> 00:10:16.530 I'll link that in the show notes too. 00:10:17.070 --> 00:10:20.130 And with all that I'll love and leave you until next week. 00:10:20.490 --> 00:10:25.020 And until then, remember, stay blooming, curious and ask questions.