October’s throughline focuses on Curiosity & Questioning. In this month’s four issues, we explore the psychology of curiosity, how we are hardwired for exploration, practical questioning techniques to use in the classroom, and how to build a creative culture one question at a time.
In this first issue, we explore some cornerstone questions that will boost your teaching and learning, your project management and discovery, and ultimately your creative success.
The Side-Effects Question
What harm might we be causing?
Yes, there are always second-order effects. We might unintentionally cause harm despite our best efforts. Think about the negative side effects in medical practice; this is called iatrogenics. Our education projects also cause unintended damage and complications. Your mild discomfort at raising this question early in your project – and there will be some – is undoubtedly easier to bear than repairing unintended damage later on.
The Tactical Doubting Question
How might we be wrong?
Tactical doubt is an underrated disposition for running any project. Yet, doubt is a cornerstone of philosophy. This question pushes our discourse into an exploration of the potential gaps and vulnerabilities in our beloved plans. Deploy tactical doubt when you notice the rush to move ahead without critical thinking checks.
The Everything-can’t-be-a-priority Question
What are we optimising for?
“We have 12 improvement priorities” is an oxymoron. In education, we not only have an abandonment issue (we like to keep every project going) we also find it difficult to identify priorities. After all, how do you prioritise learning, well-being, values (how many can one school have?), internal and external pressures, etc.? To get to the point where our general heuristics are normalised and, as Roger Martin proposes, converted to a fixed formula, we must choose what to optimise.
The Problem Definer
How might we?
The way we frame creative problems makes a difference. The language you use has a direct influence on the quantity and quality of ideas that are generated. How Might We is an essential starting point for any creative inquiry. How optimises everything to action. Might injects a dose of practical doubt to encourage experimentation. We gears us all up for collective creativity.
The Learning Signal Question
How do I know learning is happening?
We process a lot of information during teaching, from the non-verbal cues to the intentional outcomes of students learning. Each learning experience has an SNR or signal-to-noise ratio. The Learning Signal Question reminds us during learning design and as teaching is happening to identify the essential signals. Are you witnessing learning? How will I know when I see it? Use the following question as a follow-up.
The Learning Deep-End Question
How do these ideas connect?
This question is essential as learning shifts from surface to conceptual understanding. A fundamental transition is to explain relationships, connections and links between ideas. When students can start to explain how ideas connect, we know they are showing signs of a deeper understanding. This question is a critical pedagogical move into the deep end of conceptual understanding.
The Empathy Builder
What is on your mind?
Instead of listing a bunch of meeting protocols, ask a small team to share what is on their mind. Listen as the team’s shared understanding rises; notice how you connect with the responses and how you see your colleagues in a different light. This question helps you connect to the reality of different experiences, not just generic recounts. Use the question with sensitivity, and over time you increase psychological safety.
The Assumption Challenger
How does our bias change what we see?
We all bring a different perspective to the challenges we face. My story and my experience is my bias. Recognising this is an essential step to better teamwork and collaboration. Explore the lenses that can be held up to view your situation with your team. List your assumptions and challenge the team to unpack how perspectives are formed.
The Low Inference Question
What do you notice?
Start small and keep it simple. After learning walks or observational rounds, one of my favourite challenges is considering low inference noticing. More difficult than you might think, we are not leaping to conclusions or making assumptions about what we experience – see above. What do you notice? and other low inference dialogue brings objectivity and clarity. Try looking at student books with a colleague and list what you notice for a few minutes.
The Excavator Question
What else?
This one is a power-up for your listening. Take discussion and dialogue in a different direction to the 5 Whys activity you might have heard of. What and How questions keep things concrete and grounded. What else? holds the talk open and encourages the recipient to carry on. Michael Bungay Stanier deploys the question to tame our advice monster (wanting to jump in with advice).
⏭🎯 Your Next Steps
Commit to action and turn words into works
- Reflect on which question aligns with your context and priorities. Not too many priorities I hope!
- Look out for opportunities to try some questions out. Questioning takes practice, which means repetition.
- Set aside time to design questions before your next lesson, workshop or meeting. We are never as good as we think at winging it.
🗣💬 Your Talking Points
Lead a team dialogue with these provocations
- Share the list of 10 questions and explore which questions resonate with your colleagues.
- For each question, explore what needs to be in place for the question to be helpful. e.g. 8: trust and openness.
- Teachers ask 70,000 questions a year. What questioning strategies does your team rely on the most?